


Skewed Destinies- The Flames of Origin

by Keko_the_Hybrid



Category: Tales of Symphonia
Genre: Adventure, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Mystery, Mystery Stories, Plot Twists
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-26
Updated: 2017-06-09
Packaged: 2018-03-15 07:55:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 99
Words: 444,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3439481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Keko_the_Hybrid/pseuds/Keko_the_Hybrid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world in far more trouble than its declining mana, a game of questions, trust and betrayal is under way while a chakram and sword-wielding young man undertakes his Journey of Regeneration. Time is of the essence as he and his friends go forth toward their destinies, new alliances and adversaries awaiting them at every turn.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. No time for pancakes. It's Oracle time!

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Hi everyone! Keko here. I've got a passion for writing fiction and have only recently ventured into the realm of fanfiction after my renewed obsession with Tales of Symphonia when it was released on the Ps3.
> 
> Before we get started with the story, here are three interesting and yet spoiler-free points:
> 
> 1\. While this story is of course based on the story of the game, there are many core differences. I love plot twists and you can definitely expect plenty of those. Actually, the more you anticipate the usual plot twists, the better! *Evil grin*
> 
> 2\. The combined character aspect in this story is not something that goes unexplained.
> 
> 3\. Last but not least, this is in the mystery section for a reason. If chapters are skipped, there is a chance you will miss vital clues! Just saying! =3 I try to avoid "filler" for the sake of filler.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia, its original plot, characters or locations. I do take credit for the original themes and situations contained within the plot of this story though

"Colloyd," called an impatient voice. Nothing but silence followed.

The boy in question fluttered his eyelids open the second time his name was called. Staring into his face with one eyebrow raised and a disapproving glare in his piercing blue eyes was his teacher of the past three years. He started back in surprise at the proximity, dropping the two buckets of water he had been holding as punishment to the floor and leaving a nice mess for the cleaners later.

The elven scholar grunted something under his breath and turned away from his pupil, walking back past the class and standing near the blackboard at the front. "Would someone who has been awake this lesson please answer my question so that Colloyd might understand the homework for tonight?"

The room filled with stifled laughs from other students. A pink haired elven girl seated in the second row of tables from the front grimaced, knowing that if nobody shot their hand up in the next five seconds that she would be easy pickings. Kraine knew she knew the answer and sometimes exploited that. She knew as well as anyone else that you couldn't live with a teacher and _not_ pick up a thing or two.

Right on cue, the teacher placed one hand on her shoulder and glanced down at her. "Gesea, please tell the class the answer."

"Must I, brother?" she complained, rolling her eyes. "Prediction outcome: one-hundred percent accurate," she added, voicing without shame how well she knew her older siblings teacherly behaviours.

"I apologise," Kraine replied gently, taking his hand off of her shoulder. He strolled toward the front of the classroom. "The answer is that the Goddess Martel is responsible for what we now know as the Oracle. Scholars believe that to end war, Martel and her brother Mithos made a pact with an ancient summon spirit named Origin." He appeared to have decided to answer the question himself for the sake of clarity. He pointed to the notes on the blackboard with the ruler he had picked up from somewhere in the room as he'd been pacing through the explanation. "Mithos was sacrificed and Martel became an angel. With Martel becoming an angel, the summon spirit Origin regenerated the world and Sylvarant flourished. Throughout history since then, a Chosen of Salvation has been born clutching a strange exsphere and a white light from the Temple of Martel has been seen. This is known as the Oracle and is said to be a symbol from Martel that the Chosen must once again re-flourish the world by meeting with Origin in the Tower of Salvation."

After completing his explanation, he cast a weary eye on Colloyd. The boy shrugged a little indifferently. "Not like I don't know all that already."

"Yes Colloyd," Kraine agreed with a nod, "I am aware that you have been taught this since you were very young, but should the Oracle strike in your or your children's lifetimes, it would be wise to keep your memory fresh." He glanced down at the boys left hand, wrapped in a bandage. Colloyd shifted, uncomfortable with his eyes on him. Kraine shrugged it off and turned back to the blackboard. "Now, as for tonight's homew-"

He was cut off by the sudden shaking of the wooden floorboards beneath him. As though all students in the classroom had guessed the source, every single pair of eyes in the room looked toward the wall of windows on the right hand wall. It seemed their lesson had awoken the Goddess herself, because a white beam of light streamed out of the Temple of Martel, shortly to the east of their little village.

All eyes turned onto Colloyd after the excitement of seeing the oracle wore off. He shifted uncomfortably and sought Kraine's direction. Luckily for him, Kraine seemed to be ready to give his thoughts, as always. "If that is indeed the Oracle, the Priests will know to come here and find you. I shall make the journey now to the temple."

Colloyd blinked in surprise. "But-" He didn't even have a chance to stammer out the rest of his protest before Kraine disappeared behind the open door of the classroom and out of the school house. His frustrated thoughts didn't stay in place for long though.

Gesea scurried toward him through the maze of school desks and overturned chairs, her eyes wide and looking kind of excited. "Col! Was that really the Oracle? It had to be, right?"

"I dunno," he answered. "We should go and find out!"

"But Kraine said-"

"-But it's _research_ ," Colloyd cut her off quickly.

The pink haired elf shrugged her shoulders and heaved a defeated sigh. "There's no a way to stop you, so I may as well join you."

Giving his best friend a cheesy grin, Colloyd took her arm and started out of the classroom, almost tripping on the little step that had been there much longer than he himself had and sending Gesea along with him. She decided to run beside him after that.

xxx

"I'm surprised we haven't bumped into the professor on the road here," Colloyd mused, glancing down to his friends floss-pink hair as it bobbed back and forth while they made their way quickly through the field. "With all the monsters here I thought he'd be slowed down," he added, eventually finding a comfortable position to be able to see her face without making her notice how short she was in comparison.

Gesea grimaced. "I don't think anyone could slow Kraine down. He is quite.. travelled, to say the least."

"That's right," Colloyd recalled. "The two of you travelled for a long time to get to Iselia, didn't you?"

Gesea looked down and said nothing in response.

"Sorry," he apologised quickly after. "I sometimes forget you guys have an invisible line that can't be crossed when talking about that."

His friend didn't answer right away, instead focusing on the task of rearranging her pigtails and avoiding his eye contact. When she accidentally caught his eyes after daring herself to look, she gave a sorry smile. "I'll tell you all about our journey to Iselia one day Col." Her troubled demeanour faded and her eyes glinted with excitement as they finally stepped onto the cobblestone ground which led up a narrow stairway straight into the Temple of Martel. "In the meantime, let's focus on the start of what might be _your_ epic journey!"

"Right!" he grinned in response. "Race ya to the top!"

"You're on!" she agreed, grinning back.

Colloyd took a deep breath and took off. Had it been a question of speed alone, he might have won. However, his height came with a disadvantage in comparison to Gesea's when it came to climbing old steps fast. She quickly started to gain on him and eventually took the lead.

"Alright, I... guess ...you won that-" Colloyd huffed, taking the last few steps to the top and to where he could see Gesea standing. He didn't finish his sentence, instead faced with a horror he hadn't expected. Several of the temple priests were on the ground, clutching various parts of their bodies while groaning with pain. Spatters of red decorated the ground in all directions.

Colloyd quickly approached the frail form of a woman he recognised, Gesea at his heels. The woman wasn't a priest; more an official go-between of the Chosen and anyone with business with the Chosen, A.K.A him. He looked on at her in horror as he knelt to check her wounds. "Phaidra! Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

The old woman opened her gentle blue eyes and smiled at Colloyd. "It's only a small wound, Chosen. I'll just need to rest for a while. Please run.. away.." Her voice croaked and she fell backward.

Colloyd looked over her again, his hands shaking. She was still breathing but there was no way that he could just leave now. He looked at Gesea with an expression he knew she would understand. As expected, she looked conflicted at the unsaid idea. After a couple of quick glances between him and Phaidra, she sighed and gave him her best courageous nod.

They stood together and faced the doorway that led into the temple. The ornate golden doors were wide open and the yells of unknown villains and priests alike could be heard. The clanking of weapons against weapons rung through the air amongst the yells. "I hope the professor is okay," Colloyd said, his resolve strengthening with the new worry. He gripped the pommel of the sword on his right. With one final nod to his short companion and on the receipt of her own nod back, the pair sprinted into the hungry mouth of the temple.

It turned out that their worries hadn't been pointless. As soon as their eyes adjusted to the dull light of the room, they saw the one and only purple and orange trimmed cloak of Professor Kraine. Surrounded by none other than the silver helmet wearing scum-of-the-world, Desians, and with his back to them, the elf hadn't even noticed their presence. Colloyd went to call out but was muffled by the charging yell of the Desians on the professor. He quickly unsheathed his chakram and sword to assist, but no sooner did he take a single step, the charge ended as quickly as it'd started. Every Desian in all directions fell to their knees, gashes appearing on their bodies. He gaped at the professor, seeing the sword in his right hand slicked with the blood of his assailants. Blinking back his shock, he stepped toward his teacher.

Hearing the faint tapping of shoes, the auburn haired elf-teacher abruptly turned in their direction, pointing his sword. He stopped and relaxed his grip when he realised who they were. "I thought I told you two to stay at school," he said, stern disapproval in his voice. "This is no place for children."

"It's no place for a teacher either," Colloyd replied, hearing his own shock in his voice but masking his face with a grin. "But you're not a normal teacher, are you Kraine?"


	2. Remiel and the Revelations

Kraine cast his eyes over the duo. They were still very mesmerised by the bloody battle (if they could even call it that) they had just witnessed him fight. He knew he had to say something. Colloyd wouldn't let the matter go if he didn't respond with a reason. "I am a scholar who simply knows how to defend myself," he replied. It was a weak explanation at best, and even a relatively inexperienced and self-taught boy like Colloyd should have been able to see right through it. Still, he didn't really have much else to add.

While Colloyd thought on the spot, Gesea spoke up as she walked to his side and looked at the sword he still held in his right hand. She paused for a moment and then gazed to the circle of dead Desians surrounding her brother. "I thought you didn't use your sword any more."

Colloyd wondered what that meant. He figured it out quickly though. They would have needed _some_ kind of way to protect themselves when they'd travelled to Iselia a few years ago from wherever they'd come from.

Kraine sheathed his sword. "There are times which call for the sword over the brain." He spoke in his typical big brother voice to her. "We must not forget that in such turbulent times."

"You're _hiding_ something," Gesea said before adding "again," in a tone that sounded cross. When Kraine looked a bit surprised, she rolled her eyes slightly and ran a quick hand through her fringe. "You're still an expert with your sword. That alone suggests a high likelihood that you've been training in secret."

Colloyd watched the duel of wits between siblings curiously, wondering whether he should even be standing there. "We can discuss this later," Kraine replied to her finally before before resting his eyes on him. "I suppose that no matter what I say to you, you will just continue to foolishly head to the Oracle?"

"I'm the Chosen, remember?" Colloyd said with an indignant grin. "That's kinda my job."

"This temple feels ominous. There are many monsters about," Kraine warned. Then, pacing a couple of steps forward, he looked back at him and Gesea. "It would not do to let you make the journey through alone. I'll see to it that you have safe passage. Gesea can go home." He said the last bit in a voice that basically meant there was not a choice in the matter.

Colloyd and Gesea knew it quite well, but both were as disappointed as each other still.

"But.. Kraine.." Gesea decided to plead.

"It's okay, you can come," Colloyd answered, also trying to feign ignorance to the clear impression his teacher had given to them. As expected, Kraine went to start on him with the reasons why his sister shouldn't come. He, however, had a retort of his own that came rather naturally. "I feel much more comfortable with Gesea around. Seeing you using a sword like you've been doing it for years is making me a bit uneasy."

"Hmph," Kraine muttered. "I suppose I can keep a better eye on Gesea if she journeys with us. Let's head into the temple to find the sorcerers ring to unlock the door to the Oracle."

"Alright!" Colloyd and Gesea said in sync, laughing together and celebrating with a high five.

Kraine sighed and walked ahead of them. "This isn't a field trip, you know," he called back to them.

xxx

Their first battle was with a weak Field Slime. Colloyd hadn't fought one before- more used to the bugs in the forest near Iselia than field monsters. Kraine on the other hand had fought them a million times over, and found himself exasperated at the way the Chosen seemed more interested in getting close enough to feel it rather than fight it. He was in turn rewarded for his curiosity when the monster sent the pink core residing within itself flying out at him. It hit him in the head like a rampant ping pong ball. Frustration getting the better of him, Kraine dashed in and made easy work of the enemy while Gesea erupted with laughter as she scrambled to see if the boy was alright.

Clicking his sword back into its sheath when he was done, the stoic swordsman watched the peppy Colloyd raise one fist into the air in excitement after he put his own barely used weapons back into their respective sheaths. "Yeah! We did it!"

"We? I had thought you were observing," Kraine said. The teenager gave a cry of retort but no actual words. The professor-turned-strangely-talented-swordsman's eyes on him turned into a disapproving scowl. "Using a chakram and a sword is a terrible way to fight, Colloyd."

"Why? It gives me range _and_ strength," he replied. "Plus you only have _one_ sword. I've gotta have at least double the chance in battle that you do."

"Are you telling me that is why you insist on dual weapons?"

Kraine couldn't help but feel pity, and was sure Colloyd had seen it. He slumped his shoulders as he let out a sigh. Kraine started walking off from them, noticing the two children sharing a glance. "We don't have the whole day," he muttered patiently, stopping for them to catch up.

The three of them wound their way around the outer passage of the main room to find the stairs which led to where the sorcerers ring was located. It was a measure to keep unwanted visitors out of the temple, but now as they entered the room, they saw the large boulder type monster guarding the passage.

"Look!" Colloyd said to his companions, heading right for it as he tried to remember how to deactivate it. The priests had told him multiple times but he had always been too distracted by wanting to get his hands on the ring and try it for himself. Even now as he saw the ring on the pedestal behind the monster he had a familiar buzz of excitement forming in his gut. "It's got to have an off switch," he said as he approached it and reached a hand out to touch it.

"Chosen!"

The monster made a loud grunting sound and raised its arms to pound him to the ground. He would have been caught off guard and a Chosen-style pancake if Kraine hadn't stepped in front and blocked the attack with his sword to give him enough time to move out of the range. He proceeded to throw the chakram in his left hand at the enemy. Its eyes followed the disk that frequently had been used as a fetch toy for his dog, briefly mesmerised. He took the opportunity to dash in and slash at the monster with the sword in his right hand. Kraine delivered the last damning blow and the collective lump of multiple rocks and gears that made up the Golem fell to the ground with a thud, finally allowing them passage.

After the group collected the sorcerers ring from its pedestal, they headed back to the front of the temple and to the main room with the magic seal which blocked the entrance to the Oracle room. Colloyd's unwavering excitement was unsettling to Kraine and he tried his best to warn him that this was the very start of a dangerous journey. He looked at Gesea and tried to figure out how he was going to go about what he needed to do without impacting the girl too harshly. The people of Iselia village would surely take her in and look after her. The thought of leaving her unsettled him somewhat though, since he had for a very long time been present to keep a watchful, if not somewhat nervous, eye on her.

The turquoise coloured double doors in front of the group screeched open to reveal a glowing light. An angel descended down from the top of the roof, his hair a deep brown and his wings the typical type one would expect on an angel. Kraine watched Colloyd instead as he approached the altar and waved excitedly. "Wow!" Gesea whispered under her breath to him. "Do you think he could be Col's real father?"

He didn't answer because the angel spoke, his voice soft but commanding. "I am Remiel. I am an Angel of Judgement. I am here to guide Colloyd, the son of the mana lineage, on his journey to heaven as the seventh Chosen." He descended a little closer to the group, holding out his hand. His palm glowed and a red shape appeared in it before floating closer to Colloyd. It flashed a bright white for a moment before attaching itself to Colloyd's left hand where his cruxis crystal sat atop the key crest his Dad had made.

"From this moment forth, Colloyd is the Chosen of regeneration. We of Cruxis bless this event and bestow the Tower of Salvation upon Sylvarant."

Upon hearing about the tower, neither Colloyd or Gesea could resist looking out of the window of the temple for a moment to see the tower off in the distance, just as Remiel had said. It was Kraine who gently put his hand on Colloyd's shoulder to remind him that they were still in the presence of an angel. Colloyd turned back to Remiel, putting his hand behind his neck in an embarrassed stance. "Oops, sorry."

"Colloyd, the Chosen of Regeneration, unlock the seals of the world to open the path into the Tower of Salvation and climb its stairs to heaven in distant lands," Remiel continued, paying no mind to the wasted time.

Colloyd stood in awe of the situation until Gesea nudged him to answer. He blinked and nodded enthusiastically at him. "I humbly accept this task."

Remiel gave a small and sort of unnatural looking smile. "Very well. We shall bestow you with the power of the angels with each seal you unlock. Once you become an angel you will be able to ascend to heaven and meet Origin. In doing so the world will flourish. First head south to the Seal of Fire and offer your prayers at the altar there."

Colloyd nodded and watched as the angel started to ascend. "Please wait! I have a question!"

Remiel stopped and looked down at him expectantly. "Go now, my precious son Colloyd. I will be waiting for you at the Seal of Fire."

Colloyd stared as the angel disappeared for good this time. Gesea and Kraine allowed him his surprise over the current turn of events for a time before suggesting they leave and go back to the village.

xxx

As they were about to head out of the temple, they heard a familiar yell from an old woman. "Phaidra!" Colloyd yelled. "I thought the Desians had left!" They all raced out to see an elven looking man with a pointed face and spiky black hair holding onto the little old lady. A bunch of Desian troops stood around him. "Get away from her!" Colloyd bellowed.

The elf turned in their direction, his eyes scanning them. "Is this the Chosen?"

"If you are going to ask who I am, I would first like to know who you are!" Colloyd sneered. Kraine almost rolled his eyes. Colloyd may as well have added a 'please' at the end of his sentence for all the good his attempt at a threatening stance had done.

The elf gave a low chuckle and glanced past the boy to look at his much taller companion. "Hmm. I had not expected to see _you_ here." He looked at Phaidra and then at Colloyd. "Do not sleep easy Chosen." Letting Phaidra go, he ran away with the rest of his troops down the steps of the temple and out of sight.

Colloyd looked over the old woman and sighed with relief. "Thank goodness you're okay." He looked up at Kraine, who harrumphed at knowing what he was going to ask. He glanced back at the temple longingly. He had hoped to find some time to examine the building closer before continuing on with what must be done. It would have been the perfect opportunity, too. Heaving a sigh he knelt down with his back to the woman.

xxx

After Kraine had carried the old woman back to Iselia, all the while trying to keep the two children under his watchful supervision, they all sat around her dining table to discuss what was to come next. "You were very impressive with your sword skills," Phaidra complemented, smiling at Kraine. She had lost a tooth in the attack but otherwise seemed almost fully recovered.

Kraine shifted uncomfortably. "I suppose this is where you offer me compensation in return for my promise to aid the Chosen on his journey?"

"What?" Gesea asked, gaping along with Colloyd.

The old woman's mouth shot up in a small smirk for a second. "Remarkable. How did you know?"

"I suppose I simply saw it coming," the professor replied coolly. He had a small edge of confidence to his voice, too.

"I see," Phaidra nodded. "Yes that pretty much covers it."

Kraine looked over at the children briefly before turning back and nodding. "I have no reason to say no to a request as long as you are able to pay me."

"You can't be serious," Colloyd gaped. "The _Professor_? Surely there are _actual_ mercenaries fitter for the job?"

Kraine immediately felt the urge to find a piece of chalk and throw it at the brunette boys head. Instead he settled on a meaningful glare. "Do you have a problem with that?" he asked him, standing from his spot at the table and heading to the door. Gesea got up from her seat too and followed behind to leave. Colloyd shook his head, knowing any other answer would end in Kraine, Phaidra and her husband scolding him for being so brash. Following reluctantly, he bid goodbye and stepped outside.

As he stepped out of the house and toward his friend and teacher, he caught his foot on the slight raise of wood on the balcony which led to the steps and sent himself flying straight into the dirt at Kraine's feet. Gesea giggled girlishly at him before attempting to help him up. Of course, considering her short stature, Colloyd found himself doing most of the work.

"I suppose now would be a good time to go to your house?" Kraine asked him after a small silence between them ensued.

Colloyd glanced left to right at the suggestion and Gesea grimaced. "C'mon Col, surely you can trust us by now right?"

"It's not _me,_ " Colloyd explained with a sigh. "Dad doesn't like exposing our house to anyone. He's always been worried about someone coming after me."

"Hmm, wise," Kraine nodded. "Though it seems as though he is not your real father, correct?"

Colloyd glanced down again for the second time in as many minutes. "Remiel said he was my real father, but Dirk is still my dad. He never told me but I think he and I both knew that I wasn't biologically related to him. It was pretty obvious when I learned I was the Chosen and a descendant of angels." He shrugged. "I'd have to get angel blood from somewhere to _be_ the Chosen, right?"

"And you are sure you didn't get it from your mother?"

Colloyd grimaced and shook his head. "I'm double Dad's height. I'm almost sure I'm not part dwarf." He tilted his head in question. "You're sure asking a lot of questions all of a sudden."

"Forgive me for prying," Kraine replied, walking ahead to the exit of Iselia. Guards glanced at him as he approached and set their eyes on the two youngsters he had in tow. As they gave friendly nods and left, Colloyd hoped his Dad had expected this to happen one day. He had once asked to invite Gesea over but had been scolded and asked to repeat all one-hundred and thirty-four dwarven vows before he had been allowed to eat supper that night.

He led his companions through the forest to the slight north-east of Iselia, past a pathway that led to a human ranch and to a small clearing with a lake and a bridge. Clear ahead he could see the wooden log house that belonged to his dad and a green and white 'dog' charging clear for him with an excited yelp.

"Noishe!" he exclaimed, trying to calm the beast down as it kept speeding right for them. With only enough time to pull Gesea out of the way, the dog tackled Kraine to the ground and proceeded to attempt to lick him to death. It took both Colloyd and Gesea to pull him away from the professor and allow him the chance to get to his feet. His eyes stayed on Noishe. Colloyd laughed uncomfortably and apologised, swiftly introducing the pet to them. Neither of them seemed to believe he was a dog though for some weird reason. Noishe was loads of fun to play fetch with and he growled and whined too. He _had_ to be a dog, as far as Colloyd could see.

Leading the two in closer toward the door of the house, Colloyd started to get even more nervous. He'd never had visitors and was glad that he had cleaned his room recently. Buying himself time to think of what to say when he took them to his Dad, he took the two of them to the left of the house and down a short cobble path. It was a ritual of his anyway. "Hi mum," he called habitually as he leaned down in front of a large stone headstone. "I'm home."

"This is where your mother rests?" Kraine asked, looking over the boy to try and see the name on the grave. He only saw R.I.P.

Gesea nodded her head at the grave in respect and Colloyd got back to his feet. "Yeah, but I won't bore you with the details of what happened to her." He left it silent in case they had anything else to say, but when it felt awkward he grinned and pumped one fist in the air. "Alright! Let's go and see Dad!"

"Yes!" Gesea said, also pumping her fist in the air and trooping after him. Kraine paused for a brief moment, nodding his head in respect to the grave also before following them.


	3. Friends, figurines and fate

The meeting with his dad went about as Colloyd expected.

"And you brought 'em _here?"_ Dirk asked after a brief explanation, his face a little paler than usual. He glanced at the pink haired elf and into the steely blue gaze of the auburn haired teacher.

"We're sorry to be an inconvenience Dirk," Kraine explained. He had always found it difficult to level with the dwarf and had always come to dread parent-teacher meetings. Dirk, while he looked rough around the edges, was always extremely protective of his son. While he had understood the need for Colloyd to study harder to pass his science and mathematics tests, he had softened the news on the usually red-clad boy sitting nervously with them by praising him for his amazing grades in art, woodwork and P.E. Kraine briefly thought about discussing it there and then and perhaps the mixed messages the boy was getting but quickly thought better of it. _"Besides.. It is not as though it matters now,"_ he thought, absently listening to Colloyd finish his explanation on the events of the day. He swallowed thickly and made sure to remain expressionless when he saw Gesea glancing up at him.

Dirk relaxed his tensed up shoulders and smiled up at Colloyd finally. "Aye. It would not do any good to be angry with my only son now when he's going to be leaving me soon."

"A..about that... Dad.." Colloyd stammered.

Dirk waved him away. "Don't you be sayin' a word, son. I love ya like you were one of me own and ya will always have a place to come back to, after this whole regeneration thing is complete." He glanced up at Kraine. "You be taking very good care of him, ya hear?"

_"Dad,"_ Colloyd groaned, an embarrassed flush as red as his clothes evident on his face. "I can look after myself y'know!"

"And don't I know it all too well," Dirk agreed with a slight smile and a wistful sigh. "Kids grow up too fast." Before he even finished his sentence, Colloyd had headed for the stairs and called Gesea up to join him in his bedroom. Kraine craned his neck to look at the upper balcony for a moment, listening to the excited voices of the children.

"No need to worry," Dirk said to him. "Col is a good lad. Your sister is not in any kind of the usual danger."

Kraine shook his head and levelled eye contact once again with the dwarf. "You have my solemn word that I will ensure he completes this journey safely. However, I can not guarantee..." He stopped for a moment and decided on his tact. "..That the same boy will return to you."

There was silence between the two men as Dirk thought about his words. He eventually gave a hearty laugh that no doubt Colloyd had picked up over the years. "I suppose it's only a matter of time. I get the feelin' that he be leaving a boy but returning a man."

"Experience does tend to do that," Kraine agreed. Dirk nodded and headed to his small kitchen to put the kettle on. "Take a seat. I think those kids are going to be a while."

Kraine reluctantly took a seat at the table, thankful that the chairs were not sized for a dwarf like most of the appliances and work stations around the house seemed to be. "I suppose I can allow them one last evening together."

xxx

"Wow! Is this really for me?" Gesea asked as she cupped her hands around the gift that Colloyd had presented to her only moments earlier. It was a hand-made wooden figurine of the pet she had met earlier for the first time, Noishe. The detail was exquisite and when she ran her fingers over all the little grooves in the woodwork, she almost expected it to feel fluffy.

"I was going to paint it," Colloyd said shyly, shifting his feet a bit. "But guess I ran out of time."

"It's fantastic!" Gesea grinned up at him. "Thank you Col!"

She flew into an embrace with him, to which he uttered a small nervous laugh. "Dad would say it's only average, five out of ten. Then he would warn me not to blame my tools before citing dwarven vow number fifty-five. _A bad workman blames his tools."_

He sighed deeply and Gesea moved away from him, tittering excitedly still. "Tell me all the dwarven vows again?"

"Okay," he groaned. "But I'm not saying number seven!"

xxx

The two adults below listened as Gesea yelled the corniest dwarven vow of all. "Justice and love will always win!"

"I have always been curious," Kraine started to Dirk. "Just who thinks of these vows anyway?"

"The oldest dwarves in history," Dirk explained simply as he sipped the soup he had made for supper out of what looked like a hand crafted cup.

"I see," Kraine answered shortly, pulling his attention away to listen again to the kids. They were talking quietly now. He turned his attention to a window on the west wall of the house which faced out to Colloyd's mothers gravestone almost directly.

Dirk saw him looking and grimaced. "I found Col when he was barely walkin'. Assumed he was about three years old. His ma out there was dyin' from an attack. Looked like she might'a had something the Desians at the ranch wanted. There was nothing I could do except give 'er a good resting place." When he noticed Kraine looking unsettled, he swiftly apologised. "Sorry. We dwarves aren't exactly great conversation makers."

"No, it is alright," Kraine shook his head. "It is a good thing that you found the boy when you did. He might have died otherwise."

"Aye. It must have been fate."

When night had well and truly fallen and Kraine had had enough of the idle attempts of small talk both he and Dirk had attempted, he called Gesea downstairs to take her home. As they left, he heard her whisper softly to Colloyd that she would convince him to let her come along and that she would see him tomorrow. He dreaded the moment they got home and he had to firmly explain that it was not a choice. Gesea would not take it lightly and he would likely have to tell her more about the journey ahead than he might have wanted. If push came to shove though, he would have no choice.

xxx

Colloyd was awoken later that night by the sound of a girl screaming. He rushed out to the balcony and looked down to see his pet looking up at him with concerned eyes.

"What was that Noishe?" he asked quietly. Noishe looked to the woods and let out a high pitched whine.

"Get away!" yelled a familiar voice over the night air.

Through a clearing of trees close to the woods ran a little pink haired figure. Several slinkier and darker shapes surrounded it. This was all Colloyd needed to switch into action mode. Taking a split second to grab his chakram and sword, he darted back outside and took a leap off of his balcony to land on a flower bed beneath. He ran for his best friend, throwing the chakram in his left hand at the closest wolf to her. It connected easily, leaving a deep wound before flying back to his hand.

The wolves turned their attention from the little elf to him. He cut the first one that pounced at him down with no problem, and then a smaller, mangier one that had tried to come at him from the side. He heard a shriek from Gesea, followed by a warmth from behind his back. He turned to see the wolf he had taken his eyes off accidentally burning to ashes. It disappeared a couple of seconds later with the usual flash monsters did, along with the fire that had been burning it.

Colloyd couldn't help his gape as he trailed his eyes over to Gesea. She was breathing heavily and with a strange object in her hands that looked like an axe connected to a rope and paddle. "Gesea?" He asked, trying to disguise the shock in his voice. "Wow! When did you learn to use magic like that!?"

"I..I.." she stuttered. She withdrew a bit and Colloyd realised he hadn't exactly been successful. He tilted his head. "I always wondered if elves could use magic. Guess I got my answer huh!" He looked pointedly down at her weapon. "Ooh, let's see your weapon!"

"Col!" Gesea exclaimed, sounding a mix of frightened and worried. He took a step back from her and watched her clench her fists. "Aren't you going to ask me what I was doing here late at night?"

"Oh yeah, that!" Colloyd laughed. He gave her what he hoped was a stern Kraine-like face. "Gesea, it is dangerous out here. You could get hurt very easily. Just what made you come here so late?"

Gesea forced a smile and glanced away. "I was going to see a friend and have a picnic with her."

"At one in the morning?" Colloyd gaped, looking over to where Gesea had glanced to. There was a package wrapped in foil on the ground. The moonlight from above made it appear an almost magical sparkle of blue instead of metallic silver. "A picnic with my dog maybe?"

"Noishe?" Gesea made a funny noise. "Col, my friend is a _human!"_

"What's a human doing in the woods at-" Colloyd trailed off and gaped at her. "You don't mean-"

"She never gets enough to eat at the ranch so I try to bring her some food. Usually I do it during the day but with everything that happened today, I didn't get a chance."

Colloyd stood still in thought for a few moments before giving himself a nod when he figured it out. "Alright then. Since you're only going to get hurt trying to take the food through the woods at this time of night, I'll have to go with you."

"Really?" Gesea's face brightened up.

"Really!" he nodded. "Let's try to be quick though. If anyone sees us there, we'll be in big trouble."

"I understand," Gesea nodded. "Let's go."

xxx

The tall brunette and pink-haired shorty made their way cautiously through Iselia forest, prepared for any further attacks. They took an eastern path toward the human ranch run by the Desians. Iselia had long ago made a non-aggression treaty with them. Basically as long as nobody interfered or entered the ranch, the village would be safe from attacks.

As they approached the big military-style building, the knot that had been forming in Colloyd's gut managed to twist even further. He remembered the teacher before Kraine and Gesea had come to the village telling him about the Desian ranches and that they were dangerous places where things happened that no person should bear witness to. Here he was though, allowing his best friend to do something which could very well endanger their entire village if they were caught. Of course, his feelings and curiosity overrode the logic rolling around in the back of his mind.

"Marble!" Gesea whispered harshly as they made their way to the left hand side of the base and toward a barred gate.

There was a low groan before a hunched figure strode toward them from around the corner of a large wooden box. "Gesea.. is that you?"

"It's me. I also brought Col with me tonight." Gesea grinned up at Colloyd as she handed Marble the food wrapped in foil and dropped to her knees. Marble did the same and Colloyd followed, nervously glancing back and forth.

"So this is your friend," Marble smiled, all the lines across her face following the countour of her lips. Colloyd smiled in greeting and tried to ignore how frail the old woman looked. As he watched her open the package and take out a sandwich, he noticed something he couldn't take his eyes off.

"Marble, did you see it? There was an oracle today!" Gesea whispered excitedly to the old lady.

"Yes I did. I saw the Tower of Salvation." She looked at Colloyd for just long enough for him to know that Gesea had spilled his secret identity as the Chosen to someone outside of the village.

"Sorry Col," Gesea whispered apologetically. "Marble won't tell anyone."

He shrugged and turned his attention back to the gem in Marbles hand. "…Hey grams—"

"Her name is Marble," Gesea explained patiently.

Colloyd quickly apologised and continued. "Marble. Isn't that an exsphere?"

"Oh, is that what this is called?" she asked. "They placed it on me shortly after I came here."

"Yeah, that's definitely an exsphere. But there's no key crest on it. An exsphere without a key crest is dangerous." He touched his hand for a minute reflexively.

Gesea looked down at the exsphere on the top of his knuckles. "You're right. You have that thing around yours."

"Right," he nodded, only just realising he'd touched it. "Attaching an exsphere directly to your skin supposedly makes you sick. But ironically, it's useless unless you attach it directly onto the skin. So in order to prevent it from making you sick, you carve a spell into a special ore and use that as a mount for the exsphere. That's the key crest."

Marble raised her eyebrows. "You're very knowledgeable. Gesea tells me you were raised by a dwarf, so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised."

"What's going to happen to Marble without her having a key crest?" Gesea asked, concern sounding in her voice. "Can you make one for her, Col?"

"If the charm was the only thing needed, I could carve one myself, but there's nothing I can do without the inhibitor ore that acts as the mount. key crests are dwarven technology."

He regretted saying the last bit of his sentence slightly when Gesea got a pleading look in her eyes. "Please ask Dirk for help, Col!"

Col paused and took a deep breath. "O..okay. I'll do it."

Gesea grinned. "That is why I like you, Col. You are a kind person."

"Hey, old hag! What the hell you doin' over there?" came a sharp male voice, making them all jump. The little old lady was suddenly dragged upward by the collar of her beige robes into a standing position by a typical helmet-wearing Desian. "Aha! So you _have_ been eating!" He looked at the two children behind the gate, startled.

"We have to run!" Colloyd exclaimed.

"Sorry Marble.." Gesea cried as she took off with him away from the ranch.

The Desian holding marble held his hand to his mouth. "Alert Lord Forcystus at once to replay video footage. We have caught the two responsible for feeding one of our host subjects." He appeared to hang up on whoever he had been radioing and looked back at Marble. "Your little friends are going to pay dearly for their treason."

She spat in his face in disgust.

xxx

"Do you-" Gesea panted once they were a safe distance away, "-think they saw our faces?"

"Nah," Colloyd shrugged and looked behind himself. "We shouldn't linger here though. Are you going to be okay going back to Iselia by yourself?"

Gesea nodded, but bowed her head in apology. "I'm sorry for the trouble Col."

"Don't worry about it," he said, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Marble seems really nice." She smiled at that. He bid farewell to her and turned away before she could see the worry etched onto his face. He headed back home quickly and climbed his way up to his balcony and open bedroom door, to fall into bed with a light snore until morning came.


	4. Ignorance is knowledge

"He'll be down in a minute."

Colloyd stirred from his uncomfortable slumber at the sound of his Dad's voice a bit louder than normal.

"Would you be opposed to myself adjusting his bed time routine?" came the voice of the professor.

His dad let out a laugh. "If ya can get my boy up at the crack of dawn, maybe I should take parenting lessons from you in the future!"

Colloyd rolled his eyes. Travelling with the professor was already sounding like a barrel of laughs. He couldn't hear Gesea's voice downstairs and his stomach sank. He had known she wouldn't convince him but a small part of him had still hoped. He thought back to their previous night and to Marble. He had to talk to his dad about making a key crest. When he was done he could always just go to the village and give it to Gesea to give to Marble on her next visit. With the professor downstairs though he would never be able to get away with asking and not getting a double lecture. He didn't want to get Gesea in trouble either.

Sighing, he pulled out a strip of parchment from his small bedside drawer and grabbed a finely sharpened pencil from the pencil jar nearby. He set to work in scrawling a detailed note, filled with at least half a dozen apologies, and slipped it into the back pocket of his favourite pants with suspenders that were hanging up on a hanger near his balcony window. Casting one last glance around his bedroom, he nodded to himself and proceeded to quickly get dressed. Once he was done, he cast one final glance around the room before turning on his heel to head down the stairs to the kitchen and living area.

The first eyes he met downstairs were those of his professor. "What?" he asked, noticing his stare. He looked at himself. He hadn't put his jacket on the wrong way or gotten his white scarf caught in any of the buttons. At least, he didn't think he had.

Kraine glanced away and blinked. "My apologies. I was just thinking about how you really don't look like a Chosen."

"Really? What does a Chosen look like?" When Kraine cleared his throat to begin he decided to interrupt to save his sanity. "Actually, maybe we should save the conversation for when I'm bored out of my mind." Still facing the two adults, he discreetly pulled the letter he'd written earlier out of his pocket and placed it on the kitchen bench behind him. "Is Gesea coming?"

"I'm surprised you need to ask," the professor said. He gazed somewhat curiously at him then. "She didn't seem as upset about not coming with us this morning though."

Colloyd thought back to the ranch. That _had_ to be why. Of course she wanted to stay and give Marble the Key Crest his dad would make for her. She was such a mature kid sometimes, always seeming wiser than her twelve years and short stature would normally have suggested. She _was_ a prodigy though. He glanced at the professor as they said their final goodbyes to his dad and wondered whether intelligence was common among elves. Even more curiously, he wondered whether magic was a given gift.

xxx

The first half of the day passed slowly as they made their way through the lush valley and away from the only life Colloyd had known. His teacher kept stopping and taking a red coloured book from his cloak with a pen connected to a string. He would write what looked like a few words, nod to himself, then put it away before continuing on ahead and telling him not to dawdle. He tried to be patient and not let it grate on his nerves, thinking to make the most of the scenery before they reached the desert. The professor had said he wanted to make it to the desert town of Triet by nightfall, but as he looked off into the distance, he found it pretty hard to believe the climate could change so drastically and that a desert was less than a days travel away.

xxx

"Colloyd, do you think you have the strength to complete this journey?"

When they reached a quiet little hamlet known to most as the Iselia House of Salvation, Colloyd couldn't help his surprise when the professor actually formed a whole sentence toward him that wasn't a barked order. He crossed his arms. "I must and I will, for the sake of the world."

"The last Chosen failed on her journey. Does that worry you?"

Though Colloyd shook his head at the question, Kraine saw the truth in his eyes. He sighed and paced back and forth in front of him as the boy took a break on the steps. Colloyd tilted his head. "What's on your mind Professor? You don't need to be worried about me. I learned a lot about being a Chosen all through my childhood." He had a wistful expression on his face. "Professor Ka-Fai taught me a lot about my journey as the Chosen. He told me that there wouldn't be anything to worry about and that meeting with Origin would save the world."

"He did, did he?"

" _Professor,_ " Colloyd laughed a bit. "You always sound a bit jealous when I mention him."

"Absurd," Kraine denied, stiffening his back and stopping to glare at him. "I simply dislike that he did not educate you with all the facts. You will meet with Origin when you ascend to heaven. Do you not realise what exactly ascending to heaven means?"

"Of course I do," Colloyd answered, a bit softer this time. "One life for the happiness of the world is a small price to pay of course. It is my duty as the Chosen and as the son of an angel."

Kraine didn't answer and averted his glare elsewhere.

"But Professor Ka-Fai also said something to me right before he left Iselia," Colloyd said, his face brightening up again. Kraine gazed at him, the glare from before gone and a concerned frown gracing his features. He continued. "He said that while the Chosen within me may not be able to avoid destiny, the other side of me can certainly try and will most likely succeed. I think he meant that I'm not _just_ the Chosen. I'm also me."

"Your old _Professor_ seems to be quite the eccentric one," Kraine replied, walking away from him. "Come. We've wasted enough time dawdling here."

xxx

"Man it's _sooooo_ hot," Colloyd complained with an exasperated sigh and a pant. He glanced at Kraine, who didn't look bothered at all by the extreme heat. It didn't seem that he would get much sympathy from him. "Let me guess," he muttered. "You travelled through here before and you're used to it?"

"Not at all," Kraine replied. "But compared to how fascinating the thought that all of this heat is the doing of Efreet from the ruin of the old town of Triet just to the north-east of here, this actual heat is nothing."

"Uh.. So what you're saying is basically ignorance is bliss?"

"Not quite," Kraine responded. "Ignorance is knowledge is what I am saying."

"That doesn't sound like a very good life lesson."

"Isn't it?" Kraine raised his eyebrows. "Being ignorant to knowledge that is fed to you from your enemies can sometimes give you the upper hand. If they don't believe you are wise to their motives, they are more likely to give you hints of their plans."

"But how would I know that I am learning more if I am ignorant?" he questioned.

Kraine heaved a sigh. "Never mind. Keep your eyes on your footing. I can see Triet up ahead."

It was only a couple of hours later that they finally set foot in the desert oasis. As soon as he could, Colloyd darted for the shade of the nearby travellers lodge and heaved a happy sigh. He waved to Kraine to join him but noticed that he was distracted by a small market stall of old looking trinkets. A strange grin came to his face as he picked up one that looked like a replica of a temple and despite his relief from the desert sun, he sauntered over to take a closer look. The professor didn't take much notice of him though and he quickly got bored and headed over to a shop that sold various armour and weapons.

He saw a green chakram hanging up next to a sword and felt a bit disappointed. He hadn't left home with all that much and what little money he and Kraine had together would need to be spent on food and gels. The shopkeeper saw him before he could back away and leaned over the counter to him. "Can I give you a hand at all?"

"No, no, I'm just looking thanks." He stepped away but the shop keeper had a disturbing twinkle in his eyes and made his way around the stall, holding his hand out to him. "What were you looking at young man? I see you are a swordsman."

"Dual wielder, actually," he corrected accidentally and instantly regretted it. He shook his head and took another step back. "I'll be going no-whoah!" He lost his footing and fell backward and straight through a thinly wooden planked hut of another merchant. There was a commotion all around him suddenly and he found himself being pulled out of the rubble by Kraine.

"Are you alright, Chosen?" he asked. Fits of whispers erupted immediately. It seemed everyone in the near vicinity had heard. Colloyd glared at Kraine, having expected that the professor of all people would know how important it was for the Chosen to keep a low profile.

Evidently, they managed to get away without anyone asking for their names or details to repay the damage. A smirk playing on his lips, Colloyd realised realised why Kraine had so carelessly let his identity slip. With how low their funds were, they wouldn't have been able to eat if they had needed to repay anything. His stomach let out a growl before his thoughts could turn into guilt. When Kraine looked at him at hearing the sound, he felt his face starting to heat up. With a shrug and a grumble, the professor placed one hand on his back and pushed him forward through the town until he stopped dawdling.

They found a food stall just past a small lake of clear blue water. Just as Colloyd was examining the various items available, a loud and familiar bellow of a howl sounded from behind. He whipped around and sidestepped just in time to watch a green and white haired dog tackle the professor to the ground with such force that a billow of sand was sent flying up into the air and showering back down onto the fruits and vegetables nearby. They were in luck though. The shop owner didn't seem too concerned and altogether appeared more curious about the huge creature that was currently pinning Kraine to the ground and licking his face like his life depended on it. "What _is_ that?"

"Oh that's Noishe. He's my dog." Colloyd pulled him off of the teacher-swordsman and offered his hand.

Kraine rolled his eyes and simply sat up to look at Noishe. The dog whined and backed away before Kraine offered his hand out. Noishe gave a happier whine and nudged it lovingly. "It is good to see you again Noishe," Kraine said. Seeing Colloyd's confused expression, he sighed and got himself up off the sandy ground. "I once had a pet, long ago. Noishe reminds me of him."

"Ah!" Colloyd looked at Noishe and tilted his head. "Wait, what's that in your collar?" He reached for the dog and looked closer at the leather collar he wore. A wooden figurine was sheathed inside it. When he pulled it out to take a closer look, he dropped it in surprise.

Kraine stared at it too, the colour draining from his face. "That is the present you gave Gesea. She wouldn't let it out of her sight for a second last night."

"But what's it doing here?" Colloyd asked, looking Noishe in the eyes again. The dog let out a whine and started running in the other direction toward the exit of the city. The Chosen and professor-mercenary quickly gave chase, waving behind themselves to the dazzled food vendor who had witnessed the whole scenario.

Noishe didn't stop running, but occasionally looked behind himself while in mid-stride to make sure they were still following. Neither boy or man said a word to one another, concentrating on keeping up with the dog and their own footing on the dunes of the Triet desert. Eventually they stopped outside a grey-blue facility in the shape of a dome and stared as each of their fears were realised. Colloyd could only think about the night before at the Iselia ranch. There was no mistaking the outfits of the two guards who stood in front of the building just ahead of them.

Desians.

Colloyd looked at Kraine, who nodded. No words needed to be exchanged. They needed to get in and rescue Gesea.

xxx

"Gesea?" Colloyd called softly when he and Kraine slipped into the base after taking care of the guards. So far there had been no alarm. He guessed that they hadn't been expecting intruders. He looked back at Kraine, who was peering around a corner. "Should we split up?"

The professor looked hesitant before nodding. "We will cover more ground that way."

"Right."

Colloyd went to run off when he heard his name being called. He turned to the professor and received a nod. "Don't die, alright Colloyd?"

It was such an odd thing to say. He knew his teacher meant well though. "Don't worry, I won't." He turned away and ran in the opposite direction to him until he reached a new hallway. Stopping to scope it out, he observed a couple of Desians who were walking back and forth. They didn't look very alert though. One Desian stopped at a cell amongst a row of them a short way down the hall and said something.

"You're not going to keep me in here for long you know," snapped a familiar female voice. "You Desians will pay for what you did to Iselia!" There was pretty much no doubt about who was in that cell.

"Oh shut up," the Desian standing there said in response before looking back at one of his co-workers. "Has Botta given us any indication yet as to why we need this little girl?"

The other Desian shrugged. "I think he's waiting for instructions from the higher up as well."

Colloyd rolled his eyes and waited patiently for the two Desians to disappear around the corner to run to Gesea. Her face lit up at the sight of him for a moment before a disturbed look crossed her eyes. Colloyd didn't have time to wonder what it was about and set to work on the cell door lock which kept her from leaving. He pulled out a small wood shaving knife and stuck it in the hole, fiddling around. Nothing seemed to be happening though. Desperate, he looked to her apologetically and hoped she had some ideas. The pink haired elf shook her head. "It's alright Col. I could have gotten out a lot sooner but I wouldn't have been able to actually _escape_ on my own."

She stepped up to the bars on Colloyd's left and put her hands to them. He watched, stunned, as she bent them out of shape into a gap big enough for her to step through. Avoiding his gaze as she casually stepped out, she took hold of his hand, started running in the opposite direction the Desians would be coming from, and right through a metal door that whooshed open as they got close enough.

"That was close!" Gesea said, catching her breath. Too much longer and they would have seen her escape.

"I know," Colloyd said as he grinned at her.

She looked away. "I can't tell you about it right now alright? We have to focus on getting out of here."

"I know, I know..."

They looked around the big square room they had entered and had enough time to see some strange floating metal devices roaming the floor around them. Just as they were wondering what they were and whether they could avoid a fight with them, an alarm sounded overhead and a voice filled the room.

"SECURITY BREACH, SECURITY BREACH! INTRUDER ALERT."

"Do you think it's talking about us?" Colloyd asked Gesea, who slapped her face and led him to a gap in the middle of a room next to a weird ringed device that shone in the middle. Colloyd thought he could hear a faint electrical buzzing sound coming from it. He and Gesea had hid in the little hole and listened to the sound of footsteps coming to the room. The door they had entered from before whooshed open again and two Desian soldiers stepped in.

"They must have gone in further," one said as they circled the room. Buzzing blared from some nearby speakers, followed by the whoosh. Mere seconds later, the footsteps disappeared upon yet another whoosh as another door closed behind them.

When the two friends thought it was safe, they clambered out of the hole and examined their surroundings. The metal looking floating things that had previously been scouting the room now stood above two blue glowing platforms in the floor, buzzing as though they had been zapped with electricity. From the glowing platforms, a line emerged and joined together to lead to a door on the far left side of the room. The door was also lit up like a blue Chrismartel tree. Colloyd and Gesea shared a moments glance and nodded in silent agreement before heading for it. The door opened and led them into another hallway that branched off into a northern and a western hallway.

"Hey! I'm just going to check over here!"

Just as they were looking both ways and wondering which direction to go, Colloyd and Gesea heard the yells of more Desians. With little time to make a choice, they darted into the first door they saw. The room that welcomed them was quite different from all the rest. It was carpeted for one and felt more like a house than a room in a Desian base. Bookshelves full of books lined the walls and a few pot plants decorated otherwise bare areas. It smelled of furniture polish, but it wasn't overpowering.

"And just _who_ are you?"

They whirled around to face a woman with striking electric blue hair, eyes just a shade lighter than a lime, a black and red cape that covered her shoulders, and armour that looked somewhat similar to that the Desians wore but of the same green shade as her eyes. Currently the blue haired bombshell didn't look very impressed to see them. Neither were either of them to see her though, to be fair.

"If you ask for our names, you should give us yours first," Colloyd responded. Gesea wanted to slap her face at his politeness, knowing that he had probably meant to make it a demand rather than a question.

The woman smiled before chuckling quietly into her hand. "Well I can't say you don't have guts!" She frowned and scanned him over again, her eyes expressing surprise when they fell on his exsphere. "Wait. Could it be? Are you by any chance.. Colloyd?"

"And if I am?" Colloyd asked, seeming to finally get the hang of the tone he should be using.

The lady grinned as she looked him over again, an interested sparkle now showing in her eyes. "I _see_." She turned her head to look to the door behind them. As though she had known it would, it shot open and a familiar elven looking man with a pointed face and spiky black hair filed into the room. He observed Colloyd and Gesea first before turning his gaze on the woman. "My lady, Kraine is on his way to rescue the Chosen and his companion right this moment."

"He is, is he?" The woman put her hand to her chin in thought before nodding to herself and completely ignoring the battle stance that Colloyd had taken. "I suppose it wouldn't do to let him of all people see me yet. I'll leave the rest in your hands, Botta." She looked at Colloyd with her stony green gaze and he almost shivered. "Don't forget about me Chosen. Next time we meet, you're mine." With a swish of her cape she left through another door on the left side of the room.

Colloyd looked at the elven man named Botta. "Just what do you plan to do with us?"

Botta didn't get a chance to reply because the door behind Colloyd and Gesea whooshed again, letting the professor into the room. As he stepped in, they saw Desians clutching wounds behind him, sprawled in agony on the floor. Colloyd grinned. The professor sure did know how to make an epic entrance.

Kraine eyed Gesea and then Colloyd. "Are the two of you alright?" They nodded and turned to Botta.

"It's you," the elf said, looking at Kraine.

"It seems that way," Kraine replied, tilting his head. "And you are?"

"It doesn't matter. I'll take care of you all right now!" He readied his weapon to show them his intent.

"Ready yourselves for battle," Kraine said to Colloyd and Gesea. They nodded, though Gesea looked a bit hesitant as she clapped her hands and made her axe on a stick appear as if out of thin air.

"And we _will_ talk about this later," Kraine added quickly, readying his own blade as Botta charged at them. He ran at Botta a second later and met his blade. He overpowered the elf ..just.. and sent him stepping back to try and regain his balance before he was assaulted again. Colloyd charged ahead of Kraine, throwing the spinning chakram in his left hand at him and leaving a gash on his shoulder. While Botta stood, a bit surprised, he swiped at his sword. The elf was quicker than the Desians they had fought off earlier however and easily blocked the head on attack and pushed the Chosen backward with brute force.

He fell to the floor and Kraine quickly fell back to aid him before he was left vulnerable, letting Gesea who had been casting a spell the entire time release three molten hot fireballs at Botta. The man appeared to be experienced in the magic department though because he threw up a ball of green light around himself to deflect the magic before charging straight for Gesea.

Kraine met the parry before he even got close however, matching his strength with him once again. After a short time, Kraine pushed forward a little further. As he did, they all heard a loud crack and watched as the bright blood red sword Botta had been fighting with cracked right down the middle and shattered to the floor. Taking the elf assailants surprise to his advantage, Colloyd ran in and slashed his sword at Botta's armour, making the leather fall apart and to the floor.

Seeing his destiny apparently flash before his eyes if he kept up his assault to the three of them, Botta jumped back and looked at all of them. "Alright. It seems I underestimated your abilities." He dropped his sword to the floor, pressed a button on the wall behind him, and retreated.

"Quickly now. I've activated the escape route," Kraine said as he picked up the broken weapon Botta had dropped and turned on his heel to head for the door he had entered from. "We must get out of here."

Neither dual wielder nor super strengthened magician argued with his point and followed him as he led them out of the base through an unguarded location and out to where Noishe was waiting patiently.


	5. Dungeon runs and a mimic that couldn't

Colloyd sat with Kraine and Gesea in the room they had rented in the travellers lodge in Triet as she broke the news to them. He clenched his fists against his knees as he struggled to keep his composure. The news that _they_ had been the cause of what happened was still on the tip of Gesea's tongue. He decided to take matters into his own hands as he looked at the professor. He hadn't said a word yet which only made him more nervous.

"It's my fault," he said to Kraine. "I had a friend at the ranch and wanted to go and see her. Gesea came along with me and someone must have seen us."

Kraine waited to make sure he said nothing else before setting the mug of coffee he had been sipping down on a small drawer next to his bed and giving him quite a serious look. "I'm not very well learned on the dwarven vows, but I do know one in particular that applies here. I believe it is number eleven?"

Colloyd made a sound and muttered "Lying is the first step down the path of thievery." He gave Kraine a guilty look. "You knew I was lying?"

Kraine shrugged and looked at Gesea. "I had noticed a lack of food in our fridge recently and assumed you were hiding a pet dog from me. I hadn't thought you were friends with one of the test subjects at the ranch."

"I couldn't tell you," Gesea said softly. "I was the only person that understood Marble.." She cringed and looked to be remembering something as she reached into the pocket of her dress. Colloyd immediately recognised it as an exsphere and pushed her to explain how she had gotten it. Gesea's eyes welled with tears though and she ran out of the room, leaving Kraine and Colloyd to glance at one another in a silent battle of who should deal with it. Eventually Colloyd admitted defeat and left the bedroom to find his best friend.

Gesea was outside of the lodge, sitting next to Noishe who curled around her and rested his head in her lap. Colloyd wasn't surprised. Noishe had always been particularly sensitive to emotions and seemed to sense when anyone was distressed. The elven girl looked up and gave him a fake smile. He sighed and sat down next to her, petting Noishe on the muzzle. "What's the matter Gesea? How do you have an exsphere?"

"It's... it's too horrible!" she squeaked and started to cry again. "Marble.. she.." Without her having to finish the sentence, Colloyd knew what she had meant to say. "She turned into a monster and I.. I killed her! She was going to kill me. I didn't know it was her but then Forcystus was there and-"

"-Okay," Colloyd breathed as he grabbed her by the shoulders. "You need to start from the beginning."

xxx

The sun had well and truly set by the time they re-entered the lodge room where Kraine had been patiently waiting. Gesea repeated to him what had happened; that their visit to the ranch had prompted the leader of the Desians, an elf named Forcystus, to attack the village. Something had happened to Marble and she had become a monster. Colloyd and Gesea had uncomfortably decided that it had been due to her exsphere lacking a key crest and that they had not been quick enough in getting one to her.

Kraine didn't ask any questions. It was almost as though he had understood what had happened. "You should get to bed. We have a full day ahead of us tomorrow," he said as the conversation came to an end.

Colloyd and Gesea both stared at him. "You mean you'll let Gesea come along?" Colloyd asked.

Kraine grimaced and glanced at his sister. "I'm sure she intended on joining us eventually whether or not she were invited. She is no longer welcome at Iselia, so it is my duty to look after her." There was no malice or indifference in his words. In fact, Colloyd wondered if he might have been secretly glad she was coming along.

Gesea jumped her brother into an embrace and he held her close for a couple of moments before straightening her and giving her a look to tell her to follow his earlier instructions. She nodded and headed for the bathroom, leaving Colloyd alone with Kraine.

The teacher looked at him. "Colloyd."

"Wh..what?"

Kraine gave him a concerned look. "It is human nature to blame yourself for the actions of others. Humans are quite helpless in that aspect."

"Iselia was partly my fault," Colloyd replied. "I hope they will be able to forgive me after I have regenerated the world."

"I imagine they would have little choice in the matter."

Colloyd nodded and rested back on his bedspread. "Professor, can I ask you something?"

"That depends on what it is."

"Do you think people will miss me when I am gone?"

"You have people that care about you. Of course they will." Kraine's voice went softer as he spoke and he quickly decided to make an exit before Colloyd could ask him the next question that was practically hanging in the air between them. "If you'll excuse me, I need some fresh air."

Colloyd nodded and closed his eyes. Kraine watched him shift and get more comfortable before turning to the door of their room and heading out into the common room of the lodge. His walked past the travelers who lounged around reading books or talking to others and exited.

Standing outside next to Noishe, Kraine allowed himself to travel into his own mind. There were so many different things to think about. He had made the journey to Iselia long ago and known that this journey would come eventually. Becoming a teacher for the Chosen had been no easy task. He crossed his arms and wondered to himself how he had managed to get himself involved in what was clearly a lose-lose scenario. The Chosen was a means to a necessary end. They needed to regenerate the world. People were suffering more and more everyday, and a lack of mana in the air meant that people were more prone to sickness and that there were not enough resources for the appropriate medicine to be able to be financially available to the common folk. There was only one problem with the 'means to the end.'

It was Colloyd.

Kraine sighed and closed his eyes, pondering what to do. He very much doubted he would be able to get any sleep while his mind was in such a state of turmoil.

xxx

The group of three plus one Noishe set off the next morning toward the Triet ruins. While Gesea and Colloyd still seemed quite distressed about the previous day, Kraine couldn't help but be the chipper one in the party. After all, they were going to be seeing a piece of history very soon. It had been quite a while since he had visited last and he found it was always somewhat of an intrigue to see how things endured the test of time.

"Hey Gesea," Colloyd asked after a while, boredom getting the best of him. Gesea looked up from her previous sullen stare at her walking feet. Colloyd grinned at her. "Tell me more about the magic and the super strength already!"

Kraine visibly flinched and looked at Gesea, brief disbelief playing across his face. Gesea looked at Kraine. "Sorry. I know you said never show anyone but.."

"I'm sure you had a good reason," Kraine replied with a heavy sigh. "I suppose it _is_ time to tell the Chosen the truth." The unsaid part of his resolve in his mind made him uncomfortable again, especially when Colloyd got an excited glint in his eyes and bombarded Gesea with a million and one questions.

"I get the strength from my exsphere, just like you do," Gesea explained. She stopped briefly to unbutton the top of her dress to show the top part of her chest. On there sat a red crystal, surrounded by a Key Crest. Colloyd went to take a closer look but stopped at seeing Kraine's brotherly glare on him. He glanced away quickly after that, feeling his cheeks burning.

Gesea tilted her head in question, missing Kraine's overprotective act, and buttoned her dress back up. "My exsphere is different though. I'm not sure of the details but it was a part of an experiment called the Angelus Pro-"

"Gesea," Kraine called out abruptly. "This is not a subject to bother the Chosen with."

"Oh, right.." Gesea looked sad and gave Colloyd an apologetic look. "It's a bit of a sensitive topic for us. I apologise."

"I don't mind being bothered," Colloyd said, eager to be included in the secret. "You can tell me."

Gesea glanced back at Kraine who frowned at her and decided to speak. "The Angelus project is a Desian-funded project based on turning exspheres into something different. Their goal was to turn an exsphere into a Cruxis crystal, just like the one the Chosen is born with."

"Like mine?"

"Exactly," Gesea said. "Myself and our sister were both a part of the experiment."

"Your sister?" Colloyd's eyes widened as he looked back and forth at the siblings. "Where is she?"

Neither sibling said a word more, which only made Colloyd all the more curious. Before he had a chance to learn more though, Kraine let out a loud, uncharacteristic laugh and ran ahead of them. Colloyd and Gesea exchanged looks and followed him to the entrance of the Triet ruins.

"Just look at this stone," Kraine said to them as he turned to them, a strange and somewhat scary look on his face. "Have you ever seen anything quite like it?" He ran his fingerless gloved hand over the panels that decorated the entrance and stopped on a groove, letting out what Colloyd could only describe as an excited sigh.

"Professor?" Colloyd asked, raising one eyebrow. The auburn haired teacher-swordsman didn't answer and appeared to be muttering to himself as he examined the areas around a stone tablet with a magnifying glass that he had seemingly kept in his cloak pocket the entire time.

Colloyd looked to his best friend for an answer and was met with a heavy sigh and an embarrassed drop of the shoulders. "I tried so hard to conceal it too. Kraine's somewhat of an Archaeological Maniac."

"Don't give it a name like that," Kraine muttered, appearing to only have selective hearing. He glowered at his sister. "I am simply fascinated by things like this."

"Why? It's just st-" Colloyd found Gesea's hand flying to his mouth to shut him up. She shook her head with a scared look in her eyes.

Both children looked to the teacher and watched as he found a stone tablet in the middle of the entrance to the ruins. "Wait, this is it! Come here Chosen."

Colloyd reluctantly stepped closer to the professor, still freaked out by the look in his eyes. The professor looked from the stone tablet to him and then back again, running his fingers along the edges of it. "This is definitely the first seal."

" _That's_ what a seal looks like?" Colloyd asked, staring at the stone. "I thought it was some kind of marine animal that opened up paths when you spoke to it."

There was silence for a moment and all that could be heard was the whistle of the wind and the distant rustle of a tumble weed.

"Place your hand here," Kraine instructed him eventually after enough time seemed to have passed for him to not feel the need to chastise the previous statement. Colloyd did as he said and placed his hand atop a small groove in the stone. It rumbled under his palm for a moment and a passage just ahead of them opened up. "Guess I really am the Chosen after all, huh," he said to his companions, deciding to be brave and head down the staircase that had revealed itself to them.

"We knew that already, Col!" Gesea half groaned and half laughed as she followed after him. Kraine brought up the behind soon after, nodding as he looked behind himself at Noishe, who whined with discomfort and sat at the entrance.

xxx

"Is it really meant to be _this_ easy?" Gesea asked Colloyd and Kraine. The two fighters just glanced at one another, equally dumbfounded.

The moment they had entered the metaphorical sauna, things had gone a little strangely. Their first hint that something wasn't quite right was when they had discovered a winged bird-like monster on the ground, a breath away from death. Colloyd had put it out of its misery but it had clearly been an enemy that would have ambushed them. When the path forked up ahead, they had taken the left, slightly curved path to discover yet another monster squirming for life on the ash coloured bricked ground. Again Colloyd put it out of its misery. It was only when they found a dead end and entered a door to their right to find another monster on deaths doorstep that they all stopped to reflect.

"It appears that the platforms here were raised recently by these torches being set alight." Kraine said as he stalked past them and examined one of the alcoves in the pillar nearby. A bright red flame danced about inside. High above them a platform was raised out of a pool of lava. They could see a staircase which must have been a part of one of the other entrances to the large room they were in which led up to it.

"I think I've figured it out," Colloyd stated then. Everyone turned to him while he grimaced and scratched his chin in thought. "Someone must have come in here before us. I'd say treasure hunters."

" _Col,_ that isn't possible," Gesea answered, quickly putting a stop to the Chosens words.

Colloyd looked at her. "Why not?"

"Perhaps you should use your own head a little," Kraine responded. "If anyone could open up a seal then why do they not send fighters or hardened criminals to do the task of the Chosen?"

"Oh." Colloyd gave an embarrassed laugh. "Right. _I_ had to open it." He gestured to the room around him. "Do either of you have a better idea?"

"I don't think it is necessary to know right now," Kraine replied. "Although I'm extremely curious, we should perhaps use this turn of events to our advantage instead." He walked past them and stood at the door, waving for them to leave the room.

"And you said this wasn't a field trip!" Colloyd joked to Kraine as they wound their way around the outer fringe of the inside circular building.

Finding another door they could enter a short way around which led into the middle of the larger room, they entered and followed the stairway they had seen in the previous entrance to the room to see that it branched off into several other platforms which contained treasure chests. Despite his companions saying so, Colloyd had still been partly wondering at the prospect of treasure hunters until he saw that they had not looted anything. Sitting in the chest was a pair of swords, one of which he took for himself and handed the other to Kraine. The professor looked at it, a strange frown on his face before he handed it back to Colloyd. "It won't do me any good to use a sword like that. See the thin blade? The two blades in this chest are clearly meant to go together."

" _Two_ blades?" Colloyd raised one eyebrow. "But then you might as well use a shield since you'll spend half your time defending with one of them anyway."

"What happened to your theory of being a dual wielder?" Kraine asked, challenging him to explain without being a hypocrite.

"That's different," he replied before dropping his backpack and placing them inside. They might not be any good but he could at least sell them. Zipping his backpack back up and slinging it over his shoulder, he walked over another raised platform to a treasure chest. It looked different from the previous one he had just opened somehow, having a mahogany sheen to it that made the red glow from the lava beneath them reflect off of it.

"Stop!" yelled the professor all of a sudden, making Colloyd stop mid-step toward it. Kraine stepped in front of him and pulled his sword from its sheath. "This is a mimic. A devils box."

"What's that?"

"Don't you pay _any_ attention in class, Col?" Gesea asked, stepping up beside her brother. She looked at it with her head tilted. "Kraine, you can relax. It's _dead."_

Kraine relaxed his sword hand and looked at the monster treasure chest a little more closely this time. A small hairline crack ran right down the middle of it. Reaching forward with his sword, he tapped the mimic slightly. Colloyd and Gesea jumped back as the chest crumbled under the slight touch and fell apart in both directions sideways. Kraine hesitantly slid his sword back into its sheath and turned to the last platform at the top of the path. A round glowing teleportation ring sat there just waiting for them to enter. Giving the two children behind him a warning about how strange they might feel for a moment or two, he stepped onto it and watched them follow suit a moment later.

Colloyd blinked his eyes a few times when the strange floating sensation stopped. He had to blink again quickly when he saw what stood in front of them. There, a bright red and orange dinosaur like creature on four legs with spikes that protruded from the tip of its head to the end of its tail stood; two smaller versions of the same creature by its side.

"Get ready!" Kraine instructed, clutching his sword. Colloyd watched as a bright white aura surrounded him for a moment before he yelled "Guardian!" and a green light surrounded the three of them.

The dinosaur creature roared and sent a large ball of flame from out of its mouth at them but with the green forcefield Kraine had conjured up with his elven magic, it spread in a wide arc around them and scorched the wall behind them instead. The barrier faded and the three of them sprung into action. Kraine got to the large dinosaur first while Colloyd charged with his chakram spinning toward the smaller one on the left hand side. Gesea clapped her hands together, summoned her weapon, and started casting some kind of spell that caused her aura to glow blue and a round star shaped symbol in a circle to appear at her feet. There was only one weird problem though. _Their enemy wasn't moving._

Kraine attacked the large beast and without much of an argument, it was sent to the floor of the ruins with a loud crash, knocking down one of the smaller dinosaurs during the fall. It shook for a few seconds as it tried to get up but let out what sounded more like a whine rather than a roar and rested its head back on the ground. The other smaller creature that had still been standing had been knocked out by the jets of water from Gesea as she yelled the words "Aqua Edge!"

With the enemies wasted, Colloyd stopped spinning his chakram. "Aw man, I didn't get to do anything!" He looked at Kraine, noticing that the professor had a dumbfounded expression on his face as he leaned down to the fallen large dinosaur corpse and examined a large gash in its side.

"I think it is safe to say that my sister and I did not do too much either," his teacher admitted.

"Do you think it was the same people that have been killing the monsters all the way through here?" Colloyd wondered aloud.

"That isn't important right now," Kraine said as he looked toward the altar right at the back of the circular room that they had transported into. Colloyd followed his gaze and nodded, stepping up to it. As soon as he did, a light shone down from the roof and the flapping wings of the angel called Remiel appeared first, followed by the rest of his body once the light faded. "Colloyd, my precious son, you have done well."

"Uh.. Thank you fa..ther?" Hearing Remiel speak of their relation still felt weird and he had to push to finish the words.

"By defeating the guardian of the first seal, Efreet will surely awaken soon. In the name of Cruxis, I will grant you the power of the angels."

"The power of the angels?" Colloyd quizzed. When Remiel didn't respond, he bowed his head respectfully. "Sorry. Thank you, my lord."

A light streamed from Remiel and floated down to Colloyd. Gesea and Kraine watched, wide eyed, as it disappeared into his body and bright pink ethereal wings with blue tips sprouted from his body. They spanned out, much like an eagles wings would, and flapped at the tips a couple of times. Colloyd looked to his left and right at the wings and grinned for a moment before looking up at the angel who started speaking again.

"The angel transformation will not be without pain," Remiel explained. "Yet it is but for one night. Be strong and endure."

"I humbly accept this trial," he said, bowing his head.

"Good." Remiel sounded pleased. "The next seal lies far to the east, across the sea. Offer your prayers at that altar." Without waiting for Colloyd to make another acceptance, Remiel vanished in his typical light show.

As soon as she could be sure that Remiel was gone, Gesea let out an excited yelp and ran closer to Colloyd. "Wow Col! Look at your wings!"

"I know, I know!" Colloyd grinned, stretching them and flapping them a bit. He lifted off the ground and Gesea let out another excited coo.

Kraine looked on at the Chosen, trying to decide whether he was intrigued or disturbed. For Colloyd's sake, he swallowed the _other_ feeling aside from those two and gave his best interested smile.

"Look, I can put them away, too," Colloyd said excitedly, making them disappear.

"Impressive," Kraine said, nodding before glancing back over the fallen monsters on the floor that were starting to fade away. He stepped away from the children and examined the gash wound in the side of the big one once again. Whoever had aided them was quite powerful. An uneasy feeling filled his gut once again as he told the children not to dawdle, but for a different reason this time.


	6. An assassin goes asunder

Kraine kept a close eye on Colloyd as the three of them left the Triet ruins and reunited with Noishe. He had been rather quiet during the journey and it didn't take a genius to understand that the trial of becoming the Chosen was starting to take its toll. As they ventured away from the location of the first seal, Colloyd's condition finally worsened and he only barely managed to stop himself from falling to the ground in a stumble by digging his sword into the sand and leaning against it.

Gesea rushed to his side quickly. "Col are you alright? Your face has gone pale!"

"It is likely the result of the trial that Remiel spoke of," Kraine explained, making sure his face and voice remained calm. If he wasn't the adult voice of reason, their journey would fall to shambles as time went on. "I think it would be best not to see a doctor about this and simply let the Chosen rest for a while."

"But-" Gesea cut her own argument off, knowing he was right. She looked at Colloyd with concerned blue eyes, to which he returned her look with a weak smile. "I'm fine," he fibbed. "I'll be okay after a short rest. Sorry to cause so much trouble."

"You don't have to be sorry," Gesea replied, her concern still unwavering. "It's not like you can help suddenly being turned into an angel."

"Gesea is right," Kraine agreed. "Nevertheless, we should set up camp here for the night. It will make more sense travel-wise as we will need to journey the Ossa Trail in order to get close to the sea." Though he tried to hide it, even he could hear the hesitation in his voice. Gesea gave him a look at that and he pretended to not have seen it. Colloyd was feeling too ill to notice thankfully, instead agreeing and apologising to them for being a burden. His apology only stirred the troubled thoughts going through Kraine's mind, and in his mind he found himself apologising back. Colloyd was not the burden. He was the victim. The true burden lay with those who knew his fate and could do nought but watch as he grew closer to it.

xxx

As Colloyd tried to ignore the strange tingling sensation that ran his entire body, he looked at the professor curiously. He was sitting close to their camp fire and flipping through the pages of his red book, nodding to himself and occasionally using the pen that was connected to it by a string to write something down. The man had yet to really explain much about himself. Perhaps he thought it was apparent that he had never been simply a teacher. Colloyd's eyes drifted over the exsphere and key crest attached to the professor's right hand. He had yet to explain that either. Granted he hadn't asked yet. Given what Gesea had briefly told him about with her involvement with something called the Angelus Project, he had to wonder whether Kraine had been subject to the same experimentation.

He realised he had stared for a little too long when the professor looked at him. "Is there something that I can do for you, Colloyd?"

Colloyd shifted uncomfortably, trying to decide in the split moment whether he should just ask. This man had been his teacher for several years and through that time he had asked thousands of questions he hadn't necessarily really wanted to know the answer to. This was one question he actually did. He decided to bite the bullet. "Why do you have an exsphere?"

For only a moment, a flash of something strange appeared on Kraine's face. Colloyd would have missed it if he had blinked. He didn't know what to call it though.

The professor cleared his throat and looked down at the gem on his hand. "I have had it for a very long time. It not only improves my fighting abilities but also serves to remind me of my sins."

"Your.. sins?"

"Nevermind," Kraine replied. He eyeballed the dancing flames of their campfire, looking in thought. "Now that I've answered your question, can you answer one of mine?"

"Okay, sure."

The professor turned to him and he startled a little. He could see both of his eyes, which in itself was a rare occurrence since his bangs usually covered one of them at all times. "Why were you raised by a dwarf?"

"Dad found me and mum in the forest at the bottom of the cliffs along with Noishe. She died before she could tell him her name but he said there was no doubt that she was my mother."

"Do you know what happened to her?"

Colloyd looked down. "Dad says it was wolves but I know better. It must have been because of my lineage... and I.. I remember something."

Kraine turned back to his book. "It is none of my business. You don't have to tell me."

"I remember my mum looking different. I remember her voice crying out in pain. I remember that it was someone with a human figure that attacked her."

"And what of your father?" The words tumbled out of Kraine's mouth before he could help himself.

Colloyd shook his head. "I don't know anything about him. I remember looking up at the stars while sitting on his shoulders though. I think he must have been quite-" The boy frowned and tilted his head. "Why am I telling you all this stuff anyway?" He got up from his spot as a signal that their conversation was over and headed over to Gesea who stood happily stirring the curry she was making. It smelled delicious.

"Do you want to try some Col?" she asked, seeing him lick his lips.

"It's done?"

The elf nodded. "It's pork cutlet curry. My favourite food." She looked over at Kraine. "Don't worry, I haven't put any cabbage or tomatoes in there."

Kraine nodded only slightly. "Then I will not have to eat sand tonight."

"You don't like tomatoes?" Colloyd questioned. "Looks like we have something in common."

The usual solemn line of Kraine's mouth twisted into something of a grimace. "I had thought you liked all fruits, Colloyd."

The dual wielder shook his head. "As far as I'm concerned, a tomato is a veggie and up there with bell peppers." He cringed at the thought of the food he disliked the most and at remembering a time in home economics class when he had first had the misfortune to try a bell pepper. His dislike for tomatoes had been fully known by then. He wasn't exactly sure why he disliked them so much, but even looking at the bright red _vegetable_ made him feel oddly uneasy.

He took the bowl Gesea had offered him and thanked her for her work before settling down on the opposite side of Noishe to Kraine. He shoveled the food into his mouth, almost burning his tongue in the process. Kraine glanced at him and heaved a sigh before lifting a spoon to his own mouth and blowing the contents. Colloyd ignored him and grinned as he complemented Gesea to hide how sick he suddenly felt. So that he didn't give her the wrong impression, he abruptly stood from his place and excused himself.

"Don't wander too far," Kraine said to him as he walked by. He nodded absently and hoped his face didn't look as green as he felt it should. Kraine watched him leave their immediate camp to go over behind a group of dried out bushes, ignoring every instinct in his body to follow to ensure nothing bad happened.

"Do you think Col is undergoing some biological changes in his body?" Gesea asked. Kraine snapped his head back to his sister to listen. "Becoming an angel sounds like it'd be tough," she continued.

"I expect that it is," Kraine nodded, before going back for another spoonful of curry.

Gesea sat next to him to eat her own food. "What do you think will happen at the next seal?"

"I'm afraid I don't know," Kraine replied simply. Gesea watched him, looking somewhat skeptical. Kraine cleared his throat. "Although study suggests that he will become closer to becoming an angel of course. We will have to wait to cross the sea to find out." He was unable to hide his cringe at that.

Gesea reached her hand out to his arm. "Kraine? Can you tell me why you're so afraid of water one day?"

"We have gone over this many times," Kraine responded, his voice suddenly authoritative. "There are certain things that I do not wish to recount, even to you."

Gesea crossed her arms and looked to the fire set in the middle of their camp. "At least you have those memories."

"I'm sorry Gesea," Kraine apologised.

Gesea gave a sigh as a meaning that she heard and accepted his apology, but said nothing more on the matter.

xxx

Kraine awoke the two children early the next morning so that they could get a good start toward the mountain where the Ossa Trail awaited them. After a very rationed breakfast, they made sure their camp site had been demolished completely and moved on.

The desert air seemed noticeably cooler as they got closer and closer to the trail and though Colloyd and Gesea seemed none the wiser, Kraine noticed that someone else must have recently made the trek. Two separate pairs of footprints were imprinted in the sand every now and again. While he convinced himself that the Ossa Trail was a normal route for travellers so long as they were relatively prepared, something in his gut told him it might not be as simple as the first explanation he could think of. He reached a hand out to Noishe to give him a light petting. The "dog" whined and looked at the ground, signalling that he had noticed the footprints as well _and_ possibly a scent.

During their first steps onto the Ossa Trail, the group were forced to don the extra coats that they had lugged around in their packs for some time. As Colloyd pulled his over his shoulders and made his way toward the first incline of the trail, a small pebble fell in front of him from above. He looked up, squinting as the sun glared in his eyes a bit.

"Stop!" yelled a voice from above.

The light from the sun was suddenly blocked out by the shape of a person dropping right toward him. He quickly backed away and watched as she landed on the ground. She glared at him, making him take a few very quick steps backward down the trail and toward Kraine who had his hand to the hilt of his sword. The girl fearlessly stepped toward them. She looked to be around his age. "Are you the Chosen of Mana?"

"Um.. yeah? Do I know you?" Colloyd asked curiously. She was wearing pretty strange clothes. If _they_ weren't memorable enough, then the red curly locks of hair held high above her head in a topknot was something he thought easily identifiable. He stood staring, searching his memory banks. It wasn't every day that someone asked him if he was the best kept secret in all of Sylvarant.

The girl raised one eyebrow at his quizzical expression. "You're cute but definitely not observant!" She drew a dagger from the small sheath connected to a belt around her thigh and charged for him. "You're going to have to die today!"

The dual wielder Chosen took another quick step back as the girl charged at him while Kraine strode forth, withdrawing his sword with a metallic scrape. Before anyone could do anything violent though, Colloyd found himself tripping to the ground and hitting something round beneath himself. With a strained squeak, a wooden trapdoor right in front of him opened while the girl stood directly above. She seemed to hover comically there for a split second before giving into gravity and falling with a high pitched scream.

"Uh oh," he gasped, Gesea mimicking him exactly. He jumped up from his spot when he heard a crash from the hole. "Uh.. Whoops! What should I do?" He frantically looked left to right at his friends.

Kraine stood beside him. "You don't need to worry about it. If she had not fallen in, you might have been killed."

"You really think she was trying to kill me?"

"Likelihood of her trying to kill you, one-hundred percent," Gesea answered, slapping her hand to her forehead in exasperation. "Col, she had a knife and everything."

Colloyd looked down the hole. "I can't help but feel a bit sorry for her."

Gesea looked too and started counting with her fingers. "Even assuming her weight to be about fifty-five to sixty kilograms, and this hole to be ten metres deep, and calculating the gravity constant at nine point eight, the impact shouldn't have been fatal."

Colloyd laughed. "So you basically mean she's alive, right?"

"Probably," she concurred.

Kraine walked past them and stopped at the foot of the incline where Colloyd had first been attacked. "In any case, we shouldn't linger. If the fall was not fatal, she is likely to come after us as soon as she is able."

Gesea and Colloyd agreed and followed him, accompanied by an unsettled Noishe.

As they made their way up and around the trail, Kraine would have wondered why it was so quiet if an assassin hadn't tried to attack them earlier. Clearly she had wound her way up the trail and climbed to a higher point to obtain the element of surprise. That must have meant that she knew that they would be passing through. He took a note to self to ensure he investigated how she knew their movements if they had the misfortune to come across her again. There was also that matter of that second pair of footprints.

As though Colloyd had been listening to his thoughts, he fell into step beside him. "Why do you think people are trying to kill me? I'm not doing this journey for fun." He tilted his head in the other direction from the one it was in currently. "But I guess it _is_ sort of better than the alternative since I'm almost eighteen and all."

"There are always those that reject salvation," Kraine replied before stopping for a brief moment. "Do you mean to say that the church even had an arranged marriage set up for the Chosen?"

Colloyd shrugged indifferently and glanced ahead at Gesea, who had stopped to wait for them since they had slowed their walk considerably. She still seemed to be out of earshot. "I guess even a dead man needs to contribute to the W.S.P."

Kraine's mouth went dry as he wondered what to say to him at that point. The boys expression only lingered on a frown for a moment longer before his eyes expressed curiosity. Kraine steeled himself for the question he knew was coming.

"By the way Professor.. Do you have a-"

"-That is not a topic for discussion," Kraine spoke over him, trudging forward and hoping he hadn't sounded too irritated. "You know that everyone must contribute to the Worldwide Survival Project by the time they reach twenty-one or face the penalties. There is no need to ask such a silly question."

Colloyd blinked and followed quickly. "Sorry."

Kraine sighed and shook his head. "Think no more on it, but bear in mind that asking such personal questions can get you in trouble."

Colloyd nodded thoughtfully, apologised once more, and headed up the trail to join his best friend. Kraine followed silently and with Noishe at his side for the rest of the trip up and around the mountain side, brooding in his own thoughts. He was only able to relax a little when they finally exited the last rocky slope and began to smell the relaxing scent of sea breeze. The small fishing port of Izoold awaited them as their first destination to attempt finding a way to sail across the sea.


	7. Boat over troubled ninja

"Wow, so this is Izoold?" Colloyd did a 360 turn around himself and breathed deeply. There were only a few houses, an inn and a convenience store. Most of the houses looked to be made out of wood and were fairly small. "It smells amazing here."

All around them fishermen and sailors were working in one way or another. Morning appeared to be a very busy time for them. Children ran around under the adults feet as they fixed giant nets and worked on small fishing boats or cast lines out into the sea which surrounded the western tip of the small port village.

Gesea didn't appear to agree with Colloyd's statement because she plugged her nose. "The smell of fish is suffocating."

Kraine agreed, giving her a light pat on the head as he glanced around himself. "We should try to find a passenger ship at the docks and leave," he seemed to stiffen a little, "as soon as possible."

"I'm afraid you'll be outta luck," a sailor nearby chimed in upon hearing him. "There aren't any passenger ships runnin' at the moment. I only got 'ere because a guy named Aifread happened to be going in this direction at the same time as me."

"Is this Aifread still around?" Kraine asked.

"Nope. Talk to Lymax in the house just up the slope there." The sailor pointed behind himself. "She's the only one in the village with a boat able to take the seas. Maybe you can convince her if you mention Aifread to her." He bid them goodbye to go about his daily business. The trio stood in thought for a few moments before the professor took the initiative to head toward the woman named Lymax's house.

The door was a tad open when they got to it, so they all decided to just step inside. Immediately they were met with the sight of a somewhat short brown haired woman gazing at the wall to their left, a strange expression on her face. She was probably Lymax. "Can I help you?" she asked with a glance over them when the door shut behind Colloyd, her expression fading.

"We were wondering if you could tell us where a man named Aifread lives now?" Kraine answered, quickly coming up with the best way to mention him.

The woman flinched at his name and heaved a sigh. Colloyd thought she looked like she was thinking deeply, Gesea thought she looked wistful and lonely.. but Kraine, he didn't need to guess. The look on her face was one that he had remembered on another woman's face from long ago. It was undoubtedly anger mixed in with a kind of dutiful adoration. Whatever this Aifread man had done, he certainly wasn't very popular with this woman right now.

"He's back in his hometown of Luin," Lymax answered. She sighed and reached into the pocket of her knee-length white and blue patchwork skirt to take out an envelope. Whatever it contained must have been quite important; it was even sealed by a large red glob of wax.

"Is that letter for Aifread?" Colloyd asked, forward as usual.

Lymax nodded. "Yes, but since the monsters have started appearing more now that the journey of regeneration is underway, we're all stuck here unless we can find actual mercenaries willing to keep us safe from attacks. Most mercenaries don't do that for free though." She cast another glance over the three of them and her eyes widened. Kraine, already knowing where this was going, swiftly interrupted her. "If it is mercenaries you need, we are more than capable of helping you."

"Oh really? You would?!" Lymax's eyes sparkled with hope. "Okay, meet me at the docks!" She rushed past them and left her house. It was only then that the rest of them noticed the old lady sitting in the corner of the room and gazing out of the small window set into the wooden wall beside her. She smiled at the three sets of eyes on her and nodded politely. They returned the gesture and silently decided to follow Lymax to the docks.

The docks of Izoold brimmed with even more sailors scurrying about. In the midst of them, Colloyd saw Lymax standing at the end of a low jetty, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Perhaps we should re-stock our food supply first," Kraine suggested when Colloyd and Gesea started toward the woman. Before they had a chance to disagree, he turned and headed for the small pop up stand labelled 'fresh goods', reaching for the sack of coins that dangled securely from his belt. Even with the monsters they had 'fought' through their trial in the seal of fire, they were going to be on strict rations for a while longer.

xxx

"There you are," Lymax said when they approached a while later, putting one hand on her hip as though she were expecting an explanation. When she didn't get much of one, she turned to the boat in the dock next to them. Kraine found himself glaring at the thing until Colloyd stepped ahead and asked Lymax when she would be ready to leave. He hadn't prepared himself mentally yet and hoped that the woman would say...

"I'm ready when you are," she said.

Colloyd cheerfully said that they were ready and looked back at him and his sister, who was standing by his side with a knowing grimace on her face. Even if she didn't know _why,_ Kraine knew she was enjoying the fact that he was uncomfortable with the situation he had found himself in. A small part of him wanted some understanding from the pink haired adolescent, but that would only come from the truth which he was not willing to part with.

"Come on Kraine," Gesea said, grinning as she took his hand and led him to the ship.

He pulled away defensively and glanced over the boat again. It barely looked seaworthy, but what other choice did they have? Clearing his throat, he stepped onto the boat. It rocked under his weight and he found his heartbeat starting to rise. Telling himself to stay calm lest he get questioned by both Colloyd and Gesea, he managed to step onto the wooden death trap and make his way to a secluded area as far away from the front as he could. With a snap of the flimsy looking sail into the wind, they were on their way.

xxx

"Now we can finally get to the next seal!" Gesea shrieked excitedly as she stood next to Colloyd, her legs spread apart in a balancing pose. The two of them had decided to make a game out of who could stand for the longest time without falling over when the boat hit a rough patch of water. Colloyd made sure to smile at the thought. "Yeah!" He cocked his head back to look at the professor, who hadn't budged an inch since sitting down. "Professor Kraine, you should come feel the wind on your face!"

Kraine mumbled something and shook his head. Colloyd went to take a step forward but instead found himself jolted off to the right when a giant wave chopped against the boat. He scrambled, seeing the water over the ship come into view for a moment before a hand caught his wrist and he was able to steady himself.

"Colloyd, you should not be so reckless," Kraine said, letting go once he saw that he was alright. "This boat is tiny and barely seaworthy. You will fall in if you aren't careful."

Colloyd nodded and glanced down, feeling his cheeks flush with embarrassment when he heard Gesea laughing at his near miss.

Lymax, hearing Kraine's words gave an insulted grunt. "Gee, I'm so sorry my ship is too "tiny" for you! Just focus on keeping an eye out for monsters."

"We shouldn't have to worry," Kraine replied to her. "From my studies, monsters have a habit of sensing when they will be defeated."

"Cocky as a swordsman _and_ a scholar are we?" Lymax observed, raising an eyebrow. "Interesting. If Aifread wasn't already my salvatorian, you would have done nicely."

"You're _married_ to this Aifread guy, Lymax?" Colloyd's eyes grew wide.

Lymax glanced away and crossed her arms. "Not anymore. We had our child in accordance with the W.S.P and all that but there was no point in staying together really."

Colloyd looked a bit disappointed. "Iselia must have just gotten lucky. All the salvatorians in the village stayed together after children and became good friends."

"Iselia?" Lymax blinked and tilted her head. "That's the village of oracles! Do you know the Chosen?"

Colloyd stuttered, but Kraine quickly stepped in to control the situation before his cover was blown. "Yes. The Chosen is quite an interesting person and I'm sure they will do their best to regenerate the world."

"Yeah," Gesea chirped, grinning. "Though I always worried that the Chosen might have a lot of trouble flying when they try to ascend to heaven to meet Origin. They're not the most.. coordinated."

Colloyd turned away from Lymax and shot his friend a glare. She laughed loudly. Seeing that she was probably at her limit of questions about the Chosen, Lymax went back to manning the steering wheel of the boat. The port town of Palmacosta was slowly coming into view.

xxx

"We're here," Lymax said when they arrived a short hour later at the cobblestone and wooden planked port. Colloyd excitedly jumped from the edge of the boat to the dry land, Gesea following soon after; both unaware at the dual feeling of discomfort and relief Kraine felt at finally being able to leave and not being allowed to be the first off. He took a deep breath and slowly stepped off to join the other two.

Colloyd held his hand out to Lymax. "Thank you, Lymax. What are you going to do now? Will you be alright going to Luin from here?"

Lymax grimaced, looking to think it over before nodding. "Someone else said they would be willing to escort me to Luin. Thank you for your help in getting over safely."

"Alright. Be careful Lymax."

"You too, and please call me Lyme."

The group all gave her one final nod of thanks before heading off. Lymax watched the teenagers run off from Kraine toward the marketplace alley a short distance away and as he quickened his pace when they left his sight. When they merged into the crowd, she turned back to her boat and headed for the cabin trap door. She opened it and slipped inside to look over the small living quarters. A woman with red hair held up in a high top knot sat up from her position on the bed, rubbing her eyes. "We're here?"

Lymax smiled. "I'm surprised you slept through the journey."

"Give me a break, I've been pretty busy lately," the woman said as she took a stand and stretched. She looked at Lymax, her arms crossed behind her head. "So we're to head for Luin now?"

"Yes that's right," Lymax nodded. "We'll head out as soon as you're ready.. Sheelos, was it?"

"To women it is," Sheelos replied with a smirk.

Lymax slapped her forehead. "I've only known you a short time and I'm already sick of hearing of your supposed exploits."

xxx

"Wow, look at all these weapons Col!" Gesea had stopped at a weapon merchant this time and was pointing up at a pair of twin swords, followed by a chakram and a wider normal sword. Colloyd found his mouth watering a little at the sight of such craftsmanship on the twin swords. Everything seemed precise, right down to the little engravings on the hilt where it met the blade.

"I don't think we'll have enough to buy anything here though," the pinkette elf said with disappointment as she watched a customer hand over a huge wad of cash to the merchant and get very little change back. Colloyd nodded in agreement and was about to walk away when Kraine placed a hand on his shoulder. "Did you not have some swords that we could sell?"

Colloyd wasn't sure why, but he felt extremely disappointed that the teacher had pointed this truth out. The twin swords hadn't left his backpack since he had looted them and yet he felt strangely attached to them. Hesitantly, he dropped his backpack and took them out, noting the professors gaze on him the whole time.

"I..it can't be," the weapons merchant gasped upon seeing the blades in his hands.

"What?" he asked, a little more alarmed than was probably necessary.

"Those! In your hand! Could I please take a look at those?"

"Uh, sure?" Colloyd handed them over and watched as the weapons merchant took out a magnifying glass to look over the swords closely.

"To all that is holy..." the merchant breathed, glancing up at them. "There is only one way that someone would have these swords in their posession. They would have visited and went _inside_ the famous seal of fire."

_"Uh oh.."_ Colloyd edged away suddenly, knowing where this was going. He hadn't had any idea that the swords would be the death of his secret in the new town.

"It is easy to see how you can come to the conclusion you seem to have," the professor said before either side could say anything more. "However, do you think we would make a mistake as to reveal we were the group with the Chosen in a huge city like this?"

The merchant looked from his blue gaze to the weapon and back up again. He seemed to be considering this. "Now," Kraine said as he stepped closer. "How much would you be willing to pay for this artefact?" He looked down at the red-clad dual wielder next to him and noted how he tensed. "Do you not want to part with them?"

Colloyd shrugged. "It's not like they're useful or anything, but.. I kinda wanna sharpen them and _see."_ He pointed to the sword sharpener next to an assortment of other tools.

"Then we will be taking it back," Kraine said to the merchant. The man obliged with a very disappointed look on his face. Kraine nodded up in the direction of the sharpening stone and the merchant proceeded to take it off of the display. "That'll be eight-hundred gald."

Colloyd's eyes almost popped out of his head. He looked at the professor, shaking his head vigorously. Kraine ignored him and instead of reaching for the money in the sack at his side, he reached into his jacket and took out another small bag of a deep red colour. He handed it to the merchant. "Exactly eight-hundred gald."

The merchant didn't look like he dared to question Kraine and instead just wrapped the sharpening stone up in paper, stuck some sticky tape to it, and put it in a small carry bag. Colloyd took the package gratefully and walked away, his eyes on the apparently wealthy professor.

"Why'd you buy it, Professor?"

That was the question Kraine knew Colloyd was dying to ask. When they eventually left the marketplace and started into the town of Palmacosta, it appeared he could hold it in no longer. "Call it curiosity toward the unknown," he answered. "I'm simply wondering if two swords might suit you better. Even if they don't, I will still benefit from sharpening my own blade."

"I'm glad I don't have to worry about sharpening mine," Gesea teased both of them. "Mine just comes that way."

"Yeah yeah, rub it in," Colloyd laughed, proceeding to give her a noogie. Gesea escaped from under his grip and he looked back at the tall teacher/swordsman. "Thanks Professor."

Kraine let a small smile slip and break his stoic facade for a moment before quickly replacing it. Colloyd saw though and laughed a bit. "Gesea! Your brother _smiled!"_

"It seems that the world really _does_ need regenerating now!" Gesea laughed back.

While Kraine experienced discomfort at the fact that his companions seemed to think him devoid of emotion somehow and Colloyd and Gesea continued to talk while walking, they all forgot to watch _where_ they were walking. The only time reality came back was when they came out from the side of a house adjacent to the main street of Palmacosta and Colloyd crashed straight into someone. He fell to his backside with a surprised yelp.

"Owch, watch it!" cried the other person.

"I'm so-" Colloyd paused in his apology when he saw the unmistakeable electric blue hair of his treasured professor of many years. Professor Yuan Ka-Fai.


	8. A lot of time saved

The green gaze of the Iselia professor of old locked onto Colloyd and his mouth set itself open just slightly in surprise. There was an aura of silence as Kraine and Gesea looked back and forth between the two. Colloyd quickly stood and offered his hand. "Professor!"

Kraine's attention shot to him in question, but he soon realised that the boy wasn't referring to him at all. His gaze was still firmly on the blue haired man as he helped him up. Yuan's shocked face disappeared and he cleared his throat. "Colloyd. How nice to see you. It has been quite some time."

"I know, I know!" Colloyd chirped. "It's great to see you as well!" He started to bombard the man with a variety of questions, including where had he left to, what had he been up to all this time, and what was he doing in Palmacosta. He stopped to breathe for a moment and wait for Yuan to talk when he seemed to realise that he had completely forgotten his manners. "Oh! Professor! These are my friends Gesea and Kraine."

Yuan's gaze lifted to the other two. Gesea looked up him with a somewhat curious expression, while Kraine found himself suddenly getting irritated at the seemingly constant smirk he had. He cleared his throat and decided a better introduction was in order. "I am the new professor at Iselia."

"I see," Yuan said with a nod. "Call me Yuan." He looked at Gesea.

"She is my sister," Kraine replied, his tone sounding a bit more warning than was probably necessary. Silence followed the short exchange between the two Iselia professors, making Colloyd shift uncomfortably and rack his brains for something to say. "Oh!" he smiled to Kraine and Gesea. "Professor Ka-Fai is an elf as well. Isn't that cool?" When neither party looked surprised to hear that, he sighed. "I suppose you all sensed it?"

"You could say that," Yuan said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I am sort of in a hurry."

"Oh really?" Colloyd looked more disappointed than the first time he'd discovered that puppies didn't stay cute forever. "I was sort of hoping that we could catch up." He leaned in closer. "I'm on the _journey,_ you know."

"I am aware of that," Yuan nodded. "The news of the oracle spread far and wide like wildfire." He scratched his chin. "Hm, perhaps it would do some good to talk a little later on. I will meet you at the inn on the west side of town this evening." He pointed to his left.

"Hm..." Kraine mumbled. "I am not sure we will still be here at that-" He saw Colloyd's pleading look and let out a sigh. "Alright. We will see you later."

Yuan's smirk grew even broader at how easily Kraine had caved, but he said nothing and bid them farewell until later, heading for the what looked to be the town circle.

"Where should we go?" Colloyd asked, turning to Kraine.

"I would think it best to look for clues about the whereabouts of the next seal," the Professor imparted. "I happen to know that the Governer-General in this town has a particular book that may in fact come in handy. It is supposed to be the record of Spiritua's journey."

"The first Chosen?" Colloyd's eyes widened. "Would have been so nice to talk to her about all this."

"I'm afraid you are about eight hundred years too late, Col," Gesea commented.

"I know, I know.."

"Still, I wonder whether you would meet her when you become a full angel?" Her eyes glittered with excitement. "I should begin a list of things for you to ask her."

Gesea's musings were innocent enough, Kraine knew, but he also knew that if this conversation was allowed to go on long enough that Colloyd's masked pain would start to show. He decided to step in for his sake. "I'm sure Colloyd will have more than enough to think about without asking Spiritua a hundred questions.. despite how curious I may also be to the answers."

Gesea rolled her eyes and started ahead of the two men. Colloyd shot Kraine a quick glance of thanks before catching up to be by Gesea's side.

xxx

They reached the town circle to discover a bunch of armored soldiers surrounding a group of three. One youngster probably barely out of his teens was yelling. "We didn't do anything! Can you _see_ a book on us?"

"I concur," the older male of the group nodded. "Whatever that Governer-General guy says is a lie."

"Don't play dumb!" one of the guards argued. "You pretended to be the group helping the Chosen and lied to Dorr to get the Book of Regeneration. We heard what you were whispering when you left!"

"We have no idea what you're talking about," a blonde girl around Colloyd's age spoke up.

"Sounds like they're in trouble," Colloyd said. He looked at Kraine. "Should we help them? They sound like they're innocent."

"I don't think that is a good idea," the Professor replied, looking to a set of double doors which had swung open from a large mansion just to the north of his position.

Two soldiers hurried out and to the group of soldiers who were still working at questioning the random group. "Governer-General Dorr said that you may release these hooligans," one of them said. "The book has been returned by a passer-by. These guys must have ditched it when they realised that they'd get caught quickly once we realised they weren't the Chosen."

"We did no such thing!" The older male exclaimed.

Kraine couldn't help but be a little amused. It seemed that this man was trying to be him. The group looked _nothing_ like theirs. It wasn't too much of a surprise that most people thought that the Chosen was a woman however, considering the doctrine that the Church of Martel passed on to its followers. He led the group toward the double doors that led into the Governer-Generals office.

One of the guards escorted the fake group off in the direction that would lead them out of town. If Kilia, the daughter of the Governer-General hadn't been watching the event the whole time from the garden in the circle, he would have given them a few choice words for the smug grins each of them wore at being released. It was like they thought they had gotten away with it.

xxx

"Greetings travellers!" a cheerful voice greeted them as they stepped into the small office. It seemed quite small considering how large it had looked on the outside. Glancing around, Colloyd noticed a guard just like the others he had seen outside standing in front of a door to his left, and another guard standing in front of an open doorway which led down some stairs on his right. Directly in front of them was a large desk that angled off to the sides and around in a short arc, and behind the desk sat a man with blonde hair and robes of purple and blue. Next to him stood another man. He looked less distinguished than the blonde somehow, but he had a more sincere smile.

"We welcome travelers, as per the teachings of Martel. May the blessing of Martel be upon those who journey," the blonde haired man continued from his earlier greeting to them. "I am Governer-General Dorr."

Colloyd waved in greeting and approached him a bit closer. "Hi! How are you? I'm Colloyd and I'm the Chosen of Regeneration. We'd like to see the Book of Regeneration."

It felt good to say it proudly for once, since he knew they would have to tell them anyway to get a look at the book the Professor had declared he had. The shocked silence that followed his declaration made him snort a little and he had to try and hold back his laugh.

"Colloyd might not look like it," Kraine defended for the boy, "but it is most certainly true."

"We had been expecting the Chosen, but I'm afraid I cannot let the book out of my sight again without actual proof of your Chosen status," Dorr said. "We only recently had an incident."

Colloyd felt his cheeks burning, knowing the _easiest_ way to show them. He hadn't taken his wings out since he had gotten them. The door to the exit creaked behind them and a little blonde haired girl stepped inside, walking around the group and behind the desk to hop onto a seat next to Dorr. She looked up at him. "Who are these people Daddy?"

"Oh, Kilia! You're just in time. The Chosen here is going to show us his wings!" It appeared the man had figured out the easiest way as well.

"Really?" Kilia squeaked, turning her head quickly to look at Colloyd, who had blushed an even deeper scarlet than before.

"Go on Col," Gesea said as she nudged him. "We don't have all day."

Colloyd stuttered, seeing everyone's eyes on him intently. He involuntarily took a step back, but lost his footing on a slightly raised floorboard to crash to his backside. As he winced at the pain, he heard gasps from the people in the room. It didn't take him long to figure out why. Somehow his long pink and blue wings had released from his back at the sudden surprise fall as though it were an involuntary action.

"Wow! Father, did you see?! His wings are beautiful!"

"They certainly are," Dorr concurred. He looked to his left at the kind man. "Please could you go into the back room and bring me the book, Neil?"

While they waited for Neil to bring the book out from the room past the door on the left, Colloyd closed his eyes and concentrated on making his large sparkling appendages disappear. The prickling sensation on the small of his back was strange, but it was the tickling sensation the ends of his wings gave him when they brushed against other inhabitants of the room that really irritated him. Dorr took a large tome from Neil and placed it on the desk in front of him. "I'm afraid I can't let it leave this town. However, I would be happy for you to take it somewhere in town so that you may study and take as many notes as you would like before returning it."

Agreeing, Colloyd took the book from the table and headed out with Gesea following. Kraine stood in his spot a moment longer, contemplating whether to lecture the Governer-General on how close he had come to losing a historical treasure to a bunch of thugs. He decided against it and silently turned on his heel to follow the duo back to the business district of town. They were due to meet the "Professor" later that evening, so he supposed it wouldn't hurt for them to book a room earlier in order to study the book. It had been a while since he had been given a safe opportunity to curl up with a book and he was quite looking forward to it.

xxx

Of course, his hopes of being able to read the book and take notes undisturbed were dashed the moment they paid for their rooms and got seated around a small wooden table in their small but cosy quarters. Colloyd had discovered upon opening the thing that it was written almost entirely in Kharlian, the language of the Angels.

"We will need to seek the help of the church in this city," Kraine proposed as he stood and expected the two teenagers to follow. "I know a little of the language myself, but they may be able to read it better than I since we are here." He paused with his hand on the doorknob and turned, wondering what was taking the children so long to follow.

"Actually," Colloyd started. "I can read it. Professor Ka-Fai taught me a while ago."

"He did, did he.." Kraine found himself crossing his arms. "I wonder how he came to know the language of the Angels?"

"I would assume that it may be the same way you did," Gesea replied. "You are both scholars after all."

"Your sister would be correct," came a smug voice from outside the door. Kraine found himself somehow irritated just at the _sound_ of the smirk in the voice. Colloyd jumped up from his spot and stepped behind him to open the door. "Professor Ka-Fai!"

"Hello Chosen," Yuan said. "I apologise for eavesdropping but I noticed your names on the guest list and asked if I could come up to see you all. I was about to knock when I overheard."

"It's no problem!" Colloyd ushered him in and offered him a place to sit next to him, precisely where Kraine had been sitting.

Kraine sat down next to Gesea instead and watched as the blue haired "elf" slid the book across the table to himself and reached to a pocket in his cloak for a pair of thin reading glasses. "The Journey of Spiritua, by Spiritua," he read. Colloyd and Gesea laughed at the name but stopped when Kraine shot them a glare which meant something along the lines of "don't be disruptive." He might not be able to read it himself but he was definitely taking notes. He had already set up his red research notebook and pen in preparation.

Yuan spoke of raging flames in an ancient city deep within clouds of sand overlooking some kind of city and lighting darkness. Then he spoke about a place with pure, flowing water where it seemed like it might be flooding. Colloyd zoned out when he heard Professor Kraine scratching away at his notes as though his life depended on it, before zoning back in to hear about a pillar of the world and something about giving it praise. _That_ one he knew for sure. _That_ was the Tower of Salvation. Thinking about the giant tower that had appeared the day he had 'officially' become the Chosen filled him with both dread and happiness.

"I can't read any more than that," Yuan said as he gently closed the book. He slid it to Kraine, who had looked like he wanted to steal it away from right under his nose.

"I must admit, your knowledge in the field of Kharlian is impressive," Kraine said as he gently opened the book and looked over it himself. The pages were very fragile.

"Professor Ka-Fai taught me a lot when I was growing up," Colloyd said with a huge smile and a nod toward his former teacher.

Yuan shook his head and waved his hand about. "You do me too much praise, Chosen."

Colloyd glanced away uncomfortably. "Could you please stop calling me that?"

Yuan recoiled slightly. "I meant it only as a sign of respect. Forgive me." He waited for Colloyd to smile his usual happy smile before continuing. "I would also ask that you stop calling me by my last name and adopt a more relaxed tone."

"Y..you mean, call you _Yuan_?" Colloyd gaped as though it were the most shocking suggestion in the world.

Yuan nodded. "We are not in school anymore and you are not my student either." He tilted his head toward Kraine. "You have a new professor now."

Colloyd thought it over for a second and then nodded. "Alright!" He took a deep breath. "Yuan, tell me what you have been doing all these years since you left Iselia."

"I suppose I have just been wandering and exploring this world. It has many oddities that I couldn't help but be curious about," Yuan replied, his smirky countenance actually fading.

"Really? What did you find Prof-uh.. Yuan?" Colloyd laughed and scratched his head. "Going to have to get used to that."

xxx

The late afternoon grew into evening and the evening quickly grew into night. The hustle and bustle of the city dulled and the sound of crickets replaced it. Kraine, having grown tired of listening to the banter of Colloyd and Gesea with Yuan, had retreated outside and climbed a small hedge to the rooftop of the inn. He had been lost in thoughts while he absently counted the stars when the sound of the door of the inn alerted him. From the position of the moon, he figured it around midnight. Curious to see who was going on a moonlight stroll, he sat up and looked over the edge of the roof. A head of blue hair greeted his gaze before the man seemed to sense him and looked up. He smirked and waved. Kraine nodded in greeting, but apparently his curiosity was mistaken for something else because a short time later Yuan met him on the roof and sat down beside him. "Palmacosta isn't the easiest place to see the stars, is it."

"No," he replied to be polite. "The pollution of the city and the lights make it somewhat difficult."

"Still, beats the cold weather of Triet at night."

Kraine didn't reply, making Yuan tilt his head back in a groan. "Look. I think we might have gotten off on the wrong foot."

"Whatever gave you that impression?" Kraine asked. He hadn't meant it to come out sarcastic but the man just put him in that mood somehow. It reminded him of someone.

"I can assure you," Yuan continued without directly answering him, "your _precious student_ will not be stolen by me. I have no intention of overstaying my welcome."

"My-" Kraine cleared his throat and paused to regain his composure. He decided to ignore the awfully sudden dig at his relationship with Colloyd. "In any case, the journey of the Chosen is not one a mere ex-teacher from a small school in Iselia and a scholar should be journeying on."

"Indeed," Yuan agreed. "However the same could be said for yourself and your sister, couldn't it?" He shifted a bit. "Are you just a professor or something more?"

Kraine responded with little more than a 'humph', making Yuan roll his eyes. He opened his mouth to say more when an ear shattering scream broke the calm silence of the night.

"No! What are you doing! Get away from her!"

The sound of a girl yelling from somewhere a bit further down the main street reached their ears. Kraine tensed and looked at Yuan, who looked to be wondering what to do. Curiosity and concern getting the best of them at the same time, they shimmied down the side of the inn and kept to the shadows as they made their way there. When they got close enough to see, both hid in around a corner in an alleyway to observe as though they had done it a million times before.

A brown haired woman around their age was being dragged out of the general store by a group of four Desians; a younger woman around the same age as Colloyd holding onto her and trying to pull her away from them.

"You're lucky that you're getting off so lightly!" one Desian said as he pulled the younger woman away from holding onto the older woman.

"Why aren't the city's militia doing anything to stop this?" Kraine wondered softly to Yuan. "This doesn't seem right."

"I heard that they were all having an overnight training session over at the Ossa Trail," the bluenette responded in kind.

"Hm.." Kraine put his hand to his sword, hidden under his cloak. "It is unwise to attack them. This town could very well become the next Iselia if we are rash."

"I agree," Yuan nodded, sounding as unsure as Kraine felt. Both stood quietly and continued to watch the scene unfold.

"Cacao Mocha, you are under arrest and due to be executed at o-six-hundred hours for defying the wishes of the great Lord Magnius and refusing to provide us with supplies." The Desian talking turned to the Desian on his right. "Go and oversee the gallows being built in the town circle. We'll take care of her." The Desian gave a silent nod and left them.

"No! Please! Stop! Mum!" the girl cried as the Desians made to drag Cacao toward the edge of town and presumably to a human ranch nearby. Kraine glanced at Yuan and caught his eyes. Both men shared the gaze, silently egging each other to be the one to move first and neither wanting the blame of the aftermath on their hands.

"Stop!" yelled a new voice in the commotion, making both snap their heads in the direction Cacao had slowly been heading toward in the custody of the Desians. There a red-clad boy stood, illuminated by the street lamp directly above him and with his arms stretching out far from his sides to block their way. In one hand he spun a chakram, while in the other he gripped the hilt of his sword.


	9. The practices of a professor or two

Kraine and Yuan's eyes widened as they fell on Colloyd in a readied battle stance against the Desians. "It looks like-" Yuan cut himself off when the auburn haired professor stepped out of hiding at the update in their little situation. He sighed to himself and contemplated his next move carefully.

"Get out of the way boy!" One of the Desians who held the rope that was tied around Cacao's hands laughed a bit. "You have no idea who you're dealing with!"

Colloyd threw his chakram at an angle so that it skimmed around and chopped the rope in half. "That's where you're wrong! You guys are just bullies!"

The moment Cacao was free, the Desians moved to re-capture her. Colloyd charged at them. Two of them turned to block his advance while the third caught Cacao and held her in front of him defensively while he put a knife to her neck. "One more step and the woman dies."

At hearing this, Colloyd stopped his advance on the Desians and quickly jumped a safe distance back. "Why do you attack innocent people?" he asked. "I'm going on the journey, so why don't you just leave people alone!"

"The journey?"

"The Chosen wishes for a world of peace. I think it would be wise for you to stop this nonsense now," Kraine said as he cleared his throat and revealed his location to their enemies by slowly taking his sword out of its sheath and pointing it in their directions.

The three Desians turned away from Colloyd to gaze over him. "Who are _you?_ "

Kraine put one hand on his hip and raised an eyebrow. "Do you always turn your backs on your enemies so arrogantly?"

"Professor!" Colloyd yelled from behind the Desians and Cacao. He turned and saw a flash of blue hair directly in his line of sight. The metallic clang of a followed by bright red hair held up in a top knot and two silver weapons clashed together and glowing softly, one a sword and one a large axe.

"Perhaps _you_ should also think about not turning your back on your enemies!" Yuan yelled through gritted teeth before pushing the man who would have sliced straight into Kraine's back to the ground with a fiery growl.

"Lord Magnius!" The Desians yelled from behind Kraine.

'Lord' Magnius jumped away from Yuan. "What are you fools doing!? Didn't I tell you to not make a scene!"  
"We weren't sir," the once tough sounding Desian whimpered.

Magnius clenched his fist. "If we let everyone in town know now, there's no way tomorrow will go off without a hitch." He kept his axe upright and cast an eye over Yuan and then Kraine behind him. "Are you from the cities militia?"

"Do we _look_ like we're from the cities militia?" Yuan laughed. Magnius growled, not liking his tone. Kraine had to agree, but he wasn't in a position to judge at that point considering he had just potentially saved his life, or in the very least had saved him from a very unwanted situation.

"I highly suggest you and your goons leave this town in peace before we are forced to protect the Chosen from harm," Kraine said with a meaningful glare at the Desian leader.

Magnius looked understandably surprised at the revelation and looked past him to Colloyd, still stayed from doing anything while the goons had a knife to Cacao's neck. A twisted grimace cracked through his shock after another moment and he laughed. "You are interrupting our plans and so you shall perish here!" He raised his axe once again and ran for Yuan, who appeared to be waiting for the opportune moment.

_"Lawah urshys ilai!"_ Yuan yelled.

Kraine blinked, understanding exactly what the blue haired man had just said. He turned on his heel to see that he was in fact right and that the two Desians who weren't holding Cacao hostage had ignored the Chosen and set their sights on the person they thought the most dangerous. The battle started.

Kraine charged and met with Colloyd in the middle of a flurry of metallic clangs. They turned their backs to one another and continued their assault, their adversaries blocking their attacks and returning their own, only to be blocked as well. In the midst of it all, the third Desian released the helpless Cacao and took up arms to try and help his comrades get the upperhand. It didn't do him any good. Colloyd was too fast for him and threw a distracting chakram around him when he had been going for Kraine and then quickly cut him below the knees to make sure he couldn't try anything again. Kraine did a similar move and the two of them shared a quick look of reassurance that the other was alright before setting their sights on the foe Yuan had been keeping busy.

The blue haired ex-professor was fluidly dodging Magnius' axe attacks as Kraine and Colloyd caught up and entered the fray. Before either of them could do anything noteworthy though, Yuan saw an opening in his attacks and knocked the giant axe straight out of his hands before kicking him to the ground with a well placed roundhouse kick. Magnius didn't show fear despite his unfortunate situation. Instead he scrambled upright and jumped back from them, his aura glowing.

"Crap," Yuan mouthed, feinting to his left just before a magical fiery head of a lion charged for him.

Magnius tried to charge for his weapon but Kraine got there first. He took a slash at him and did a mid air kick to knock the bulky man back. He lost his balance and fell, making Kraine grimace and point his sword to the mans throat. This time he wouldn't be getting up. "I suggest you and your _friends_ leave here at once."

"You can't seriously be showing him mercy!" Yuan spluttered to Kraine incredulously.

Kraine frowned and side-glanced at him, raising his sword just high enough that Magnius could get out from under it without slicing his jugular in half. He looked back at Magnius. "In future you would do well to heed the Chosen's wishes."

Magnius' eyes widened for only a moment before he called to his goons to stop being weaklings and head back to the ranch. With one final glare he retreated with his men.

"Guess I shouldn't have expected anything different," Yuan muttered under his breath. Kraine took quick note to ask him for his meaning at a later point. For the time being his concentration shifted to that of the girl from the general store as she ran to her mother. Colloyd was already stalking closer, concern playing on his face.

"Mum! Are you alright?!" The girl looked over her mother carefully. She looked up when Colloyd approached. "How can I ever repay you?"

Colloyd shrugged and scratched the back of his head. "You don't have to. It kind of comes with the territory."

"The territory?" the girl asked. Colloyd stuttered, suddenly realising that she must not have heard the words spoken by the Desians.

"Is it true that you are our Chosen?" Cacao asked, blowing his thinly veiled cover. He nodded awkwardly and was glad when Kraine and Yuan stepped up behind him.

"You should probably go home now and speak nothing of this to anyone," Kraine said as he sternly cast an eye over the two.

The woman nodded but the girl seemed more hesitant as she looked over Colloyd like she had just seen Spiritua herself. "You're nothing like I thought."

"I suppose that's a good thing," he laughed. Not being able to stand her constant stare, he held out his hand to her. "Uh..I'm Colloyd."

She smiled broadly and took his hand. "Chocolat. I'll never forget what you did for us." With little more coaxing, she and her mother left them and entered back into their house, locking the door with a loud click and pulling the blinds down to block out the light which had been shining through the window to the outside.

Just when Colloyd was about to let out a relieved sigh and turn to his comrades to congratulate them on a job well done, they were interrupted by the sound of shattering glass. A loud and familiar yell sounded. Kraine's somewhat more relaxed stance immediately tensed and he broke into a run, Colloyd and Yuan following behind.

"Kraine!" yelled Gesea as they got closer. They stopped as they came to the inn to see a pile of shattered glass on the ground in the dimly lit alleyway to the side of the building, and the figure of Gesea from the top window of the inn. She waved to them casually and Kraine let out a visible sigh of relief.

"Gesea, are you alright?" Colloyd asked as he looked from her to the pile.

She nodded and looked at Kraine. "We need to leave, _now."_ Her voice sounded urgent.

Colloyd gaped. "Now?!"

Kraine seemed to understand though and gave a nod. "Start packing our belongings Gesea. We will be there shortly." She nodded and left the window. Kraine stood in thought for a second before silently heading to the door of the inn. Colloyd shot Yuan a look of questioning and was met by a shrug. He didn't know what it was about either. They heard the sound of Kraine clearing his throat as he held the door of the inn open for them and quickly made haste to follow.

xxx

Colloyd didn't know whether it was a good or a bad thing that they had been able to pack up their belongings in a very short amount of time, but once Kraine had examined his sister carefully for any sign of wounds, followed by him and Yuan, they were bidding the inn owner farewell. Just as they were at the door to leave though, he called them to stop with a very angry sounding voice. After a short explanation, they learned that he knew they had broken the window upstairs and that they would have to pay for it. Apparently he had very good hearing and knew 'rats' when he saw them.

Yuan had been quick to dispel two problems as they arose. The first being the issue of Kraine about to give the man a lecture on the fact that they were most certainly not rats. The second being to shut Colloyd's mouth when he was about to pull the "I'm the Chosen" card out of his hat to hopefully get out of the problem. Instead he pulled a larger-than-life wallet out of his own rucksack and handed the inn owner a wad of cash. The man looked at the wad suspiciously, but upon unfurling a couple of notes he looked both shocked and satisfied. The group of four left the man to count the money and headed for the exit of Palmacosta.

Just as they neared the exit, Kraine stopped. "The Book of Regeneration. We should not leave with it. It may be some time before we come back."

"You should go on then," Yuan said to him, holding out his hand. "I'll return it to Dorr in the morning."

Kraine hesitated. He had his own reasons for wanting to return it himself to the Governer-General, but that was not going to look particularly insightful. He gave in to reason and handed over the priceless book. "Be sure not to lose it," he grumbled sternly to him.

"I will guard it with my life," Yuan replied with his usual smirk, the face of battle leaving him in that moment. "Take care. I think our paths will probably intertwine again so I will not say goodbye." He looked at Colloyd and nodded at Gesea before turning his back to them and heading toward the town circle. Kraine frowned, wondering why he was heading there _now._ Still, he had to put his priorities in order. Gesea was in danger here and he needed to get her away as soon as possible.

They set out from the port city to travel along the waters edge, donning their thick coats once more as they did. Several times Colloyd tried to start a conversation with Gesea, but was met with a strange silence from her. She was obviously worried about whatever had happened back at the inn. He was still yet to get an explanation out of either elf and it took all the discipline he had to not stop them both in the midst of their getaway and question them until they gave him answers.

Kraine eventually led them a bit further away from the beach and to a small clearing to the slight east of a path that wound around between the mountains. The large rocky landscape served as a great shield from the wind and soon Gesea was casting a fire spell on a group of sticks to make a small camp fire. Colloyd sat next to it first and looked at the elven siblings.

Gesea gave him a somewhat guilty look. "Sorry Col.. This must be a bit confusing." She looked at Kraine, who gave her a very hesitant look. Eventually after what looked to be a silent eye conversation between the two of them, Kraine slumped his shoulders a little and dropped to his backside in front of the fire as well. "I suppose if we do not tell you, it could put this journey in significantly more danger."

Gesea sat next to Colloyd. "A Desian came into the bedroom when I was sleeping."

Colloyd's eyes widened. "Is that when you-"

Gesea nodded. "I managed to overpower him and push him through the window. He ran away just before you all came back from your stroll." She looked in thought. "It appears that something else must have happened though."

Colloyd and Kraine nodded and she continued on with her story. "You see, they're after my Cruxis crystal." She unbuttoned her shirt, but knowing Kraine was watching him carefully, Colloyd didn't dare to look at what she was trying to show him. He quickly ushered her to do the top back up so that the professor would stop glaring. She saw her brother and nodded, understanding finally. "We don't like talking about the Angelus Project because it brings up bad memories."

"The Angelus project.." Colloyd shifted left to right in thought. "You said about that once before. How you and your sister were a part of the project."

Gesea nodded. Colloyd looked at Kraine and he quickly shook his head to the invisible question that was being asked. Apparently he hadn't also been a part of the experiment. He waited for either elf to say more, but when silence fell over the camp he sighed and decided to be a bit more direct. "Did something happen to your sister?"

Gesea looked down at her feet as she hugged herself. "We don't know. I don't remember much at all."

"What do you mean?"

"Gesea was not herself, you could say," Kraine explained. "It took a long time, but I eventually found a way to cure her problem. It required a special type of key crest, much like the one that you wear around your own Cruxis crystal." Kraine glanced down at the gem on Colloyd's hand.

The boy tilted his head in wonder. "So the people who experimented on you want the crystal back? Why don't you just give it to them?" He frowned. "But they were Desians?"

"I can not give it back to them," Gesea said sternly. "Kraine was very clear that taking it off would cost me my life. As for the Desians and the project.. we're as much in the dark as you are." She grimaced at Kraine. "However, one good thing has come from this. While I may have lost contact with our sister, I was reunited with my long-lost brother."

"Long-lost?" Colloyd asked. "You didn't know each other your whole lives?"

"Well, not exactly," Gesea giggled. "I just don't remember having a brother. The experiment made me lose my memory and along with it some of my memory of family and other things. Kraine told me about our sister when he came and took me away from the family home to take me to a Dwarf who could make a rune crest from the materials he had collected." She tapped her chest and Colloyd noticed he could hear a faint metallic ching. She looked a bit depressed. "When the Desians discovered that I was no longer just a tool for them to wait and watch, they demanded their Cruxis crystal from me and told us that the one my sister had was useless."

"So the crystal your sister has.." Colloyd smiled. "It sounds like she must be safe, even if you haven't seen her for a long time. We should find her!"

"I'm afraid that would be impossible," Kraine interjected.

"Impossible?" Colloyd asked. He watched Gesea and Kraine share another loaded glance and decided that this was the end of the conversation. Even now it seemed he was missing some of the story.

The professor seemed to sense his angst for the situation and looked directly at him. "Colloyd, come and sit with me so that I can teach you how to sharpen your sword and chakram."

Gesea laughed as Colloyd's eyes widened with renewed interest in a different topic. He leapt to his feet and carried his backpack toward the professor.

xxx

As Colloyd sat with Kraine, he couldn't help his own curiosity once again. After hearing the small part of his story with Gesea, he had become convinced that his sword skills had something to do with it. "Hey Kraine?" He asked once the professor finished showing him how to sharpen a sword by using the sharpening stone on his own sword first. "So where did you learn to fight? Have you been a mercenary before?"

Kraine sighed. "Colloyd, as much as your natural curiosity is a virtue to you, it is not so for others."

Colloyd looked down. "I'm sorry." He perked up again though. "But I think I understand why you don't want to talk about your family now." Kraine didn't answer, making him confirm what he had guessed. He hoped it wasn't true...but..

He sat quietly again and watched the teacher mumble how to do things as he worked on his chakram. If he didn't want to talk about the truth, who was he to force him? After all, the man had saved him many times already from having to talk about his inevitable fate.


	10. A good day ruined

Colloyd walked ahead of Kraine and Gesea, his arms crossed. He wasn't _angry,_ but he wasn't happy either. Kraine had promised to wake him in the night to take over watch, but he hadn't. When he asked about it, the professor had simply responded that he should enjoy sleep when it was offered to him and that it was his job to protect him. That wasn't why Colloyd found himself in a bad mood. It was the fact that despite their relatively solid ground as they made their way to Hakonesia peak under Kraine's direction, the professor insisted upon telling the both of them to watch their step periodically. It would have been a simple warning if he hadn't been engrossed in his notebook the entire time they crossed the region. Either he had traveled this way many times before and didn't feel a need to look where he was walking, or...

"Owch!" Colloyd found himself tripping over a small patch of overgrown weeds protruding from a crack in the dry ground. His face would have met the ground if he hadn't put his hands out to catch himself.

"Col!" Gesea called with concern as she ran to meet him. He helped himself up and examined his hands. He had cut them open quite disturbingly, eliciting a gasp from Gesea when she saw the damage. Kraine came up to his other side and knelt down beside him. He let out a sigh and looked at Colloyd with an "I told you to watch your step" expression. The look faded after another moment to a look of more concern than anything else. Colloyd watched as the professor put his hands over his bleeding ones and checked for signs of debris. Although it was interesting to watch him pull out several small shards of rock from the wounds, Colloyd couldn't help but be distracted by something else. There was no way that this shouldn't have hurt. He could still feel a dull ache in his bleeding hands, but nothing like he knew he should be feeling.

"This might sting a little," Kraine said, knocking him out of his thoughts and pulling his hands together so that it might look like he was reciting a prayer before covering his hands with his own. He closed his eyes and muttered "first aid".

Colloyd couldn't help but stare as he watched an aura of white outline the teachers every feature. After knowing Gesea could use magic and summon a pretty cool weapon as if from another dimension, he shouldn't have been surprised. Still, something was somehow _different_ about this. He couldn't quite put his finger on it. Gesea must have noticed the odd expression on his face because she was giving him a confused look. He shrugged but tried not to move too much. He could feel a coolness in-between the palms of his hands. It was quite pleasant.

After a few short moments longer, Kraine stopped his magic spell and took his hands away from his. Instinctively Colloyd opened his hands up to peer at the work the professor had done. He stared in surprise. There were no visible markings what-so-ever that he had cut himself. Kraine nodded to himself as he looked over the results too, before getting to his feet and starting ahead down the path. "Be more careful, Chosen."

Colloyd sighed and acknowledged with a bob of his head. The professor was very well aware that he disliked being called the Chosen and so seemed to now be experimenting with the use of the term as a punishment. He looked at Gesea for support but found her shrugging her shoulders and looking at her brother ahead of them. He made sure not to get distracted in his own thoughts again while they trekked, lest Kraine decide to accompany the 'Chosen' namesake with one of his trademark glares. The thought of that sent a genuine shiver down his spine.

xxx

The rough terrain changed as they closed in on the mountain hill with the very distinct house right at the very top. They passed through a sloppily guarded front entrance and made their way up the steep incline to the flat top where the house sat. There were a couple of small vendors of healing goods and a few townspeople chatting to one another off to the side of the main area, but other than that the place looked pretty empty. Colloyd decided that most people would just travel through without stopping. His curiosity did peak at the strange little hut to his right as they silently headed for the exit on the other side, though.

Two guards stood in their way now, looking more alert than the ones on the other side. As Gesea went to pass through first, they both made her jump by clashing their weapons together in a way that meant she could not pass through without being chopped to ribbons.

"Halt," the guard on the right ordered. "Please show us your road pass."

"Road pass?" Gesea tilted her head and looked toward her brother. He let out a sigh of annoyance. "Has there been some kind of change? What are these passes you are referring to?"

"You haven't heard?" the guard on the left asked.

Colloyd shook his head. "No, I don't think we have." He also looked to Kraine, who sighed in annoyance again. It appeared even the professor didn't have _all_ the answers.

"The Chosen came through here recently, and so in an effort to reduce risk of injury to the Chosen, we are requesting that all people who seek to follow the same trail as the Chosen get permission from Governer-General Dorr to pass through, or purchase one from the shop here." The way he said the latter part of his sentence sounded almost liked a choked down laugh.

"The _Chosen?"_ Colloyd's eyes widened. It seemed the imposters were at it again. He was about to open his mouth to point out that _that_ was impossible and that he was the Chosen, but was cut off by the professor.

"Thank you for telling us." He steered Gesea and Colloyd a short distance away, ignoring their "explain" looks until he stopped.

"Kraine-" Gesea started.

"Do not worry Gesea," Kraine interrupted her. "I am well aware that we can not go back to Palmacosta for quite some time."

"Then why-" Colloyd started. He found himself being cut off by the professor as well.

"Think about it," he started. "If there is some sort of imposter that is pretending to be the Chosen, then that may be used to our advantage."

Colloyd finally understood. "You plan to use the fake Chosen as a good decoy for us." He remembered the red haired assassin from the other day and felt bad.

Kraine agreed and let out a pent-up breath as he patted the money bag on his waist. "I'm afraid that the result of this decision will also mean that we will need to fight many monsters of this region in order to get the road passes."

"Do you think it's expensive?" Colloyd asked. He reached into his own pockets. There wasn't even any lint in the creases. He gazed behind the professors head at the house where they would probably have to buy the pass from. There was no time like the present to find out. He started toward it, his companions in tow as though they had all simultaneously thought the same thing.

The inside of the place was extremely cramped and smelled distinctly of metal. It reminded Colloyd of when his dad would set to work on making various things for his various clientele. A small elderly man with glasses three times the size of his eyes crouched around in the western corner of the room. He looked over them immediately, appearing to be sizing them up. "If you're looking for road passes, you've come to the right place," he uttered, sounding almost automatic.

"How much gald would we be set back, sir?" Colloyd asked politely.

The man looked surprised at the question- as though nobody had asked it in quite a while. To be fair, Palmacosta wasn't _that_ far away from their location and most people probably found it easy enough to get permission from Dorr. The man looked at him briefly, passed his glance over Kraine, before stopping on Gesea. "For the little lady, I will give a pass for free."

Colloyd smiled broadly at that, though Kraine quickly took quite a defensive stance as he placed one hand on Gesea's shoulder. The old man looked back at Colloyd. "For the two of you, the price would come to two million gald."

"T..t..two..." Colloyd couldn't even finish his words. His mouth was gaping too much. "You can't be serious!"

"Or something valuable," the old man added, brushing off his shock. He nodded his head to Colloyd's left at something. "I'm a collector, you see. I even have the much coveted Book of Regeneration in my collection!"

For the second time, Colloyd gaped. Next to him in a glass case and sitting on book holder was the book he himself had held in his hands not too long ago. There was no doubt about it. It was even open at the funny front page that read _"The Journey of Spiritua, by Spiritua."_

"It can't be," Gesea whispered as she came up next to him.

"What is this nonsense?!" came a surprising exclamation from Kraine from behind them. Colloyd didn't need to see him to feel the anger radiating from him. The last they had seen the book, Yuan had headed for the town circle of Palmacosta with it. For some reason or other, it had ended up at Hakonesia Peak.

Colloyd wasn't willing to accuse his old teacher of anything underhanded just yet though and turned to Kraine. "Maybe the fake Chosen stole the book from Dorr again and brought it here."

"That is an irrational concept, Colloyd," Kraine remarked. "If they were caught once, then how would they get away with stealing a priceless treasure such as this book a second time?"

Colloyd had to admit it, his teacher made a pretty solid argument. He shrugged his shoulders though, still not willing to admit that Yuan had lied to them about returning the book to its rightful owner.

"Ahem," the old man cleared his throat and waved a hand to get their attention. Three gazes immediately turned to him and he flinched back- probably mostly from Kraine's still furious demeanor. "Did I hear correctly that your name is Colloyd?" He pointed his question to Colloyd, who nodded in confusion. The man clapped his hands together. "Well then! I have already been compensated for your road pass, as well as your two companions." He nodded to Kraine and stopped on Gesea. "N..not that I wouldn't have still given _you_ a free pass of course."

Kraine growled softly under his breath at the old man, his patience wearing thinner and thinner per second.

"Really?" Colloyd took three laminated pieces of paper with the words _Palmacosta to Asgard Road Pass_ printed on them from the old man. "Um.. If you don't mind my asking..." he started. "Who paid you for these?"

The old man tapped his nose. "Koton the Collector doesn't reveal his clients, _ever._ If I did that, I would be in a lot of trouble."

"But most of it looks like junk," Gesea said in a very matter-of-factly kind of way. Colloyd became worried that Kraine would give her one of his glares but instead found himself surprised when the teacher gave a half agreeable nod.

Koton didn't appear as at ease as them at Gesea's comment though. He tapped the wooden walking stick he had been leaning against on the ground three times to get their attention, before pointing it past Colloyd and to the door. "Leave now, you disrespectful people!"

They quickly did as he said before he could change his mind on being honest about their freebies.

With road passes in hand, they had no trouble gaining access past the guards to head down the other side of the peak. The town of Asgard could be seen in the distance. It would be the first place they would investigate for the Seal of Wind. Kraine had earlier mentioned that the Book of Regeneration had described the next seal being in a windy place, in a ruin, so naturally Asgard being the city of Wind and Ruins on its vacation posters was a good place to start. Colloyd grimaced as he remembered the spring that the professor had had in his step when he had been explaining that just hours earlier.

Now, any of that previous excitement about investigating a ruin was gone; replaced by a solemn face that seemed to be trying almost too hard to mask the thoughts ticking along behind it. He felt sorry for him and decided to at least attempt to ease his mind. "Professor," he started, dropping back from his spot next to Gesea for a moment. "Even if Professor Yuan did sell the book to Koton.. at least it's safe, right?"

Kraine's face went paler and he glanced down at the red-clad boy. "Although you make a good case, you are far too trusting. I do not trust this old _professor_ of yours one bit. He is far too experienced in battle to just be someone who has gotten by on his travels between cities." He wanted to add more about his distrust for the 'elf' but held his tongue when he saw Colloyd's eyes express sadness. He looked away from the face of the boy, trying to remain firm in his stance on things.

"I know it looks bad," Colloyd said, clenching his fists into balls and looking to be thinking very hard. "But..." he quivered. "But.. isn't it better to trust people aren't bad? He might have sold the book to Koton to pay for our road passes!"

Kraine couldn't avoid eye contact after that and looked into the deep blue of Colloyd's eyes. They looked determined. Very determined. He accidentally cracked a smile and saw Colloyd realise he might be making some ground. "That _must_ be it! So please Professor, let's still be friends with Yuan if we see him again?"

Kraine sighed and shrugged his shoulders in defeat. Colloyd clapped his hands together at his success and quickly bounded back up the road to where Gesea was walking to tell her his deductions on the mysterious donation of road passes for them all. Despite his reluctant agreement to drop his suspicion, Kraine thought to himself that this 'Yuan' had better have a good explanation as to how he thought it a good thing to steal a book from the Governer-General in Palmacosta and potentially get them promptly arrested the next time they stepped foot in the town. Not that it mattered yet anyway. If he had his way they wouldn't be returning to that region for quite some time. Not until they absolutely had to. A shiver went down his spine as he thought about the inevitable to come. Those washtubs..

He could feel his palms getting sweaty at the thought and shook his head to try and eliminate them before the children ahead of him suffered for his lack of awareness momentarily to the world around him. Swiftly he drew his red book of research notes from the satchel at his side and concentrated on them instead. They were always a good halfway distraction.

Although Colloyd observed that the professor had seemed deep in his notebook once again as they travelled closer to the large city in-between a crevice in the mountains and fought off a few easy field enemies along the way, it didn't take him long to get a noticeable bound in his step when they neared the entrance. "Simply wonderful," he started commenting as he looked up from his book every so often and then scribbled something down. Other similar comments continued, including "fantastic, intriguing, interesting, a marvel..."

Basically the professor thought Asgard was cherry on top of the bees knees. Gesea looked uneasy the entire time her brother was muttering to himself as they made their way past a slope which led up into the shopping district. As they reached the centre of the town, Kraine seemed to have run out of different synonyms for awesome and looked at the two of them, still with an unnatural looking smile on his face. Colloyd understood Gesea's discomfort entirely. Some people's eyes just shouldn't _glitter_ like that.

At seeing both of their looks, Kraine briefly shifted his expression to a more normal one and cleared his throat. "Ahead is the Asgard Ruins. I suggest we go and take a look." He hadn't given them a chance to answer before he headed off past them and toward an archway past a house that seemed to lead up to a great many steps. Colloyd couldn't even see the top of them but it looked like they led all the way up the mountain side. He became suddenly glad for the reassurance of wings to back him up if he happened to trip and fall.

xxx

"Colloyd, Gesea. Get out your school books," Kraine instructed them when they finally reached the top of the stairs after a couple of short breaks along the way when they got to the various viewing platforms. The teenagers hesitantly did as he instructed, knowing better than to disagree. Besides that, Colloyd had to admit that he _was_ sort of curious about the place. Especially if it was in fact the site of the next looked around for any obvious places to open up a secret tunnel while Kraine started to talk, but he couldn't see any.

"Time for a quiz," Kraine said, looking at Colloyd. "Colloyd, state the historical background of this ruin."

"Uh... Ah.. Well.. " Colloyd scratched his head nervously and tried to recall when the professor might have told him this. Would it have been some point when they had been travelling here? Or some obsecure part of a history lesson at school?

Like a Martel-send, Gesea stepped in for him before he could make a fool out of himself. "It's the temple where Cleo the third held a ritual to offer a sacrifice to the Summon Spirit of Wind in order to quell a storm that had raged for a week."

Colloyd punched his hand. "That's it!" He grinned at his friend. "Well done Gesea!"

Kraine didn't seem as impressed though and gave Colloyd a short glare. "Have you learned nothing these past three years?"

"Well I like P.E, Art and Home Economics." Colloyd was going to add to the list, but decided to take another course of action upon Kraine's irate look. "All of which you have taught, Professor."

Professor Kraine heaved a sigh before turning to the giant stone dais. "This delicate curve is said to express the flight of the Summon Spirit of Wind through the sky. In addition, it is said that this stone is infused with a large volume of mana, and at night..."

Although Colloyd was interested in hearing the Professor's words, something else caught his eye from a way off. Something red fluttering in the breeze. He wandered to the other side of the stone dais to peek around the corner, only to see a man and a woman seated with some kind of device next to it. The woman wore a bright red bandana over her head of jet black hair, with long tails that flapped in the breeze wistfully.

"If we use the breaker bomb here, we can easily destroy this confounded dais," the woman said.

"But, Harleisha… This is a rare and valuable remnant of the Balacruf Dynasty. We really shouldn't be destroying it," the man sitting crouched reasoned with her. He had somewhat similar features to her, including the same colour hair. Neither of of them had bothered to look up from the device yet to see Colloyd's thin white scarf flapping in the breeze and giving away his location.

"Are you telling me you'd rather I die Linar? Me, your own flesh and blood?" Harleisha stood angrily, showing Colloyd that she was heavily pregnant. "And what of your niece?"

Linar sighed. "You know that is not what I'm saying!"

"What are you doing?" Colloyd asked, hearing enough to warrant making his appearance known.

The two apparently elven siblings, judging by the curve of their ears, jumped out of their skins at his voice. "Wha…who are you?" Linar asked.

"I heard you talking about a bomb," Colloyd said as he trailed his eyes to the device they had been sitting in front of.

"It's not what you think! We weren't trying to destroy the ruin at all!"

At the somewhat loud explanation, Colloyd got a distinct feeling of unease up his spine. Somehow, he was _sure_ he could feel the deep blue glare of Kraine on his back- or at least the back of his head. The birds stopped chirping, the wind even seemed to lower its somewhat persistent whistle. He listened to the sound of marching feet from above him and braced himself with a knowing grin for what he knew was coming. The two elves took their gaze off of him and heightened it to the height of the dais. Colloyd watched in amusement as confused expressions were quickly replaced by terrified ones.

"What...did you just say?" Kraine asked, in a soft and dangerously calm tone from behind.

Colloyd felt sorry for them. "W..wait Professor, I'm sure it's some kind of misunderstanding!"

Kraine eyed the contraption and then looked back at the elves, his gaze becoming even more intense. He stepped down from the tablet to stand protectively in front of the device. "You have no idea of the importance of this ruin. I suggest you fix your ways and apologise to the dais immediately." He went to gesture to the large ruin behind him but instead his hand met a switch. A sharp click sounded, followed by a rushed succession of ticks.

Three pairs of uh-oh's sounded upon realising what had happened. Kraine just stared ahead, not moving his hand from where it had knocked the switch. The ticking continued. Harleisha and Linar flinched back suddenly. "Look what you've done!" they exclaimed together.

Kraine spun around wordlessly and looked at what he _had_ done, before turning back to them and putting his hand to his sword as though he were very close to actually using it on them. "What _I've_ done!?" he spat furiously. "Do not blame your actions on others!"

"None of that matters!" spoke a voice beside Colloyd.

Gesea stared at the bomb worriedly. "It is important to disarm this. Otherwise it is highly likely that we will all die."

"Gesea's right!" Colloyd said, kneeling down in front of it and looking at the wires. "It doesn't look like it has a disarm switch either."

"Of course it doesn't!" Harleisha scoffed. There was a gasping sound as though she meant to say more but had been silenced. Colloyd couldn't tear his gaze away from the bomb now. Every second counted. He reached for the red wire and prepared to pull it out. Unfortunately for him, while he was good at these sorts of things, there was a reason his Dad had told him to always point the wood carving knife away from himself. His hand slipped suddenly off of the red cord and into the green one.

_BEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!_

The moment that followed seemed to go in slow motion for Colloyd. Kraine jerked him back from the device and gripped him tightly. To his left Gesea took a flying leap past them both. Then time resumed to normal and they were flying off the edge of the mountain and toward their deaths.


	11. Noishe's favourite food

"Your wings!" Kraine yelled at Colloyd when they were descending the mountainside rapidly as he held onto him with a seemingly iron grip. Colloyd flashed out of his temporary daze and quickly summoned his large pink and blue wings. With a whoosh, they caught them like a parachute and slowed their descent.

"Save the elves!" Kraine then exclaimed. "I'll help Gesea!"

"Wha-" Colloyd didn't have time to voice his complaint. The Professor let go of him and swiftly fell through the clouds. "Professor!" He yelled, flapping in midair in confusion. Below him he could see the figures of the two elves that had started this whole thing to his left, and the shape of Kraine and Gesea on his right. Ignoring every instinct to help his friends before these random villagers, he dove after Harleisha and Linar. He caught Linar by the collar of his shirt and managed to dive just a little past Harleisha to catch her a little more delicately since she was carrying a child.

"Y..you have w..wings..." Harleisha gasped as she stared at him. "Are you the... the.."

"All questions will have to wait until the end of the show," Colloyd replied through gritted teeth as he tightened his grip on the elves and closed his eyes. He didn't have enough strength to try and give them enough lift to get back up to the ruins or the right side of Asgard, but the area below them was blanketed in grass and he could see a path coming into shape as they descended. They wouldn't be stranded in the middle of nowhere at least.

With a soft thud, the three of them landed on a grassy hill somewhere on the other side of Asgard. Colloyd fell to his knees and huffed heavily to catch his breath. Flying wasn't as easy as he thought it would be, even if he _had_ technically been falling. He made his wings disappear and looked up to see the elvish stares of Linar and Harleisha.

"You're the Chosen!" Harleisha gasped for the second time. Before Colloyd could respond, the elf woman glanced worriedly at her brother and back to him. "You won't have us killed for almost killing you.. will you?"

"Why would I do that?" Colloyd wondered in confusion. "You obviously had a good reason for destroying the ruin..." He gasped when he thought of the ruin and how mad Kraine would be when he and Gesea eventually found them. Quickly his attention shifted to setting out to find them.

He got to his feet and scanned the area around him. The trail that he had seen from up high went for a short distance to the west until it hit a rocky mountainside and led up to what looked to be a small hamlet. It might have been a travelers inn. He blinked, a bit surprised he had been almost able to make out what the sign next to the house said from this far. Becoming an angel seemed pretty useful, but it was no wonder that the Chosen was feared and revered at the same time. It also explained why no Chosen seemed to come back from their meeting with Origin at the Tower of Salvation. Powers like the ones he had started to experience were not meant for the world and he figured that it took a great toll on the body.

He looked to the east and started heading in that direction. The Professor must have had an ace up his sleeve somehow. He didn't know how, but they _had_ to be safe. Kraine surely would have told him to save Gesea first if he had not been sure he could somehow keep his own sister safe. _Surely._

Paying little attention to the elves that hung back several metres while following, whispering things about the Chosen to each other and not realising he could hear every word, he kept walking and trying to tune them out so that he might be able to listen for any cries for help. He was almost at the point of politely asking them to be quiet when he passed a grassy hill to see none other than his trusted companions seated behind it.

"Gesea!" he exclaimed as he dropped to his knees and looked her over. She didn't appear hurt. Kraine, who was sat next to her, looked to be fine as well. The two of them looked up only as he said something, as though they had been lost in thought.

"Are you okay Colloyd?" Gesea asked.

Colloyd raised an eyebrow. "I'm fine. What's wrong?"

Gesea blinked. "What do you mean? We're fine."

"You never call me by my full name unless I'm in trouble," he replied. "You always say it sounds like an internal organ."

Gesea's face brightened slightly with a smile at that. "Sorry." She looked at her brother, who looked back at her with concern playing over his features. Colloyd didn't think he was always the most observant of people, but the two of them were being so completely out of character it was pretty hard to miss. Kraine looked at him this time. "Don't be concerned. We are just a little tired from using our magic to break the fall."

"Oh!" Colloyd grinned. "I wondered how you did it." He was going to ask for a further explanation but stopped when the elves finally caught up with him.

As expected, Kraine's relatively calm if not a little concerned demeanour vanished at the sight of them. He balled his hands into fists and towered over Linar after taking a quick look at Harleisha and deciding not to threaten a pregnant woman. "It was a very foolish act, to be trying to destroy a beautiful and unique ruin! What were you thinking?!"

"It was my fault," Harleisha said, rushing to her brothers defence.

"I don't _care_ who's fault it is," Kraine fumed. "A piece of history has been lost forever thanks to your little bomb. Not only that, but you could have very well killed the Chosen!"

Colloyd couldn't help but feel sorry for the wrath that they were now under. "Professor, they had a good reason for what they were doing." He tugged on Kraine's orange cloak and looked at Harleisha. "You said something about being sacrificed."

Harleisha nodded and looked at her feet; or at least what she could see of her feet. "I was chosen to be the sacrifice in the ritual to the Summon Spirit of Wind."

"A _sacrifice?"_ Kraine's eyes widened for just a moment before setting into a confused frown. "I have not read anything about that."

"You wouldn't have," Linar replied. "After all, it is a very well kept secret in Asgard because it could ruin the tourism if word were to get out. Basically one day I was looking at the dais as a part of my research and opened the seal. The Summon Spirit of Wind awoke and has been demanding sacrifices ever since."

Kraine closed his eyes and put his hand to his chin as though he were deep in thought. Seconds ticked by until he nodded to himself and pierced his gaze straight into Harleisha's. "It seems as though this was not a real Seal. There is no way just anybody could "release" the Summon Spirit." He looked at Colloyd, who nodded in understanding. Kraine looked at the elves. "However, you are to take full responsibility for your actions upon returning to Asgard. I'm sure the Chosen agrees with me."

Colloyd half-heartedly nodded.

"In the meantime we should head to Hima." The Professor pointed to the little hamlet in the mountains Colloyd had noticed before. "We should be able to find a way for you to travel back to Asgard safely from there."

"We won't be going back with them?" Colloyd asked, sounding unexpectedly frightened at that. Kraine thought on why this must be for a few moments, but appeared to remain stumped. "What about Noishe?" the boy asked. "We can't just leave him at the steps of the Asgard ruins waiting for us forever."

"I suppose not," Kraine agreed. "However I think it would be safe to assume he would find us eventually." The indignant look he got at those words from both his sister and Colloyd told Kraine that they didn't agree. He had to say something else to smooth it over. He thought about saying something about their journey being too dangerous for the 'dog' despite his better knowledge, but he was cut off from saying anything by the sound of a familiar and very annoying voice.

"Is that _really_ how you treat your pets? Just _assume_ they will be safe?"

Colloyd, Gesea, Linar, Harleisha and Kraine all whirled around. A blue haired man stepped into sight from the other side of the small hilly knoll, a head of white and green at his hip level with a bright pink tongue protruding from the mouth also coming into view.

"Yuan!" Colloyd gaped. He looked at Noishe, who whined up at him and casually left Yuan's side to nudge into his hands. "What are you doing here?!"

Yuan flicked his ponytail back and grimaced. "Wandering. I entered Asgard and saw Noishe there. He gave me a very worried look and so then I started looking for you. When I heard that the Asgard Ruins had been blown up, I knew that you all must have been in danger and went looking for you." He petted Noishe's side and looked at Kraine squarely. "He's surprisingly nimble on his feet. I found you in no time flat."

Kraine said nothing, returning Yuan's gaze until the man naturally shrugged away and looked down at Gesea, who was finally getting to her feet. "Perhaps you should ride on Noishe until we reach Hima."

"You're coming to Hima with us?" Colloyd asked as he grinned, making Kraine have to summon all of his well trained restraint to not roll his eyes. Yuan looked at him again as though asking for permission. He said and did nothing in response, but as expected the blue haired _Professor_ ignored him and called for them to hurry up and follow. Colloyd walked ahead with him, followed by Linar and Harleisha. Kraine, Noishe and Gesea brought up the rear.

After a time of walking in silence and listening to Colloyd and Yuan chat as though all the past confusion about the Book of Regeneration had been completely forgotten, Kraine got the distinct impression that his sister was about to say something. He glanced at her and found himself proven correct when she opened her mouth and uttered his name. "Kraine."

"Are you tired? You should ride on Noishe," he replied.

"It is not necessary," she answered, petting Noishe softly and watching him with a careful and calculative expression playing across her face. She stopped walking, making him stop as well. "Kraine, about-" She was comically cut off by Colloyd yelling back to them from a distance away and waving. They had slowed their pace for a little too long it seemed and the rest of the group were closing in on the Hima mountain path.

"I'm sorry Gesea," Kraine said to her as he rested a hand on her shoulder. "Please trust me." He quickened his pace and urged her to follow. She slumped her shoulders and kept going. Just like always, getting coherent answers out of her brother was harder than getting blood out of a stone.

xxx

Colloyd was understandably underwhelmed by Hima. Kraine had to admit, if he had not been there before, he might have been as well. All that had met them was a small inn that smelled of leather and straw and a peddler standing just outside that tried both as they entered and exited to sell them his goods. The day was still early, and they didn't need to sleep. Still, Kraine reluctantly agreed that Gesea and Colloyd needed a break after their earlier life or death situation.

The two youngsters quickly discovered the path that wound up the mountain which looked over the land and toward the Tower of Salvation and made to hurry along it to get to the top. Kraine decided on a much more leisurely pace, but to his displeasure he was not allowed to sink into his own thoughts in a moment of peace. Yuan strode next to him, a grimace on his face as he thought about who knew what. When Kraine heaved a not-so-quiet sigh, Yuan gave him a playful nudge. "Okay, come on. Tell me what I've done this time."

"You know very well _what,"_ Kraine answered. "We trusted you with the Book of Regeneration."

Yuan flinched. "So you noticed it did you?" He put his hand to his chin and appeared deep in thought about that.

"Of course. Such an amazing work could hardly go unnoticed," Kraine replied. "Colloyd thinks that you did it to help us, however." He cleared his throat. "Though I find it difficult to trust you, it is true that our journey across the border could have been halted considerably without your help."

Yuan's mouth fell agape in forced surprise. "Are you _thanking_ me?"

Kraine sighed again and left it to the silence. Yuan chuckled. "Careful. You might make me want to keep hanging around!"

"That was not your intention?" Kraine asked. "Just what is your intention?" His eyes narrowed.

As usual, Yuan answered a question with a question. "You don't believe my intention was just to try and help the Chosen on his quest purely because I am a nice person?"

Kraine folded his arms. "You intrigue me Yuan. I don't believe for a second that you are merely a travelling ex-professor.. but I am reluctant to give an explanation as to why."

"It looks as though we are at a stalemate then," Yuan said. "As I also know there is more to you as well."

For a moment, emerald green eyes met ocean blue. The two cut it off quickly and focused their attention on Colloyd and Gesea waiting for them. Noishe gave a short bark from Kraine's side in impatience and ran up to meet them.

Kraine glanced at the strange elf still next to him. "Noishe is usually very weary of people. How is it you came to be able to approach him without him running away? I _know_ he would not have approached you, even having met you before."

"That was easy. I fed him his favourite food." Yuan shrugged the pack sitting on his back to his arm and took out a small box. He undid the lid and showed Kraine the contents. Side by side were six red fruits. Yuan grimaced at the distaste written all over the auburn haired Professor-mercenaries face and put them away.

Kraine cleared his throat and walked at a bit of a faster pace up the cliff path. "Did Colloyd impart the knowledge of his pets favourite food to you?"

Yuan nodded. "He hates tomatoes too. He said he doesn't remember much of when he was little, but he would always feed Noishe tomatoes when his mother wasn't looking."

"I see." Kraine didn't prod for anything else and remained silent in the moment until they reached the top of the cliff. Colloyd and Gesea were cooing with excitement to each other as they pointed at various clouds. The Tower of Salvation had probably been a very quickly passing talking point, he guessed. Talking about the end of the journey was not something the Chosen wished to endure. Only _they_ and a select few others knew the truth, after all. Kraine let out a small sigh at the thought of the events to come and saw Yuan do the same thing next to him. "We should continue on the journey," he said after a short time of meaningless conversation passed him by. He looked at Yuan, who agreed quickly as though he had read his mind. He slightly shivered. _That_ was a disturbing thought.

"I will accompany Harleisha and Linar back to Asgard," Yuan said. "While you were inside the inn, a man asked if I could escort him back there also for a fee. I saw no reason to say no." He flicked his ponytail and laughed.

"Besides, looks like you're all doing pretty well for time now."

"Despite my reluctance to agree, that seems the case," Kraine replied.

"Well then, shall we depart together and go our separate ways?" Yuan asked. Without waiting for a reply, he turned to head back down the mountain and waved them to follow. The youngsters of the group and Noishe quickly followed. Kraine took one final look out to the Tower of Salvation before following suit.

xxx

As they left the path and headed past the side of the inn toward the exit of Hima, Colloyd collided with someone. "You again!" the unlucky person exclaimed when she looked up, pushing her very familiar red hair out of her eyes. The moment Kraine recognised her, he fixed his hand on the hilt of his sword warningly. "I believe that is our line."

Colloyd rubbed his head and looked up at her as she towered over him with her hands on her hips. "Oh hello!"

"Sh..shut up!" she said, her voice raising a note as she faltered back. "We shall settle this today handsome! This place shall be your grave!"

"Settle?" Colloyd stood. "Wait, why are you trying to kill me? I'm sure if we talk we can come to some kind of understanding."

"Step back, Chosen," Kraine instructed. Colloyd debated his action for a moment, but before he could decide whether to press his own feelings or to listen to his teacher, a woman wearing a red-brown dress and a bonnet approached from the inn. "There you are Sheelos! Sorry to have kept you waiting."

The battle-ready stance that 'Sheelos' had been in just a moment before vanished and she turned all of her attention on the woman. The woman continued to talk. "It seems that the Boltzman's healing technique is indeed what we need."

"It..it is?" Sheelos looked surprised. "I..I see." She grinned. "Then I will be able to of course save yet another dashing darling!"

The woman who had approached blinked at Sheelos as though she had no words and turned to look at the rest of them. "Oh, excuse me. Are you friends of Sheelos?"

Sheelos started to say no, while Colloyd grinned and said "yes!"

Gesea slapped her face, while Kraine let out a sigh and looked at Sheelos. "What's all this about the Boltzman's healing technique?"

Sheelos crossed her arms and turned her head away. "It's none of your business."

Colloyd ignored her. "Yeah, what is it anyway?"

"You know how Kraine can heal people with his magic?" Gesea answered after a short silence. She looked up at her brother, who had his eyes closed in thought at that moment and his arms crossed. "Boltzman is the man who discovered them. All healers owe him a great debt."

"Oh!" Colloyd smiled and looked at Sheelos. "You're trying to save a man?"

Sheelos ignored him and looked to the woman. "I just need to find Boltzman's book, right?"

The woman shook her head. "Even with the book, you can't do much without a healer."

Sheelos faltered back and took a quick glance at Kraine. The Professor glared back, making his feelings clear on her almost invisible question. Sheelos shook her head and ran past them to the exit of Hima.

Kraine cleared his throat and looked at the woman. "Would you please tell us what is going on?"

The woman hesitated and glanced over them all again. Her eyes fell on Yuan, who was still watching Sheelos running away. "You really are friends of Sheelos?"

"Of course!" Colloyd smiled brightly. The woman smiled back and nodded decisively. "Very well then. Come to the inn and I will tell you there. I don't want anyone else overhearing."

xxx

"I see," Kraine mumbled as he looked over the sleeping man in the bed in the top floor of the inn. From what the woman, Sophia, had said, he wasn't merely sleeping though. He was under some kind of curse and had been since returning to Hima from the human ranch near Luin. Sophia had explained, to much Kraine's surprise, that Sheelos had decided to try and help him and that she had heard that Boltzman's healing technique should work. Sophia had contacted some scholars by messenger bird and confirmed it to be true.

"So Sheelos has gone to find the book?" Colloyd asked. He grinned a second later. "I knew she was a nice person!"

Kraine let out a cross between a growl and sigh and Yuan, who was next to him, let out a short laugh. "It doesn't seem your Professor agrees, Colloyd."

"It is not that I disagree with the action," Kraine corrected. "I disagree with her motive and also our seemingly inevitable involvement in this." He looked at Colloyd and Gesea, who chuckled together awkwardly. As he had thought, it seemed that his sister and the Chosen were one sentence away from offering to help. Such innocence would be the death of all of them if he did not put his foot down. "We do not have time to look for this book. If Sheelos does return with it, she will have to find another scholar elf to perform the technique."

Three faces in the room fell almost simultaneously at his firmness. To his surprise, Yuan seemed to agree with him. "I have to agree with Kraine on this one," the bluenette said. "But not for the reason you think." He dropped his backpack to the floor and knelt down to unzip it. "It is because I already have possession of it."

He pulled out a small brown book from a compartment within and showed them all. Kraine's eyes widened at the sight. He had to steel himself to not snatch the treasure straight out of his hands. Yuan opened the book and sifted through the pages none too carefully until he stopped on one with a large title that read 'Boltzman's Healing Technique.' The group surrounded him curiously and stopped when they came to a large picture of a horn and read the footer underneath.

Colloyd stepped back, looking disappointed. "We need a unicorn horn to even do the magic?"

"So it seems," Kraine said as he looked at the dual-wielder. "However, if we do happen to come across a unicorn on our travels, perhaps we can be of some help after all."

The boys face brightened and he headed to the stairs. "Let's keep going then!"


	12. Lessons, Luin and leaflets

After getting Linar and Harleisha to swear secrecy about Colloyd, Yuan left their company with them along with the man who had asked to hire him as a mercenary to take him home. It was down to the three of them and Noishe once again. Kraine had made quick judgement on their progress and told both youngsters in his company that if they did not dawdle, they should be able to make it to Luin before nightfall. They would then be able to head on to the Balacruf Mausoleum at daybreak. He had assessed that if the Seal of Wind was not at Asgard, then it must be at another place containing a ruin from the Balacruf Dynasty and so it must have been the old ruin to the east of Luin.

They fought a few new enemies along the way to Luin. The giant lady bug was the worst one. It would flutter away right before Colloyd's chakram connected. When Kraine got tired of the game of chasey with the monsters attacking them in the field, he would step in at the right precise moment and land a single hit with his sword. After finishing off the last group of enemies that would have a chance them right before they entered the town space of Luin, Kraine approached Colloyd and looked at him squarely. "You are spending far too much time watching your chakram to be able to anticipate the movement your enemy makes."

"What would you suggest I do to improve, Professor?" he asked, trying to be cool with the condescending undertone his teacher had to his voice.

"You need far more practice," Kraine replied, crossing his arms. "I can help you with that."

Colloyd paused for a moment to assess the offer, but knew it wouldn't be wise to decline. He nodded and waited for the Professor to move onward toward Luin before hanging his head, knowing he had just gotten himself into something that would end up being a lot of work.

xxx

As they entered Luin, the "City of Hope", two giggling children barrelled past them. Gesea gently caught the girl before she left the boundary of town and set her running back in the right direction. She looked toward where Kraine and Colloyd were staring. Covering her eyes and currently counting to ten was their adversary Sheelos.

"Okay! Ready or not, here I come!" She stood and uncovered her eyes. "I'm gonna-" She stopped when she turned and saw them. "You again!?" She blushed. "What're you staring at?"

Colloyd laughed a bit and stepped forward, aware that Kraine boldly reached for the sword at that. "Sorry, I was just thinking that I knew you were a nice person." He looked at Kraine for approval, but he didn't appear to want to give anything away as usual.

Sheelos' face matched the tone of her hair for just a second until she covered it all up with a grin. "Looks like I still got it, even over here."

"Over.. here?"

Sheelos stared and covered her mouth. "Oh.. um.." She changed her tactic and got into a battle stance, making Colloyd and Gesea sigh.

"Do you really intend to try anything _here?"_ Kraine asked her. "I fear that the children would not forget this."

Sheelos faltered and glanced around herself. There was a giggle from behind the fountain when she looked toward it. Two little girls peeked out to see where she was. She looked down, apparently admitting defeat. "Don't think this changes anything. You're still my enemy!"

She ran away from them, her arms flat to her sides as she ran in the peculiar fashion that Colloyd found himself perplexed over. Behind him, Kraine let out a heavy sigh. He turned to watch the Professor turn on his heel and go toward what looked like the market district of the small city, saying that they should check into the inn early so that they could get an early start toward their next destination in the morning.

* * *

**Later that evening..**

* * *

Colloyd popped one eye open when he heard movement on the bed adjacent to him. He watched as Kraine pulled on his coat and proceeded for the door. When he thought the coast was clear, he sat up and swung his legs to the side of his bed and into his boots. Considering sleep was not coming easily to him lately, he felt he might as well find out what was on his teachers mind for him to be awake at such an hour. He crept past the sleeping Gesea's bed and to the door. With a low squeak and thud, he left their dorm and the inn.

"I know what you must be thinking," came the soft sound of Kraine's voice from around the corner. He peaked around to see the Professor sitting on the ground close to the lake of Luin, Noishe perching his front paws in his lap and resting his head down while having his left ear scratched. "Why am I doing this?" Kraine murmured to him. "I wish I knew."

Noishe made a soft sound as though to answer Kraine's words. Colloyd grinned and stepped closer, reaching his arm out to tap the Professor on the shoulder. Before he even got halfway though, he was stopped by the sudden scrape of sword leaving sheath and cold metal on his throat.

Kraine's eyes widened upon seeing him. "Colloyd." He stepped back, removing his sword and sliding it back into the sheath at his waist. "You shouldn't sneak up on me like that. I'm sorry to have surprised you like that."

Colloyd blinked. "S..surprised isn't r..really the right word to describe it." He looked at Noishe, who whined and nudged at Kraine's lowered right hand to try and get more attention. "You and Noishe seem like old friends already."

Kraine glanced at Noishe and crossed his arms. "Colloyd, I could have killed you with the way you reacted to my reaction."

"Well you did surprise me," he argued, knowing where this was going by the steely expression in Kraine's eyes and the 'teacher' tone in his voice. "I wasn't expecting my teacher to pull a sword on me out of the blue!"

"It matters not," Kraine replied. "Your enemies would not yell at you from afar to warn you of their attack either. It is only customary to say the names of special skills once in battle; the rule does not apply to surprise attacks."

"There are rules for that kind of thing?" Colloyd gaped.

Kraine sighed and reached for his sword once again. "I think now may be a good time to go and do a little training."

Colloyd felt the hairs on his back stand up at the thought. The Professor was already confident in his skills enough without being given another chance to flaunt them. Still, he had to find a creative answer to get out of it until he was confident enough in his abilities. Sadly all he could come up with upon the Professors fiery stare on him was to claim tiredness.

Kraine gave him a long look. "Colloyd, I am aware that you have not been sleeping much lately."

"Y..you are?" He looked down, his face feeling hot. "It's not like I can't sleep at all, but for some reason even after a really long day, it is hard to feel exhausted."

"It is likely the side effects of becoming an angel," Kraine said softly. "I am sure you expected this."

Colloyd nodded. "There's no way that becoming an angel would be easy. That's why it's called Origin's Trial after all. Not only that..." A lump in his throat stopped him from completing his sentence.

Kraine watched and waited before deciding that he was indeed done. "Yes. It has always been a difficult journey. I will call the side effects "Angel Toxicosis" for the time being." He stepped past Colloyd, but stopped to put a hand on his shoulder. "In the meantime, we should head out to train. There is a small forest close to the outskirts of Luin. Would you care to accompany me?" Noishe barked at him. "And Noishe as well?" he added.

"What about Gesea?" Colloyd asked.

"I highly doubt she will be bothered here," Kraine replied. "We are quite brave ourselves for coming to stay here. Or at least, society dictates that we must be quite brave."

"Why is that?" He looked at the inn as they passed it on the way out.

Kraine shook his head after a thoughtful pause. "You'll see in the morning when the town comes alive."

"Aw really?" He crossed his arms. "Professor! You can't leave me wondering that long!"

"It is too difficult to explain myself," Kraine replied sharply. "I will let you see for yourself tomorrow. We need to purchase some new armour before heading out anyway."

"Then what was all that about leaving at daybreak?"

"It would be wise to go to the marketplace for when the stalls open. Their best wares always sell quite fast."

"They do?" Colloyd frowned. "You have been to Luin before, Kraine?"

"Quite a while ago," Kraine replied. Colloyd thought he was going to say more and waited. For a time, all they could hear was the clack of their feet on the bridge as they left the town. When they emerged onto the grassy field and made beeline for the forests to their right, Kraine apparently felt ready to contine. "Colloyd, your dual wielding ability is unrefined and slack at best. You must learn to fight better if you don't want to end up dead."

There it was. Colloyd slumped his shoulders and mentally congratulated himself on his correct hunch on why he didn't necessarily want to train with him. It made it worse that he knew that the teacher-turned-mysteriously-talented-swordsman _was_ a lot better than him.

xxx

The fourth time Colloyd found himself on the ground after sparring with Kraine, the teacher finally put his sword away and offered his hand to help him.

"How'd I do?" he asked reluctantly, accepting the hand but unable to meet his eyes.

"As I thought," Kraine replied. "In each scenario, you were wide open."

"Really?" He looked at his two weapons on the ground where Kraine had disarmed them a matter of seconds into the fight.

"It is not surprising," the Professor continued. "You're deviating quite a bit from the way each weapon is supposed to be used, after all."

"I hadn't thought about it like that before," Colloyd admitted. Generally people who used chakrams used two. A sword was generally a one hand weapon unless it was a specifically designed two handed sword, but was usually used with a shield.

"With that being said," Kraine continued, interrupting his thoughts. "You are a unique person Colloyd, and I would not want you to deviate from your preferred style. It would make me a terrible teacher if I were to urge you away from it." He pointed his sword at him again. "Let's continue."

Colloyd grinned at him, making him frown. "What is it?"

"I don't know," he replied, coming at him and meeting sword for sword. "Sometimes it's hard to imagine you ever were my school teacher." He jumped away when he felt him get the upper-hand.

"Oh?" He charged at him this time and dodged left when the chakram came soaring toward him. Colloyd quickly dodged the sword coming at him and jumped to catch his weapon. He faltered for a moment upon landing though and heard Kraine chuckle. A second later his sword was flying out of his hand and landing hilt up into the muddy ground. Kraine stopped his advance and put his sword in its sheath with a nod. "That is enough for tonight."

"Okay," Colloyd nodded and grabbed his weapon. They turned to leave the forest and started toward Luin once again. The sun was beginning to rise. He hadn't thought they had been at it for that long. He didn't even feel tired.

They reached the inn and made their way to their dorm. Right before he turned the knob to step inside, he turned to Kraine. "Thank you for helping me. It made the night pass faster."

"We will resume training again soon," Kraine replied. "However, if you find yourself unable to sleep, you should count the stars. A human life is too short to count them all though."

"The stars?" Colloyd smiled. "I'll try that some time."

xxx

A couple of hours later, the group of three plus Noishe set out to the south of town to check out the markets, Kraine leading the way. About a hundred heads turned during their journey to the armour store. People continually made remarks as well. "New in town," "seems an odd trio," "the tall man looks suspicious."

Just as the vendor came into view, a man in a maroon tuxedo stepped in their way. Colloyd, initially thinking that they had accidentally gotten into each others way, tried to move around him to get to their destination, but the man continued to step in his way. Kraine crossed his arms and glared at him in frustration. "Just what is the meaning of this?"

"You should know, having come here of your own free will," the man scoffed. Colloyd raised an eyebrow and looked at Gesea for an answer. She looked in thought. "Kraine did tell me about Luin once. I believe it was something to do with the W.S.P."

"The Project?" Colloyd blinked. "What does that have to do with Luin?"

"Did you not have a very good teacher in school?" the man before them asked. "Everyone knows that Luin is not under the protection from the government because we are a town of people who openly disagree with the W.S.P."

"Disagree?" Colloyd shook his head. "Why? It's a plan to make sure mankind survives. Kind of hard to disagree with that, isn't it?"

"Colloyd," Kraine said softly. "It would not be a very good idea to voice that opinion so openly here." He cleared his throat and looked at the man sternly again. "Mayor, this boy has had a very well rounded education, I will have you know. At least on my watch, anyway."

"That guy is the _mayor?"_ Gesea whispered to Colloyd, who nodded in surprise as well.

"You are not from the Church, it seems," the mayor deducted, looking over each of them in equal measure.

Colloyd thought about it, but before he could answer with a maybe yes considering he _was_ the Chosen of Regeneration, Kraine stepped in. "We are not. We are just passing through."

The mayor considered his response, stroking his long white beard. Eventually he nodded to himself and started to waddle through the gap in the middle of them. "Very well then. I expect that you won't want to stay long."

He was about to leave their company when Colloyd couldn't contain his curiosity. "Excuse me Mister Mayor?"

The mayor turned to him, looking ticked off that he had to stop again. Colloyd tilted his head and continued. "Why is everyone against the W.S.P here?"

"Why?" The mayor raised his eyebrows. "Shouldn't people be free to have children with whoever they want and feel a connection with?"

"A _connection?"_ Colloyd frowned hard. "What kind of connection are you talking about?"

"Why none other than a connection that binds you to another person. Think of your best friend."

Colloyd looked at Gesea and immediately her cheeks went red with embarrassment. Colloyd's stare wasn't helping. "You mean you want to have the right to choose your Salvatorian? I thought that was normal."

"No, not just the Salvatorian, boy. Think it as someone you would wish to have an intimate relationship with, not just for the purpose of bearing children."

"Really?" Colloyd looked back at Gesea again. "There are people that want that?"

The mayors answer was cut off by Kraine, who stepped ahead. "Thank you mayor. We have wasted more than enough of your time."

"Not at all," the mayor replied, reaching into his robes and appearing to be fishing around for something.

"Uh oh," Gesea said with a quick tug on Kraine's arm. "I know what that looks like. Let's get out of here before we're caught in a leaflet storm!"

"A leaf-whaa!" Colloyd found himself being pulled out of the market and toward the exit of Luin hastily. With that, they were on their way to the Balacruf Mausoleum.


	13. Bizarre business at Balacruf

The closer they got to the mausoleum, the more Kraine formed into a ruin maniac. The ruin didn't look all that exciting to Colloyd, but he kept his thoughts to himself. They soon reached a peddler with a dog wandering around close by. Neither man nor dog seemed to notice them though because they had their heads turned toward the central stairway that led up into the ruin. As they got closer, they saw a clash of electric blue and bright red as two people argued. Colloyd did a double take, unable to believe his eyes. Behind him, Kraine grumbled something and started to head closer, his hand on his sword.

The two turned to look at them when they approached, the colour draining from their faces. Kraine glared at Yuan. "Just what is this about? Why do we find _you_ arguing with a person who is trying to kill the Chosen at the site of the next seal?" He looked behind the two of them to the stone tablet which had the tell-tale marking for the hand print of the Chosen.

Sheelos harrumphed and crossed her arms, turning her head. "Why do you need to know?"

"It is my duty to protect the Chosen," Kraine replied. "It now seems that my suspicions are being confirmed correct."

"Professor!" Colloyd stepped in. He looked at Yuan. "It might look bad, but I don't think Sheelos is a bad person."

"That is enough, Chosen," Kraine warned.

Colloyd didn't listen and continued. "I think if we just talked, we could find out why she wants to kill me." He looked at Sheelos hopefully, who had been watching him defend her. "Now that we're finally friends, can't you tell me why we have to fight?"

She turned her head a bit more. "W..wait, since when are we friends? I have no intention of befriending you!" She got into her battle stance, but for a moment her expression betrayed her. For the first time, Kraine saw it. The thing Colloyd had mentioned for a long time now. "Hm.." he couldn't help but utter.

"But-" Colloyd was cut off when Sheelos went to strike. Kraine went to move but found himself being blocked off by Yuan, who had moved even faster to stand in front of the Chosen. Sheelos backed off from him. "Just what is your deal anyway?!"

Yuan said nothing, but Gesea piped in for the rest of them. "Goodness and love will always win!"

Colloyd looked at her. "Ge _sea,_ do we really need to bring up that dwarven vow?"

"Goodness?" Sheelos asked, growling and reaching behind herself to pull out what looked like a piece of paper. She did a few strange actions with her hands while holding it. "Where do you get off spouting stuff about goodness!?" A cloud of smoke enveloped them and slowly formed into the shape of some kind of monster behind her.

"Uh oh," Yuan said, taking a step back and almost stepping into Kraine, who was watching the monster curiously.

"If you're good, then so am I!" Sheelos cried, drawing another couple of pieces of paper from a pocket in her outfit and rushing for them.

"Go for the Guardian," Yuan said back to Kraine as he stopped the assassins advance on Colloyd, who was left with his weapons now out and wondering what to do. Gesea was also considering what to do after hearing her words. Kraine and Yuan hadn't shown any hesitation however.

Kraine charged at Sheelos, about to strike her with the blunt side of his sword, but she somersaulted backward to be back to back with her "Guardian" as Yuan had called it. She went to run for Colloyd, who blocked her assault with his sword and jumped back. The paper she had been about to strike with sliced in half and fluttered to the ground, but she didn't seem too flustered; bringing out another pair of red papers with symbols on them.

"Wait, hold on!" Colloyd exclaimed, trying to reason with her again. He looked up from her when he saw Kraine in midair about to hit her with his feet. She seemed to clue in and quickly dodged away. "Nice try," she said, her aura starting to glow.

Colloyd stared and looked at Gesea. "Is she an elf?"

"I..I don't know," Gesea answered. They looked to Kraine, who had stopped his advance and started to also cast some kind of spell. Behind them, Yuan was parrying the Guardian as it whirled around, reappeared and disappeared, trying to get the upperhand. Eventually it also started casting something. Unlike Kraine, who had matched Sheelos, Yuan took advantage of its second of weakness and used his sword to make a decisive blow into its front. The Guardian staggered backward and seemed almost frozen in time.

Meanwhile, lightning crackled from Kraine's palm and a lightning bolt hit Sheelos right as she charged at the Professor with the spell she had cast, her whole aura glowing red. She was locked into her position for just long enough for Kraine to advance, turn and kick, before finishing the job off with a blow straight to her abdomen with the hilt of his sword. She fell to the floor, fizzling still from the lightning.

Colloyd went to run to her when Kraine glared at him to stay back. He did as his teacher demanded, but crossed his arms and pouted to make it clear that he wasn't happy about it. A crash sounded from afar as Yuan finished his opponent with one final blow. It turned back into the smoke it had been before and dissipated.

Sheelos stayed on the ground, looking up at Kraine while she breathed heavily. He glared down at her. "Who are you, really?"

Sheelos didn't answer, still breathing quite heavily. Colloyd knelt down so that he could more easily be at eye level with her while she had her head turned away from Kraine's gaze in defiance. "All I want to do is regenerate the world. I'm trying to save it," he attempted to reason with her.

Sheelos didn't want a bar of it though. "Just goes to show that all the cute ones have no brains." She sighed. "Sure, I could let you save your world, but then mine will die! Then I'll.. " She got a strange emotionless look in her eyes as she trailed off. All eyes on her widened at that, save for Kraine's which narrowed a little more than usual at the information.

"What do you mean 'yours' will die?" Colloyd pressed. He looked at Kraine for an answer but the Professor said nothing. Behind him, Yuan had caught his breath and started heading toward them. Kraine turned his attention from Sheelos to Yuan in an instant, poking his sword right before his neck. "And who are you, really?"

Yuan looked from him to Colloyd. "I will answer if you agree to truthfully answer the same question in kind, Kraine."

Kraine's hand shook for a moment as he flinched at the unexpected turn of events. It was enough of a distraction for Sheelos to get up and quickly make for a safe distance between her and the rest of them. The peddler and his dog were staring at them, both smooth shaven and furry mouth agape. It _had_ been quite a light show.

"Stop fighting, please!" Colloyd begged. Kraine and Yuan shared a loaded glare at each other for one more moment before Kraine retreated his sword and turned back to where Sheelos had gone. She was nowhere to be seen. He sighed and looked at Colloyd. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he answered. "But any idea what she meant?" He put his hand to his chin. "I thought everyone benefited from the Journey of Regeneration."

"There are always those that reject salvation," Kraine replied. His tone didn't sound as reassuring as he meant it to though. "I wouldn't let it worry you. In future, we will need to be more vigilant."

"Right.." Colloyd answered, disappointment clear in his expression. Kraine sighed impatiently and looked toward the seal.

Yuan raised an eyebrow at him. "Surely you know that it's not as easy as that if you want to take his mind off of it."

"I did not ask for your input, thank you Yuan." He lowered his voice. "If that is even your real name."

"We might as well open the seal, Col," Gesea urged him. "Before those two end up at each others throats again."

"R..right." Colloyd agreed and stepped up to the altar where he would need to place his hand.

"I'll be going," Yuan said right before he did the deed.

"Really?" Colloyd gave him a pleading look. "Won't you come with us Yuan?"

"I don't think that would be in my best interest," Yuan laughed. "Your Professor has made his feelings very clear."

Colloyd looked at Kraine. "He can come, can't he Professor?"

Instead of giving the abrupt 'no' Yuan had been expecting, Kraine instead looked in thought before giving a slight nod of agreement. Colloyd beamed in excitement while Kraine held a small grin at Yuan's shock. He cleared his throat and directed Colloyd to place his hand on the tablet. Similarly to when they had opened the first seal, the way forth was shown upon his touch. A large square of stone directly ahead of them shifted to the left to reveal a dark passage into the ruin. Gesea and Colloyd excitedly headed inside with the two older males following close behind.

Noishe stopped at the door and whined. Kraine turned back to him and made a gesture to him to stay. With another whine, the 'dog' turned around in a couple of circles and dropped to his stomach to wait eagerly for their return.

"You're a natural," Yuan commented. Kraine didn't answer and continued on ahead to catch up with Colloyd, who had stopped with Gesea. They were both tilting their heads to one side as though to listen to something. He had to ask.

"What are the two of you doing?"

"Col said he could hear the sound of wind whistling all around us," Gesea explained. She pulled a focused face but then shook her head. "But no matter how hard I try, I can't hear it." She stared at Colloyd. "Is this part of being an angel?"

"Uh," Colloyd shrugged. "Guess so." He changed his position and looked all around. "This is pretty cool. I feel like we're going to hunt for treasure!"

"You always start out enthusiastic," Kraine commented. "I hope you can manage to stay that way throughout this time."

Colloyd gave him a serious look and nodded before turning to keep walking with Gesea.

xxx

Kraine watched the two of them from behind, ready for the first monster attack when it would eventually come. He tried his best to ignore Yuan's gaze but eventually it ate at him enough for him to glare back. Yuan faltered and held a hand to his heart. "Okay, okay, I get it. You're keeping me around to watch me."

"An astute observation," the swordsman-teacher answered. "But that is not my only reason."

"I know," Yuan replied with a grin. "I must have worried you." His grin vanished and his body language became alert suddenly. "Colloyd, be careful."

"Of what?" Colloyd asked as he stopped and pulled Gesea to stop as well. Yuan glanced around the floor for a moment and picked up a pebble from a corner. He bowled it past them and over a metal grate looking device. Colloyd and Gesea jumped back a mile when some very dangerous looking spikes protruded from the gaps.

"A trap," Kraine stated, reaching for his little red notebook to take a few notes but reluctantly seeming to agree with himself that it was far too dark to do anything.

"From what I have read, there should be a three to five second delay from when the spikes fully retract to when they are able to come up again," Yuan called. Colloyd nodded and watched the dangerous trap slowly go back into its starting position. As soon as the clicking of the mechanism stopped, they all quickly stepped over and continued on.

"Let me just say this," Kraine said to Yuan. His aura glowed and a small forcefield appeared around the two of them before becoming invisible.

Yuan gave him an impressed look. "A sound barrier?"

Kraine nodded. "I intend to discover what it is about you that drives you to play this little game of yours."

"A game?" Yuan shook his head. "I was far too forward back there, but you gave me little choice considering your own questioning methods." He put his hand to his chin. "I am not a normal elf, and neither are you. However, in the interest of the Chosen, I suggest we focus our efforts on ensuring this journey reaches its conclusion. I assure you, we are on the same side when it comes to that."

Kraine's sound barrier spell disappeared and the two could once again hear the other two talking a short distance up a staircase ahead. They found them squinting at something written on a large stone tablet. The flames on the candles on each side next to it danced around and offered some light, but it still looked difficult. "Is it in Kharlian, Col?" Gesea asked. "I can't understand a word of it."  
Colloyd nodded and ran his fingers over the bumps in the stone tablet where the writing was carved.

"We could probably decipher it," Yuan said as he took a look as well. "But before we spend time doing that, perhaps we should find the source which the code belongs to?"

"Right," Colloyd nodded, stepping away from it. Kraine didn't seem satisfied with the logic at first however and stood staring at the letters. Yuan tapped him on the back and quickly jumped back when Kraine reached for the sword in retaliation.

"Come on Professor's," Colloyd called.

They followed the path down the stairs, past the first spike trap, and through a narrow hallway where a set of three spike traps protruded from the walls at varying intervals. It hadn't been too difficult to time and before long they were climbing up another set of stairs and turning a corner past another set of retracting spike traps.

As they got to a large open door with a bright fire pillar on each side, Colloyd stopped to listen. The whistle of the wind seemed to be stronger in that position. He could hear a faint metallic sound from somewhere below. Following his hearing, he walked down some stairs just ahead and turned the corner to see a very odd looking device. It was a contraption with a floating ring around it. Colloyd put his ear closer to it to confirm that it was where both the sound of wind and the sound of metal was coming from as the others caught up.

"What do you think this is Professor?" he asked.

Kraine put his hand to his chin and stepped closer to it. "It would appear to be some kind of magitechnology." He ran his fingers along it. "How intriguing. Colloyd, put on the sorcerers ring."

"It's still on my finger," Colloyd replied, pulling off his glove. The moment he did, the small jewel set into the ring glowed a lime green colour. He touched it curiously and felt a cool breeze somehow omitting from it. The moment he took his finger off of the jewel, a gust of wind came bursting out at Kraine, messing his hair up so that it wasn't actually covering one eye.

"It looks like we can use wind for something here," Colloyd said innocently, trying not to grin too much. Yuan laughed at Kraine, who sighed loudly and set his hair back.

"I saw what looked like a bunch of pinwheels in the room above," Gesea said. "I wonder if we are meant to do something with those?"

"That could be what those inscriptions are for," Kraine agreed, nodding. "Perhaps we should split up. There do not appear to be any monsters in the immediate vicinity." He looked at Yuan. "I will take the Chosen and Gesea, and you will go in the opposite direction to us."

"I do not mind going with Yuan," Gesea said as she looked up at her brother. Kraine went to object but she was already joining the ex-professors side. "You want to keep an eye on him, don't you?"

"Not you as well Gesea," Yuan said, trying to sound hurt.

"No, not really," Gesea smiled. "But my brother's worry isn't entirely out of the question either."

Kraine considered it, looking at Gesea as though judging her ability to run from danger. He looked at Colloyd before turning to walk away. "Come on then, Chosen."

" _Professor,"_ Colloyd complained, following him back the direction they had come to evidently go to the tablet with writing they had seen earlier.

Once they turned the corner, Yuan turned to Gesea. "Let's go over here to find some information, shall we?"

Gesea couldn't help but watch the tall blue haired man as they walked. Her nerves were getting the better of her, but she _had_ to talk to him. If she didn't, with the way Kraine was so protective of her, she might never get the chance. She was about to open her mouth to say something when Yuan caught her staring and looked at her curiously. She shut her mouth again and looked ahead, feeling embarrassment heat her cheeks.

"You're wondering if I'm _like_ you, aren't you," Yuan said.

Gesea gaped up at him. "H.h..how did you know what I was thinking?"

Yuan shrugged his shoulders. "Hanging around you long enough, I suppose." He cleared his throat. "Relax. You're correct of course. I would be surprised if you couldn't sense it."

Gesea grinned for a moment before giving him another look. He chuckled. "Oh don't give me that look. I've led a pretty long life so far."

"S..so have I," she said softly. "I'm not as young as I look."

"I would estimate, but I know it isn't polite to ask a ladies age," Yuan smiled. Gesea giggled at him and ventured to close the gap between them as they continued to investigate.

xxx

"Do you think we should have come across monsters here by now?" Colloyd asked Kraine when he got sick of venturing in silence. Kraine didn't appear like he wanted to talk and more like he was on constant alert since leaving Gesea with Yuan. He gave his question some thought before answering. "Considering the monsters inside the last seal were eerily weakened, I have to hazard that this ruin has also been ransacked."

"But how?" Colloyd replied back as though expecting that answer. "You said yourself Professor that it would be impossible for anyone except us to get inside."

"I did," Kraine agreed, glancing away from Colloyd's gaze.

Colloyd gaped at him. "Do you know?"

"No, I'm afraid not."

"Do you want me to help you investigate?" Colloyd grinned wildly, imagining himself in a brown and cream chequered detective outfit and sporting a giant magnifying glass.

"Just focus on not getting yourself killed by any assassins," Kraine replied bluntly.

Colloyd looked down and sadly dragged his feet up the stairs that led to the stone tablet with the writing they were to examine. He leaned closer to it and squinted his eyes to try and work out what it said, but didn't get very far before a scream echoed around them from deeper in the dungeon.

Kraine immediately started running away. Colloyd ran to try and keep up, but was no match for the elf's speed. He only caught up by chance when they had to wait for the spike traps to retract so that they didn't skewer themselves when they ran through. Kraine impatiently tapped his foot, the same worried look in his eyes that he always got when it came to his sister.

They raced up the set of stairs that allowed passage into the room with the windmills and checked as they went past. To their surprise, Yuan was leaning down to Gesea while she sat with her arms propping her up and breathing heavily.

Almost in the blink of an eye, Kraine ran from his spot in the doorway to a spot in-between Yuan and Gesea. "What is the meaning of this?" he growled, eyeing Yuan carefully.

"It's alright Kraine," Gesea said softly. "I was just startled because.." She pointed to the gap in the wall to their right. Inside was a treasure chest surrounded by what looked to be monster remains. Skeletons, dust and various slimy looking monster bits and pieces were there. "I was just surprised. The wall moved from behind me when Yuan used his magic on the windmills."

"I see," Kraine muttered, still glaring at the blue haired elf. Yuan sighed and dropped his shoulders. "I was just experimenting after we opened the main door up there." He pointed behind himself. Colloyd shielded his eyes as he looked at it. The sunlight flowing through the gap that had apparently opened was quite harsh. Kraine looked back at Gesea and offered his hand to her. "Perhaps I need to also train you."

Gesea clapped her hands and summoned her weapon to show it to her brother. "I'll be alright Kraine. Isn't it better that I let you know if something scares me? That _is_ what you have always told me to do."

"Hm.." Kraine answered ambiguously, leaving her and heading for the sunlit staircase that led outside. "Let's continue our journey through."

Colloyd nodded and marched ahead. "I'm glad we'll be leaving soon. I'm kind of sick of dungeons now."

"I see your patience has also worn thin," Kraine replied from ahead. "Steel yourself. I expect another challenge ahead."

xxx

Gesea gasped as they reached the outside and all shielded their eyes until they adjusted.

"What is it Gesea?" Colloyd asked.

"I would assume she can sense the incredible mana in the area," Yuan answered. "That bird flapping around over there is likely the source."

"Hm," Kraine mumbled in thought. "I would say she can sense the incredible mana that _used_ to come from the Lapyx over there."

"A Lapyx?" Colloyd pulled his weapons out and ventured closer. The bird was hopping around on the ground, flapping every so often. "It looks like it's already been wounded," he whispered and pointed to the rainbow assortment of feathers flying from the beast as it flapped.

"It appears the same as the first seal," Kraine agreed. "Let's finish off the thing and put it out of its misery."

After each of them made a half-hearted attack on the monster and turned it to dust, they stood around examining it once again. "It's a pity we had to fight it," Colloyd said sadly.

"Yeah," Gesea agreed as she picked up one of its loose feathers. "It was really pretty."

"But was that really the test?" Colloyd questioned.

"I suspect the true test is to come," Yuan answered before Kraine could. "The trial of becoming an angel is not an easy one."

Around them, the dust from the Lapyx bird started to glow green. It all started to blow upward and form a bright green ball of energy. Then came the voice Colloyd had been somewhat eagerly awaiting to hear. The voice of Remiel.

_"Chosen of Regeneration… You have done well in reaching this far. Now, offer your prayers at the altar."_

Colloyd frowned at the lack of personal touch in his true fathers voice, but obeyed anyway and approached the round altar in the centre of the area as instructed. "Oh Goddess Martel, great protector and nurturer of the earth, grant me thy strength!" He closed his eyes and summoned his majestic pink and blue wings before opening them to watch the familiar holy light of his angel father appear as he descended down from the heavens to them.

"The second seal has now been released. You have done well, Chosen one Colloyd," he said as he flapped in front of them.

"Thank you, father," Colloyd nodded with a smile. The white winged angel didn't smile back though and remained quiet for a moment before continuing. "Accept this next blessing from Cruxis. I hereby grant you another angelic power."

A foursome of lights flew from Remiel to Colloyd. "Hey, uh.. Father?" Colloyd looked at him questioningly.

"The next seal lies far northwest, in a place that gazes upon the center of the world," Remiel continued, ignoring the pleading look in Colloyd's eyes. "Offer your prayers at the altar in that distant land."

"Father, have I done something wrong?" Colloyd asked. Remiel's gaze hardened and he started to hover back up from where he had emerged from. "It matters not. Go now Chosen One and continue the journey to become an angel." With a burst of light, he disappeared. "I will be waiting for you at the next seal, Colloyd my son. Hurry and become a true angel. Do not disappoint me."

When he was sure Remiel was gone, Colloyd lowered to the ground and turned to the rest of the party. Gesea looked angry, Kraine somewhat calculating like he always was, and Yuan just looked interested. He hadn't seen his wings before, so it wasn't really a surprise.

"What is up with your father, Col? He always talks as though he is the most important person, even to his own son," Gesea spluttered, clenching her fists around her weapon.

Kraine approached Gesea. "Gesea, apologise to Colloyd this instant."

Gesea flinched at his glare and looked back at Colloyd. "Sorry Col. I suppose no matter what, he's still your birth father, right?"

Colloyd shook his head. "It's okay, you're right Gesea. Lord Remiel...Father.. really did seem like that." He shook his head. "But I'm sure he had his reasons. Let's just get going to the next seal."

xxx

As they left the Balacruf Mausoleum and greeted Noishe, Colloyd found himself feeling somewhat odd. It only worsened the further out they got until the world spun and he found himself falling to the ground dizzily.

"Col!" Gesea cried.

Colloyd looked up at her. "I'm okay, I just need to rest."

"It's probably the Angel Toxicosis again. Let's hurry up and go back to Luin so he can rest in a proper bed for the rest of the day." Kraine called Noishe closer to them and helped Colloyd on to his pet. Yuan grinned at the sight. "Noishe must have been quite fun to play with when you were younger."

Colloyd smiled vaguely and held on to Noishe tightly as they all set out to backtrack to Luin, only releasing his grip to wave goodbye to the spotted dog who wagged his tail when they ventured past the peddler.

No matter how tired Colloyd felt, and even when he was put to bed at the inn in Luin, he found every time he closed his eyes that his dreams would be filled with horrible looking monsters. The worst nightmare of all was one of the figure of a woman slowly turning into a monster. He wanted to run to her for some reason, but every time he got close to her, she would grow further and further away. He awoke in a cold sweat after that and found he couldn't rest again. After a bit more tossing and turning, he slid the sheets off of himself and headed for the door. The rest of the group were still probably going around town or in the common room since it was barely mid-afternoon; though he expected Kraine to be keeping watch close by.

He left their room to find Kraine standing right outside the door, leaning against the wall. The Professor glanced at him and straightened his position. "Colloyd. How are you feeling now?"

"Much better," he lied. If Kraine knew it, he didn't call him on it. Instead he showed him downstairs to where they could have a meal. Colloyd didn't say it, but the thought of food made his stomach convulse. Kraine returned after a short time at the bar, carrying two mugs. Just as Colloyd took it from him, he flinched and spilled it all over the table and himself when the door of the inn swung open and a few scared looking villagers ran inside. "Everyone! Hide or run for it! Kvar and his men are storming the city!"


	14. Feel the pain

"Go upstairs and hide under a bed," Kraine said to Colloyd as he stood from his spot across the table from the dual wielder.

Colloyd opened his mouth into a gape. The Professor was dead serious apparently. "I can handle myself, Kraine."

Kraine's gaze on him turned even more serious than what seemed humanly possible. "Do as I say."

"Just who is this _Kvar_?" Colloyd asked one of the men that had come running in from outside with the news of the attack.

"You don't know?" The villager raised an eyebrow. "Do you know about the human ranch northeast of here? The people of this city have been hiding some folks who escaped from the ranch. Kvar is the leader of that ranch." His shoulders drooped and he stroked the messy brown beard protruding from his chin. "Looks like his men found out about it and decided to come attack us to get them back."

"And just where are these ranch folk?" Kraine asked, expression turning icy. Colloyd wondered what had gotten the Professor so worked up.

"Well rumour has it that as soon as our lookouts saw 'em coming, the people 'emselves turned 'emselves in to try an' save the village," another of the men who had taken refuge in the inn answered in a thick accent that distinctly reminded Colloyd of his foster father. Colloyd clenched his fist and ran for the door. Just when he thought he would be able to make a break for it, Kraine stopped him.

"We have to do something to help, Kraine!" He cried.

"You must listen to me and stay here," the Professor instructed again with a firm glare.

Colloyd stood firm and gave him his best Kraine-inspired glare right back. "I'm the Chosen. How can I expect to save the world if I can't even save one village?" He clenched his fist. "I won't allow this!"

Behind Colloyd, several of the townsfolk gathered in the same room started talking amongst themselves. He could feel their awed stares on his back and for once was happy to have made a scene. Kraine concealed his glare and turned to the door. "Then let us hurry and hope Gesea is not in trouble."

xxx

_Smoke._

Colloyd almost choked on the smell which wafted up his nose. Meanwhile, Kraine glanced left to right, calculating which direction would be best to go first to check out the security of the town. They didn't have to wonder for long though. Scared townsfolk came running from the direction of the fountain. Kraine set off first, his shoulder length auburn locks and the wings of his orange cape lifting in the breeze behind him. Colloyd followed, unsheathing his weapons and preparing for the battle he knew was ahead.

"Get out of my way, you pathetic human!" sneered a voice as they slowed their approach once they saw the situation ahead. The voice belonged to an elven man with short hair slicked back right against his head so that his forehead and slitted eyes were immediately obvious. He wore a blue and silver outfit with large golden shoulder pads, accompanied by blood red gloves on his hands. He was reminiscent of the Desians that stood in a readied battle stance behind him but different and grander. _He_ must have been Kvar. There was very little doubt about it in Colloyd's mind.

In front of him stood a familiar assassin with top-knotted red hair, and behind her, Gesea. The pink haired elf sat on the ground, clutching her shoulder with one arm as she looked up.

"Gesea," Kraine said worriedly as he ran to her, his aura glowing with healing artes mid-stride.

"Leave Luin alone!" Sheelos exclaimed, slowly reaching behind herself to take out two of her paper weapons. "Pyre S-" she only got halfway through her attack when Kvar took to the air with a large leap and landed behind Kraine and Gesea. Colloyd barely had time, but managed to block the heavy downward attack aimed directly at him. His feet slid back into the dirt path as he fended the force off and quickly struck back.

Kvar parried to the right, laughing. "Not bad, not bad at all. Not as though I would expect anything less from my Angelus Project of course!"

"Angelus-" Colloyd gaped, remembering the name very clearly. Kraine and Gesea were also looking at Kvar with equal surprise.

"What do you know about the Angelus project!?" Gesea exclaimed, summoning her weapon. Kraine put his hand on her shoulder. "Gesea, he is our enemy. Do not take him seriously."

Kvar looked at Gesea and then up at Kraine. His main interest seemed to be with Colloyd though as he turned back to him. Colloyd jumped back a few paces and pointed his sword at the elf. "What do you mean? Are you talking about my Cruxis Crystal?" He pointed to his hand and watched Kraine flinch.

" _Cruxis_ crystal?" Kvar raised an eyebrow. "It _is_ a different colour than before, but that is impossible! Nevermind. You have taken my precious Angelus project that was meant to be a gift to Lord Yggdrasil and now you shall be punished!" He clicked his fingers and the group of Desians who had surrounded them all during the confrontation all jumped into action, drawing their swords from their sheaths in a unanimous screech. Sheelos and Gesea met the first onslaught, fighting back to back in a moment of awkward teamwork. Kvar still had his sights set on Colloyd, but with Kraine's 'protect the Chosen' instincts kicking in, it wasn't going to be easy for him.

The elf and Kraine matched power for power while Colloyd fought off the Desians flanking them from behind. He threw his chakram to distract one Desian but to his surprise it missed and went clattering to the ground as a spark of electricity from somewhere above hit it. He looked up to see some kind of metal pronged device with a rotating head floating directly above him, the sizzling sound of electricity accompanying it. The sizzling got louder and shot a spark of electricity right for Kraine, catching him off guard and giving Kvar just enough time to hit him square in the ribs with his battlestaff. With a sickening crunch, Kraine was sent flying head first into the ground.

"Kraine!" Gesea exclaimed, going to run to her brother but being distracted by the Desians that had yet to be downed by herself and Sheelos. Sheelos glanced back at Kraine and confirmed that he was alright, right before meeting another Desian's attack. His chakram disabled, Colloyd had to think quickly as he saw Kvar coming right for him. He knocked one of the Desians he had fought off before being disarmed to the ground using as much force as he could. Picking up the sword they dropped, he quickly summoned his wings and flew out of reach of the lightning magic Kvar had conjured to send to his location.

"You're the _Chosen!?"_ Kvar asked, his mouth agape as he glanced from the spectacular pink and blue wings protruding from Colloyd's back and down to the cruxis crystal atop his hand on full show. "But.."

Colloyd readied himself when he saw the metallic devices set themselves on him again. Diving forward in midair, he powered down on Kvar, yelling "Rising Falcon!" as he did so. It was a name he had always wanted to call an attack and for some reason this seemed like the perfect name for what he had just done. Kvar was knocked to the ground and quickly subdued by Kraine before he could get up. With a quick few fireballs, Gesea managed to finish off the electric devices.

Colloyd pointed his swords directly at Kvar's throat. "We have you now Kvar. Now answer my questions!" He looked at his hand. "What did you mean when you called this your Angelus Project!?"

"Ugh.." Kvar coughed. "I meant what I said. That exsphere on your hand, which you mistakenly call a Cruxis Crystal, is the result of years of time-consuming research. I can finally reclaim what was stolen by that filthy female host body. Just wait until the rest of my army comes and you will all be done for!"

Kraine growled and pressed his sword harder against Kvar's chest. Colloyd stared at Kvar. "Female host body?"

"You don't know anything, do you?" Kvar rolled his eyes. "Exspheres are dormant at first. They extract nourishment from humans to grow and awaken. Human ranches are Exsphere manufacturing plants. Why else would we spend our time raising and taking care of those inferior beings?"

"Then...Marble..." Gesea's weapon vanished from her hand as she dropped to her knees. "She was a failed experiment?" She touched her chest but said nothing. Colloyd knew she was thinking that she would have been, if it weren't for the Key Crest attached to her Exsphere.

"Correct. The Exsphere on your _Chosen_ here is different however. It was a successful experiment, cultured on host subject A012. His mother. She took it and escaped from the facility. Of course, she paid for her crime with her life eventually."

"No.." Colloyd's face contorted with anger. He raised one sword, ready to drive it into Kvar's chest. "You killed my-"

"-Now now, don't blame me. I'm not the one who killed her after all. Your father did."

Colloyd stopped his attack. "You.. liar!"

"No no, I assure you it's quite true!" Kvar sounded rather amused, despite being faced with death. "When we sought to take our rightful property from her, she turned into a monster and your dear old daddy killed her. Pathetic, don't you agree?"

"I've heard enough!" Colloyd cried.

"Do not speak ill of the dead," Kraine added in a scary, even tone.

Kvar looked at him this time. "Why should I care? They were both just a couple of filthy inferior beings. Worthless human maggots that bred another worthless human maggot!"

Emotion bubbling inside Colloyd's chest could no longer be contained. He lifted his sword and stabbed it straight into the Desian leader. "How dare you mock my parents!"

Kraine followed suit. "Feel the pain," he started, slashing Kvar's armour to pieces. "Of those inferior beings," he continued, lifting his sword to aim for a precise angle. He sneered angrily at him. "As you _burn in hell!"_ He drove the sword home, ensuring Kvar breathed his very last breath.

Colloyd let go of the sword embedded in Kvar's chest and took a few steps back, examining the battlefield. His legs shook violently. He finally knew. He almost fell backward but found himself caught by the arm by Kraine, who held him steady. "You should make your wings disappear. They are likely sapping your energy," he explained, the bite in his voice being the only part of the Professors stoic facade to reveal that he was indeed still pumped with anger from Kvar's lack of regard for human life.

Colloyd supposed that considering the Professor was a teacher of knowledge and quite a good user of healing artes, such things would upset him. "Thanks," he answered, doing as instructed. He did immediately begin to feel a little better.

"Kraine," Gesea started. She appeared to have gained some of her composure since the revelation about Marble. Her face still showed some signs of how pale she had become in that split moment though.

Kraine nodded down at his sister. "We should find the rest of the troops Kvar mentioned and dispose of them quickly before they cause any trouble." He looked at Sheelos. The assassin had taken a seat on the foot of the fountain and was clutching her midriff. Past her hand, he could see some blood staining her clothes.

"If you're going to kill me, make it quick," she said as Kraine approached. "I don't have the strength to fight back now." She gave a low laugh. "You'd actually be doing me a favour."

Kraine said nothing and knelt down to her, his aura starting to glow. He reached out to her and she flinched back for a second before relaxing. When she stopped breathing quite as heavily, Kraine knew he had done the job. He stepped back respectfully and watched her gaze turn from thanks to questioning.

"You protected my sister," he explained. "I wouldn't consider it honourable to allow you to die after that. Nor would I have liked to kill you. While I fight on the side of the Chosen, I dislike outright murder and needless bloodshed."

"How chivalrous!" Sheelos said with a suggestive grin. "A woman could get used to a man like you around."

"I very much doubt that," Kraine replied, realising too late that he should not have encouraged her harlot behaviour.

"You didn't seem to have a problem taking your anger out on Kvar," Sheelos said in an almost frustratingly mellow observation in comparison to where Kraine had expected the conversation to head. Kraine looked at Kvar, the elf's eyes still open but the light of spite and anger gone from them now. He had wanted to explain his actions further but was pulled out of his train of thought by Colloyd as the boy ran off back toward the inn, yelling behind him that he had smelled smoke earlier. He followed with Gesea at his tail. To both their surprise, the assassin followed them.

Kraine turned to her to question her on her motives, to which she cut him off. "I'm coming with you," she said adamantly. "I don't want to see Luin burned down or turned into ruins either."

Kraine nodded. "Just remember that it is still my job to-"

"Yeah yeah, protect the Chosen of Sylvarant. It's okay handsome, I get it." Sheelos ran past him to catch up with Colloyd and Gesea, leaving Kraine to think to himself on her choice of words.

xxx

After checking the market district of Luin and briefly venturing to the inn to collect Noishe, the group of four left the town to find the Desian soldiers Kvar had been so convinced would avenge his cause. Colloyd had been starting to say that he wondered whether they had just left to go back to the ranch when he stopped mid-sentence and stood staring. Gesea squinted her eyes to try and see what he was looking at. Without another word, the Chosen went galloping off, the rest of the group trailing and only stopping when they started to discover Desian bodies beginning to litter the field. Kraine looked to Gesea, who nodded to his invisible question. She could feel it too; the high amount of mana in the air and the mana signature it belonged to. There was no doubt about it.

"Yep," Sheelos stated at seeing their exchanged glances, "Yuan's been here."

Gesea looked at her. "But how do _you_ know that Sheelos?"

Sheelos stuttered for a second and cast her eyes elsewhere than at her. "I uh.. can sense mana signatures as well."

"Really?" Gesea's eyes brightened with interest. "Wow. You will have to tell me how a human can do that some time."

"I would also be curious to know," Kraine added in. "But I do get the feeling it is something you may not like to talk about."

"You're as conniving as you look, my cool yet dashing darling," Sheelos purred with a grimace.

Gesea, getting bored of the back and forth between her brother and their new temporary companion, approached Colloyd. "I don't know why, but I feel like Yuan's been here," he said to her, confusion in his eyes.

She smiled. "Looks like becoming an angel has enabled you to sense mana signatures."

"Mana signatures?"

Gesea nodded. "Think of them like a fingerprint based on magic. It fades when the user leaves the area though, so Yuan must still be close."

"Do you think he did all this?" he asked and then gaped, hearing yells off in the distance near the forest where he had trained with Kraine. He took off, the group running after him.

xxx

They found their mysterious blue haired elf friend standing with his back to them, surrounded by an army of ten or twenty Desian troops. They all lunged for him. Colloyd drew his weapons and was about to enter the fray when Yuan jumped out of the middle of them, landed directly in front of him, and half turned to the confused circle of Desians. He clicked his fingers and a moment later they realised they had been attacked and comically fell into a pile with groans and gasps.

"Pr..Professor.." Colloyd gaped.

Yuan turned to him and sighed. "I suppose I should have guessed this clean up would take longer than yours in Luin."

Colloyd just stammered and looked from his ex-professors emerald gaze and down to the double blade in his right hand. It wasn't like any weapon he had seen before. The running of feet sounded for a moment, then the clash of steel, before a metallic monster similar to the ones Kvar had at his disposal came crashing down from above them with Kraine soon after. Yuan looked at the thing and then at Kraine, surprised. The Professor crossed his arms. "If you don't keep your guard up, something could easily attack you from behind."

"I'll keep that in mind," Yuan replied sarcastically.

"Was that the last of them?" Kraine asked then, nodding to the Desian corpses.

Yuan nodded. "I heard the commotion and saw you all fighting Kvar. I thought it best to head his troops off."

"Normally I would have said you were completely mad, going alone," Kraine started, glancing down at Yuan's butterfly blade. "But it seems my hunch was correct and you are no mere travelling scholar with a knack for the sword. If you could really call your _real_ weapon a sword."

Yuan grimaced and said nothing, succeeding in quickly raising Kraine's blood pressure. Behind them, Sheelos cleared her throat. "Excuse me. Not that I'm not really curious to question Yuan here on _a lot,"_ she looked at the bluenette for extra emphasis, "but I'm out of here." She turned and started to bolt away. Colloyd caught her hand to stop her and she turned back to him, serious and angered. "Let go. I'm not trying to play hard to get this time."

"Where are you going?" Colloyd asked, letting her comment go over his head.

"Where do you think?" she replied. "I'm going to the Luin ranch. There are still captives there."

"Well then, we're going too," Colloyd replied. At her confused expression he clenched his free hand into a fist and looked at the Exsphere that sat atop it. "We need to stop them using people to make these things. My mother was a victim. I don't know what they want them for, but I know we have to stop them!"

"I suppose I can't convince you otherwise, can I?" Sheelos said with a shockingly genuine smile. When Colloyd smiled back, she looked briefly surprised and glanced away. "D..don't think that this means I'm going to stop trying to kill you. After this is over, you'd better watch your back!"

Colloyd laughed at her, Gesea catching on and laughing too. She faltered back. "Why're you laughing. I'm completely serious!"

Yuan looked at Kraine, the usual annoying smirk on his lips. "I suppose I'll come. I have nothing better to do it seems."

"Do what you like," Kraine mumbled, walking ahead to give example to the others that they should hurry. It would be much easier to infiltrate the ranch under cover of night.


	15. Daddy issues

_"My exsphere.."_ Colloyd thought as he clutched his hand while listening to Yuan chirp on about how it was a close call for Luin and that it was lucky that they were there at the time.

_"My father killed my mother when she turned into a monster?"_

He thought about Gesea's predicament and how she had to kill Marble back at Iselia. Just like his dad, she had been left with no choice. _"So I wasn't born with this exsphere after all?"_ That part made the least sense. It was relatively common knowledge in the teachings of Martel that the Chosen was born clutching a Cruxis crystal. There was also one more thing bothering him about what Kvar had said.

**"They were both just a couple of filthy inferior beings. Worthless human maggots that bred another worthless human maggot!"**

At the time when he had been pumped with the adrenaline of the battle, he hadn't given Kvar's words much thought. Now he knew he definitely had something to ask Remiel about. If what Kvar said was true, than it seemed that his father had been human once. On one hand, it sort of made sense. He was gradually turning into an angel and he would end his life as a human by the end of the journey. On the other hand, since the last seal he had encountered, he had started to get a strange nagging feeling. It was a feeling he disliked more than anything else. He had started to wonder whether he should trust the word of Remiel.

The white-winged angel had seemed somewhat distant toward him during the release of the last seal. At the time he'd thought Remiel was being distant because as a father it would be difficult to know what would become of him eventually when he fulfilled his destiny as the Chosen, but now he saw it differently.

He started to wonder how to approach Remiel on the subject and jumped when Yuan put his hand on his shoulder. Yuan laughed. "You seem deep in thought. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Colloyd opened his mouth to start explaining his problem but quickly closed it again. Yuan was not without his mysteries also. The ex-professor seemed to quickly get the idea that Colloyd didn't want to talk and so dropped back to where Sheelos was walking.

"Gesea," Kraine said as he tore his gaze away from Yuan for the first time in half an hour at seeing him retreat from Colloyd. Though he had been distracted, he had noticed her repeatedly touching her chest where her Cruxis crystal sat. "Are you bothered by what Kvar said?"

She gave a half smile. "Is it that obvious?"

"Perhaps only to those who know you well enough," Kraine replied.

Gesea nodded. "Col's exsphere is a part of the Angelus Project as well. Although Kvar and his Desian's initially attacked me at the fountain when they recognised me, as soon as Col came into the picture it was as though mine did not matter any more." She waited for Kraine to say something but found that he had retreated into his own mind while he looked at the teenage Chosen just ahead of them. "Kraine?"

Kraine looked down at her. "My apologies. It appears that the exsphere Colloyd has is a more successful version of your own."

"But what makes them so different?" Gesea persisted.

"I wish I could tell you," Kraine responded, giving her an apologetic look.

Gesea sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "Don't worry. I guess Col is rubbing off on me. I'm starting to expect you to know all the answers." She started to walk away from him to approach Colloyd but stopped. "But Kraine, I wish you would wipe that scary look off of your face. It is no wonder nobody wants to hang back there and talk to you when you look like _that._ "

"I'm not sure I understand what you're talking about. I am not angry, and I am not frowning."

"She's talking about the intense look in your eyes darling," Sheelos piped in, deciding it was okay to just include herself in the conversation. "You look ready to kill something."

"No I don't," Kraine defended, wishing she had minded her own business. "I assure you, I'm the same as always."

"The evidence contradicts your statement," Gesea replied. Noishe woofed as though in agreement with her.

It was then that every soul in a hundred kilometre radius felt the wrath of Kraine's final say. "I am _not_ angry." Everyone stared and he realised he had probably just made their accusation worse. His pulse quickening, he sought to calm it by taking his red notebook out and sifting through his research. Gesea's eyes stayed on him "If you don't mind, I'd like to be left alone for a while."

"But-" Gesea was cut off when Yuan tapped her on the shoulder. He leaned down and briefly whispered something into her ear. A look of understanding washed over her face and she left the middle of the walking group to go and talk with Colloyd, who had stayed out of the argument, instead seeming happy to have some time to think to himself. Kraine sighed as he watched the two friends walk side by side and as Gesea tried to work out what exactly to say to him.

"I can't believe they use humans to make these things," Colloyd said to Gesea as he touched his hand when she had been looking at him for long enough without saying anything.

The elf's relief at the end of the silence between them was obvious. She touched her chest where her own Cruxis crystal sat. "It sort of makes sense." When Colloyd gave her a questioning look, she tilted her head. "Don't you feel it as well, Col? The feeling like you're being watched over through your exsphere? Whenever I hold Marble's exsphere, I feel a sense of calmness despite what happened to her." She touched her Cruxis crystal and appeared in thought.

Colloyd didn't know how to answer. An unsettled feeling filled his stomach the closer they got to the Luin ranch. Kvar's words kept coming back into his mind. He shook his head, not wanting to think any more about it. The dream he had experienced the night before sprung into his mind and he paused in horror. He knew who the scream had belonged to now. "Aaaargh!" he exclaimed, running away from the group to the nearest tree. Gesea yelled his name from behind but he was too busy slamming his fists into the tree in anguish to respond. "Mum died because..." He pulled the exsphere from the key crest on his hand. "Because of this!" He went to throw it off into the bushes when someone caught his hand from behind.

"Colloyd, calm yourself," Kraine said in an unnaturally reassuring tone that he usually reserved for encouragement in studies. Colloyd glanced back, his hand with the exsphere in it getting tired and letting the small and rounded gem fall to the ground near his feet. Gesea and Kraine stood behind him while Yuan, Sheelos and Noishe maintained a respectable distance.

"These _things!"_ he cried, punching the tree with his free hand. "They're a mockery of human life!"

"Had we not had them, I am sure we would have lost even against simple field monsters a long time ago," Kraine replied. He let go of Colloyd's hand and bent down next to him to pick up the exsphere. He turned to the group and called them to set up a camp for a brief point, saying that it would do them no good to infiltrate a ranch without their priorities and minds on the task.

xXx

While the rest of the group sat around a crackling fire, Colloyd sat a short distance away out of eyesight from them. Kraine's words were correct, he _knew_ that. Not only that, but he was the Chosen. He _had_ to be the Chosen. The whole of Sylvarant was relying on his journey. He touched the hole in his key crest where the exsphere usually sat and sighed. "Did you suffer when the exsphere took your life, Mum?"

Footsteps sounded from behind him and he turned to see Kraine looking at him. "How would you feel if you lost your life to an exsphere? Would you want to be useful?"

Colloyd looked down in thought. "I.."

"If I were the one trapped inside the exsphere, I would want to have a hand in defeating the Desians to stop this tragic cycle," the Professor continued. "Perhaps then I could atone for some of my sins."

At hearing the latter sentence, Colloyd stopped and pondered. "Your sins? What do you mean, Professor?"

"It doesn't matter," Kraine responded. "What matters is your resolve."

Colloyd thought further on it before finally nodding. "I suppose I would want to help in any way I could if I were the soul inside the exsphere."

"Good," Kraine said, leaning down and dropping his exsphere into his hand. "Those people didn't become victims because they wanted to, but I doubt they would want to be thrown away after being turned into exspheres either."

Colloyd agreed and stood from his place. "Okay, let's go and see the others. I've made my decisions."

xXx

"Are you alright now, Col?" Gesea asked when he and Kraine entered the camp.

Colloyd glanced at the Professor and bowed his head, running his fingers over the exsphere embedded in his hand once again. "I'm the Chosen. That's one thing I'm certain of. As long as I'm the Chosen, I have a duty to regenerate the world as quickly as I can. This exsphere is what makes me stronger and able to fight. Out of respect for my mother, I will continue to fight to try to stop the Desians from doing such horrible things." He trailed off and sunk into his own thoughts for a moment. He wasn't sure if he would be able to do it before his short life reached its end, but he hoped that they could do as much as possible before the regeneration was complete so that he might be able to rest in peace.

Not knowing Colloyd's morbid afterthoughts, Gesea touched her chest where her Cruxis crystal sat. "For the sake of Marble, I will continue to fight. I will not run away from the Desians any longer."

Kraine looked like he had something to say to that, but for some reason decided on something different. "We must continue to bear the burden of the lives we use for our own gain. We will survive this journey at the cost of others and must always remember that." He shook his head and tisked to himself. "People have always been sinful creatures. We are no different."

Sheelos looked like she wanted to say something in regard to sinful people, but appeared to think better when she got a cautious glance from Kraine. She crossed her arms. "I was _just_ going to say that it really isn't justified to use people's lives like we are. But if it can prevent any more casualties, then it is probably for the better."

Despite having made up a new point on the spot, she did have a good point. Yuan, being the last to have a say, remained surprisingly quiet. When they all looked at him somewhat expectantly, he shrugged his shoulders. "When they said the Journey of Regeneration was a tough one, they weren't joking." He looked at each of them for a second and stopped his eyes on Kraine. "Just make sure you all do not forget to look at the much bigger picture here. Stopping just _one_ ranch will not cease the operation as a whole."

Kraine wiggled a finger. "We will need to strike them hard, and be thorough and decisive."

"Precisely," Yuan answered, looking amused.

Colloyd agreed with them silently, smiling to himself at the hope that even if _he_ wasn't around to finish what they had started, his two Professors at least would be.

xXx

They eventually entered the vicinity of the ranch and hid out of sight while they planned how they would get in. Sheelos, who had insisted upon scoping out the area, came back with a sort of half-impressed and half worried look on her face. "Even with Kvar gone, the security is intense. There is no way we are sneaking in without being seen or heard; especially such a large group of us."

"There could perhaps be another way," Kraine started.

Colloyd concurred and grinned at Kraine. Yuan glanced between them, a smirk playing on his lips. "I suppose the two of you are thinking the same thing?"

"I bet the Professor is thinking we could disguise ourselves as Desians and go in that way," Colloyd mused, waiting for Kraine to confirm. Kraine's serious facade wavered only slightly to reveal a small smile as he bobbed his head once. Just when Colloyd was about to start coming up with a plan on how to do that, Gesea shot her hand in the air as though to ask a question.

Kraine's eyes instinctively followed the hand and he found himself habitually nodding at the hand as though to give permission to speak. He sighed. It seemed old habits died hard.

"Not that the proposed plan is terrible, but I have devised a much higher success rate with my own."

"Really?" Colloyd's eyes sparkled. "What is it Gesea?"

Gesea clapped her hands and made her kendaxe appear. She turned her back to them and faced the suspicious looking large boulder they had all seen upon entering the area. Raising her weapon once, she slammed it down on the boulder. At first it did nothing, but then they heard an almighty crack and watched as the thing split open down the middle and fell apart in each direction. Colloyd cooed in excitement as he looked at what she had done, before focusing his attention on the secret passage she had revealed for them. Sheelos stared at her work in astonishment. "How did a little thing like you make _that much_ of a dent?"

Gesea didn't answer and just headed down the steep staircase and into the Desian stronghold.

xXx

"Is that.." Colloyd gulped as he and his strange group of allies found themselves in a large rectangular room. Across the way were ten or twenty connected cells, all with prisoners they assumed were from Luin inside them. They were still out of eye shot and had not been seen by them yet.

"It looks as though we have stumbled right where we intended to go," Kraine observed.

Sheelos clenched her fists. "We have to get the prisoners out of here!" She scanned the area and quickly hid behind the large pillar that kept them out of eyeshot of any enemies, with them all following her lead and ducking for cover as well. When Colloyd saw a very familiar looking brown haired woman chained to a man with a pirate hat and red, curly locks, followed by two small children that were being prodded in the back with metal bars by Desians, he gasped. "Lyme!"

The group all hushed him, but it was too late. The Desians immediately looked in their direction and set out to find the intruders. Colloyd gave his friends a guilty look before drawing his sword and chakram and preparing for battle. Sheelos came to the front of the formation, her strange battle card already out in her hand and a stance already assumed. "Don't worry Chosen, we were going to make them pay anyway!"

With very little effort, particularly by those at the back at the formation, the Desians were on the floor clutching their mortal wounds. Kraine sheathed his sword and set about examining the party for any wounds before looking down at one of the Desians. On his belt where his weapon sheath sat glinted something small and metallic. It didn't take a genius to figure out that it was a key, but Colloyd's eyes glittered with hopeful excitement at the realisation. He turned to the group the Desians had been presumably leading to the cells to join the other townspeople, to see Sheelos was already there. He headed in their direction with Colloyd, Gesea and Yuan following.

"Lyme!" Colloyd said, waving as he approached.

Lymax looked away from Sheelos and her face brightened. "Colloyd, right?"

Colloyd felt happy. "You remembered!"

"I never thought I would see you in a place like this," the woman replied.

"We came as fast as we could," Sheelos said, watching Kraine use the silver key he had found to unlock their shackles. The rusted hand-traps of Lymax and the red haired man fell to the ground first, followed by the shackles on the children behind them. Looking closer, she tilted her head. "So _this_ must be the guy you got busy with, huh?"

Lymax crossed her arms and glanced away, her cheeks turning scarlet. "Well, he _is_ the father of my twins, if that is what you are asking."

"Oh, so you must be Aifread," Colloyd held his hand out to the red haired man.

He took it, looking somewhat curious. "You look like the adventuring type. I bet I could set you up with a great boat to sail the seas in! It'd be a bargain."

"Really?" Colloyd _had_ always wanted to own a boat and go sailing. He wanted to hear more and was actually pretty disappointed when Lyme slapped her hand against her face and gave Aifread a light shove. "Don't you start that again. Remember? I got the last _bargain."_

Before Colloyd could ask any further questions, he found himself distracted by the voices of the Luin folk talking to Sheelos. "You're Sheelos, right?" one man asked. Sheelos nodded. The man smiled. "Thank you. I know you tried to stop Kvar and the Desians from capturing us."

Sheelos smiled awkwardly and shrugged her shoulders. "What else was I supposed to do? I couldn't just watch you all suffer like that."

Kraine ushered the townspeople out of the cell and they all formed in a circle around the group. "Who are you?" one woman asked Kraine when he examined her upon seeing some cuts on her face. Most of the Luin folk seemed to be in good health still, if not a little beaten up. They had come just in time it seemed. The woman looked suspicious, which wasn't surprising considering the ordeal that she must have gone through that night. He fell quiet but quickly regretted it when she stepped back from him. "How do we know this isn't some kind of cruel joke?" She looked at Sheelos. "I know I'm not alone in being suspicious of _her_. She was asking around if anyone knew where the Chosen had gone!"

"I.." Sheelos glanced at Colloyd, who gave her a thumbs up and turned to the woman. "You can trust us. I'm the Chosen." He summoned his wings, barely flinching now at the strange tingling feeling it always gave him. There were a few surprised gasps around him. He tried to ignore it and continued. "Since I trust all of you not to reveal my secret, you should trust us."

Without another word of hesitation, the Luin-folk followed them out of the Desian base and back to Luin, where Kvar still lay dead at the fountain square. When they bid farewell to the last of the thankful townsfolk and Lymax, Aifread and their two children, the group stood in a half circle and looked at Colloyd. "Let's get going toward the next seal," he said when he realised they were waiting for his instruction.

"Col," Gesea said in-between a yawn, "don't you think it would be best to get some sleep?"

"Oh.." Colloyd froze, realising that it hadn't even occurred to him.

"I'm sure the Chosen meant tomorrow morning," Yuan spoke up for him, just in time.

They all retreated back to their rooms, offering but being declined to pay for Yuan and Sheelos'.

* * *

**Later that night...**

* * *

Kraine propped one eye open at the sound of footsteps creeping past the door. The shadow of the figure stopped in front of the door for a moment before continuing on. Colloyd sat up and looked too. Kraine stood and glanced back at Colloyd, putting his fingers to his lips and pointing to Gesea. "Stay here Colloyd. I'll go and check to make sure everything is alright."

Colloyd reluctantly accepted and rested back down, closing his eyes habitually despite the fact that he had not slept a wink since they had all said their good-night's.

Kraine left the room quietly and crept down the stairs of the inn. Only the midnight to dawn innkeeper sat behind the desk, reading a newspaper. There was nobody else in the common room or near the bar. Growing more curious, he opened the door of the inn and stepped outside.

To his surprise he saw a flash of blue hair and smug smile. Yuan stood there, facing him. "I didn't think I would get past you," he said, grimacing. "I take it that you want to know what I am doing?"

Kraine habitually reached for his sword hilt but stopped and rested his hand on his hip instead. "It seems you continue to be quite the enigma. I suppose from anybody else's perspective, all _half-elves_ are."

"I suppose so," Yuan replied, a more serious tone to his voice.

"Now, are you going to tell me?" Kraine asked. "Or must we continue this game of cat and mouse?"

"Tell you?" Yuan mirrored Kraine, putting one hand on his hip as well. "I was relying on your help, actually."

"My help?"

Yuan nodded slowly, his eyes narrowing at him. Kraine didn't want to admit it, but he found Yuan's serious and contemplating face much more disturbing than his usual cocky grimace.

"I want your help, to take care of some unfinished business."


	16. Lectures of light and legends

Colloyd had been getting gradually more and more worried about Kraine as the hours ticked on and daybreak slowly emerged over the horizon to let an almost blinding orange light into their room through the cracks in the bamboo blind. When the Professor slinked into the room just before six a.m, he sat up and swore he made him jump a little at the suddenness.

"Kraine," Colloyd whispered, trying not to sound like an overprotective parent. "Where did you go?"

"I went for a walk," the Professor replied. When Colloyd prodded him for more, he put his pointing finger to his lips. "It is kind of you to worry about my wellbeing, but there was never any reason for you to worry." He slipped under the sheets of his bed across the room from Colloyd and rested back.

"I know, I know.." the boy sighed. He let the conversation slip away and closed his eyes. He hoped the Professor would tell him more about his journey with Gesea one day. It had clearly affected the both of them. As he thought about the impact, his mind began to wander to his own quest and how Gesea might change when she found out what would happen when they broke the last seal and journeyed to the Tower of Salvation. He was pretty sure that Kraine had not told her.

After letting the thoughts swirl around his head for what felt like eons, he was quite glad when footsteps approached the bedroom door and Yuan called out to them to start to rise so that they could get moving on their journey again.

When the group were all ready after individual showers, they met down in the common room. Most of them, anyway. Colloyd quickly noticed that Sheelos was nowhere to be seen. When he looked at Yuan questioningly, the bluenette shrugged. "She _was_ trying to kill you, remember?"

"Yeah I know.. but..." Colloyd clenched his fist. "She must have a reason. I want to find out why!"

"If she is trying to kill you, we'll probably find her again anyway," Gesea said, going for reassuring but actually coming off as kind of creepy.

"In any case," Kraine interrupted, clearing his throat. He reached for the red notebook in the satchel on his waist and flicked through it. He stopped on a page, read a bit and nodded, then opened his mouth. "The next location of the seal should be at the Tower of Mana. I have heard that it is locked though and only certain people have the keys."

He might have continued with more knowledge if Yuan hadn't distracted him by dropping his travel bag to the ground and started digging through it. "Aha," he said, pulling his hand out after a minute and showing them a key. "This should be it."

Colloyd's eyes widened. "You _have_ the key, Yuan?"

Yuan handed it to him. "I got it a while ago from Dorr. I thought it might come in useful."

"The Governer-General in Palmacosta?" Colloyd looked at Yuan. "Thank you Yuan." He turned to Kraine, who shifted on onto one foot uneasily and held his hand out to Colloyd. "Allow me to look after it until we get to the Tower of Mana."

Colloyd nodded and handed it to him before stalking off ahead with Gesea toward the exit of Luin. She was pointing off into the distance to where they could vaguely see the Tower of Mana. It was grand, but a dwarf in the shadow of the Tower of Salvation which loomed only an hours trek at most away from it.

Colloyd stopped when he and Gesea got to the fountain area of Luin and saw a bunch of people crowding around a newspaper salesman. He stood off to the side of one man and read the title on the front. **LUIN RANCH DESTROYED. KVAR DEAD!** said the main headline. Giving Gesea an odd look, he lined up and gave the salesperson two gald for it. There was no mistaking it. On the front with the headline was also a picture of the remains of the ranch.

"When did this happen?" Colloyd gaped.

"I don't know," Kraine interrupted as he, Yuan and Noishe caught up from behind. "But we should probably leave before people start to assume that it was us."

He had a very good point. Some people were already making the connection it seemed, as they looked from their newspapers and to them. The group clustered together and wiggled their way through the chaos to freedom and toward the Tower of Mana.

xXx

A short time later and after a few quick monster kills, Colloyd and his group of merry and/or stoic/mysterious friends found themselves standing before the tower. Colloyd stopped them all from proceeding in further by suddenly stopping, appearing to see something ahead. "It's Sheelos!" he exclaimed, running ahead and off to the side where the familiar red haired assassin sat with her head in her lap.

She looked up at his cry and looked surprised. "Ch..Chosen."

Colloyd tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. "Are you really going to call me that after everything we've been through? What's the matter Sheelos?"

Sheelos sighed and looked to her right at the Tower of Mana. Its shadow would start to loom over them even more as the day began to get older. "I need to get into the Tower to find Boltzman's book to help Pietro."

"Who's Pietro?"

"I would assume it is the man we saw at Hima," Kraine said. "Sheelos seems to be adamant on saving him."

Sheelos nodded. "It would be a waste of life if such a dashing darling such as himself were to croak it."

"Is that the only reason?" Colloyd asked.

Sheelos crossed her arms. "Do I need another one?"

"No, it's just..."

"While it is really interesting, I'm afraid I'll just stop you there," Yuan said. He dropped his bag again and took out the Boltzman's book he had shown them much earlier. Sheelos' eyes widened at the sight and she all but lunged at Yuan. He stepped back before she could pinch it out of his hands though and tisked at her. Before Colloyd protested that she could use the book if she wanted to, he shut him up by saying "on one condition."

"What is it?" Sheelos growled, clenching her fist.

Yuan innocently continued on. "We could use your help here in the tower. After that, feel free to go chasing unicorns as much as you want."

"Unicorns?" Sheelos' anger melted away, only to be replaced by confusion.

"Perhaps we should move onward into the tower and explain?" Kraine asked. Colloyd nodded and headed up to the locked door at the front of the tower with him. Sheelos sauntered after them with Yuan, Gesea and Noishe following.

"Uh.. Professor?" Colloyd asked Kraine after he had just froze on the spot practically when he had inserted the key into the door. Kraine blinked and ran his free hand down the intricate lettering around the edge of the door.

"Uh oh.." Gesea whispered. "It's happening again."

"Quiet," Kraine whispered in an odd and uplifting tone as he took out his magnifying glass from his robes. They watched him feverishly study the nooks and crannies before daring to even try to suggest to continue onward.

Yuan looked at Sheelos, who looked at Gesea, who looked at Colloyd- who then gave them all a "why me?" look. He sighed and opened his mouth but Kraine interrupted as he laughed and turned to him. "Colloyd! Tell me the origins of this tower!"

Colloyd straightened up and nodded. "I know this one! It's a tower that was used as a temple by the Church of Martel to offer prayers to the Tower of Salvation." He looked at the key that was still stuck in the door, needing to be turned in order to let them in. "I heard that they closed it a long time ago when monsters started appearing more."

"Correct. Good work Colloyd," Kraine praised. He set his sights on Gesea next but Yuan interrupted to save her. "Professor Kraine, as I'm sure you're aware, we are on an important mission right now and the life of Pietro still needs to be saved."

"That's right," Sheelos nodded. "I still need to know what you mean about the unicorn thing, too!"

The excited look in Kraine's eyes disappeared and he looked around. "You are correct. There is no oracle stone outside so I would assume it must be inside." He turned to the key and twisted it with a click before removing it and pushing the double doors open in the middle. He stood to the side and admired the surroundings while waiting for the rest of the group to trample inside. When it was just Noishe left, he nodded to him and closed the doors.

"So many books," Gesea said in awe. She looked at Sheelos. "Is this why you thought maybe the Tower of Mana might have Boltzman's book?"

"Yep," Sheelos agreed. "I heard from an old priest in Luin that used to journey into the Tower of Mana that he definitely saw it here." She looked at Yuan suspiciously. "I suppose it's useless asking you to tell me why _you_ just happen to have it."

"Even if you asked, I'd just answer simply with the truth," Yuan said as he grimaced. "I found it in a regular library in a small and unremarkable town, run by a collector of rare things." He looked at Kraine, who's ears might have pricked up at the word 'rare' if he hadn't been totally distracted by the mountains of books. He was picking several out of one of the bookcases to their left as they spoke. Colloyd gulped, wondering if the sheer amount of books were meant for not only Kraine, but the rest of them to study.

The Professor set the books he was most interested in down and gestured to the middle of the room for them to head. Colloyd nodded, having already noticed the recognisable stone tablet that he would need to put his hand on. The moment he placed his hand in the groove, a star shaped pattern on the floor started to glow brightly before extending out its lines in a large circle that took up a large majority of the space between the two sides of the room.

"Hmm.." Kraine scratched his head and looked from Colloyd's hand on the tablet to the floor. "It appears your touch has activated the apparatus on the floor. Very intriguing."

"Then we must do something with the apparatus, right Kraine?" Gesea asked, casually stepping on the 'apparatus'.

Kraine nodded and also stood on one, looking behind himself as he did it. Nothing happened. He turned to look at Sheelos. "Come and stand on the circle opposite me, if you will?"

"Anything for you, my cool darling."

It appeared the old Sheelos was back in full gear now that she had little choice but to once again accompany them. Kraine sighed and made a quick mental note to ensure that she didn't turn her raging hormones on Colloyd during what he knew was coming. Just as expected, the moment she stood on the blue circle on the floor opposite him, a door right behind them whooshed open to reveal what looked like it might be a staircase leading upward into the tower.

"It is as I thought," he concluded aloud to the rest of the group. "This apparatus needs three people to stand on it for the door to open." He looked at Yuan and inwardly sighed. He was the logical choice for the mission. He was certainly capable. Too capable, almost. The other choices were either Sheelos, the very assassin who wanted to kill the Chosen for reasons still undisclosed, or Gesea- which was not happening. Colloyd couldn't move from the tablet because it was his hand that activated the magical apparatus that they all stood on in the first place.

Yuan put a hand on his hip. "Really Professor, you _still_ don't trust me?"

"I'm sure Professor Kraine is just worried about you," Colloyd said as he looked at Kraine's troubled expression. "He must count you as a friend if he has let you come with us."

"I will look after these children until you return with an idea of how we might be able to get through, Yuan," Kraine said finally to him, looking him in the eye. "Don't get yourself killed."

Yuan nodded and ran past them without another word, his blue ponytail flying in the air behind him. When he disappeared into the room, Colloyd let out a loud sigh. "Professor.. do we really have to all stand here and do nothing until Yuan comes back?"

"Actually," Kraine said, shaking his head. "I thought that we could use the time a little more wisely than that."

He stepped off of the platform and headed for the stack of books he had picked out earlier, the earthy sound of the door clashing shut behind him. Picking one book in particular out, he took it back to the platform and sat down. When the door slid open again, Gesea and Sheelos followed his example and cooled their heels. Colloyd eyed what the Professor had in his hands in confusion. It was without a doubt something he had seen before. Kraine looked at Sheelos. "Now is a good time to give you a brief lesson in the teachings of Boltzman. We will start with what is needed for his healing technique."

xxx

It didn't take long for Yuan to get past the enemies with his butterfly blade in hand and emerge victorious at the top of the staircase that led into the next room. He looked back at the monsters he had destroyed last, all flashing white and disappearing in the next instant. "Not even a real challenge."

He glanced into the room that came next and rolled his eyes. The puzzles in these places seemed quite frustratingly easy if you were logical about it. He recalled the Balacruf Mausoleum and how it had seemed logical for the Chosen's team to search all over the place for hints on how to get to the next area by reading stone tablets. Really, it was all a big time waster it seemed. They not only had Kraine in their party, but also Gesea. Both "elves" were gifted with magic. He hoped his logical approach might have inspired Gesea for future endeavours.

Stepping forward and toward the end of the room where a door sat barricaded, he nodded to himself and looked around the room until he was able to locate a sphere glowing with light magic. Chuckling to himself, he let his aura glow and shot a weak light spell at it. As expected, the orb reacted to the light and the door to the left of the room whooshed open. A confident spring in his step, he sprinted across the room and toward the doorway. Just before he got to it though, the door whooshed shut again. A glance backward at the orb that had reacted to the light told him that things were not going to be as simple this time. Heaving a sigh to himself, he made for the red curtain that blocked the light from outside.

xXx

"Where do you suppose we would get a unicorn horn, Professor?" Colloyd asked Kraine once he had finished explaining the details to Sheelos.

"Anything that I could suggest would be mere speculation," Kraine said. He looked at Sheelos. "Now that we have some time to kill, why don't you tell us why you are trying to kill the Chosen?"

Colloyd got so excited at the prospect suddenly that he forgot that he needed to keep his hand on the stone tablet. The door that would allow Yuan to exit closed with a whoosh and he gave an embarrassed laugh. Sheelos let a fond smile crack her lips for a second before she stood up and clenched her fists. "Do you think I _want_ to help you? This is basically suicide for.." she trailed off.

"For your world?" Kraine completed her sentence for her.

Sheelos flinched. Colloyd leaned over the stone tablet curiously. "Please tell us, Sheelos."

The assassin sighed and looked at Kraine. "When did you figure it out?"

"I didn't," Kraine said simply. "But you have repeatedly hinted that something will happen to wherever you come from if we complete this journey."

Sheelos grimaced. "It seems a shame your intellect's being wasted here, handsome." She nodded. "You're right. My homeland is not here, not in Sylvarant. It's in Tethe'alla."

"Teth..ay..are..lah?" Colloyd frowned. "Where is that? The moon?"

Sheelos snorted. "No Honey, it isn't on the moon." At Colloyd's puzzled expression she decided to just continue the explanation rather than wait for more wild speculation. "Even I really don't understand the specifics, but there is another world that lies entwined with Sylvarant, as shadow is to light. That's Tethe'alla."

"Two worlds entwined.." Gesea frowned as she looked at Kraine for his input. He said nothing and just nodded to Sheelos to continue. She did as he prompted. "Sylvarant and Tethe'alla lie directly adjacent to each other. They just can't see one another. Our scholars say they exist on shifted dimensions and have a direct effect on each other."

"What do you mean by that, Sheelos?" Colloyd asked. Sheelos gave him a look as if to say "think about it." Colloyd gaped. "You don't mean... it has something to do with the Journey of Regeneration.. do you?"

"It makes sense," Gesea said pointedly, shifting side to side in thought for a second. "It must have something to do with the restoration of mana."

"You're a bright one too, twirp," Sheelos complimented. "The institute would just love to run an aptitude test on you."

"The _institute?"_ Gesea's eyes widened. Colloyd could have sworn she looked scared suddenly. He looked to Kraine, who shifted uncomfortably.

Sheelos raised one eyebrow but continued on with her explanation. "The two worlds compete for the supply of mana. When one world weakens, the mana from that world flows into the other. As a result, one world is always flourishing, and the other waning. Think of it like an hourglass."

Gesea stood up, a look of dawning realisation coming over her. "You mean to say that right now Sylvarant is…"

"Yep," Sheelos nodded. "In decline. Sylvarant's mana is flowing to Tethe'alla. Without mana, crops won't grow and magic becomes unusable. If there is no mana, the Summon Spirits that protect the world alongside the Goddess Martel can't survive in Sylvarant either. As a result, the world slips even further down the path of destruction."

"Then the Chosen's world regeneration is actually the process of reversing the mana flow?" Kraine asked. "It would seem to make sense, if we were to believe your story."

"I'm tellin' the truth," Sheelos spluttered, then pointed to herself. "I'm the proof of the truth, mind the rhyme. I broke through a _supposedly_ impassable dimensional fissure to protect Tethe'alla..and..." She bit her lip and didn't finish her sentence.

"So you came here to make sure I fail?" Colloyd looked down. "You really want to destroy Sylvarant?"

"Like I keep saying," Sheelos said as she put her hands on her hips, "Tethe'alla will die if your journey reaches completion. The quest to save _your_ world will destroy Tethe'alla!"

Colloyd clenched his fists and opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't find the right words. Sheelos glanced away, looking troubled as well. "Don't look at me like that Colloyd. I know you didn't want to do that. I don't know what to do either." She frowned. "I've always placed myself on the winning side. In this instance it was clear that the winning side was Tethe'alla." She groaned. "But then I saw how you all are suffering. If there were a way both worlds would be happy, I'd take it, but there isn't!" She stepped off of the circle platform suddenly and backed away from them. "I can't abandon Tethe'alla." The door they had been holding open whooshed shut again.

Colloyd stepped away from the tablet he was holding and ran up to her. She looked ready to make a bolt for the exit at any second. "Let's find a way to save both worlds, Sheelos!"

Sheelos searched his eyes before rolling her own and letting out a sigh. "How is it that you say things like that and I automatically want to believe it's possible?"

Colloyd raised one fist into the air happily. "That's the spirit! Let's look for a way to make everyone happy."

"Have you considered that perhaps nothing that convenient exists in the real world?" Kraine cut in, still from his lowered position on one of the buttons.

"But there _has_ to be another way, Professor!" Colloyd gave him a determined frown and received a look he wished he hadn't seen back. A look that said "have you forgotten the outcome of this journey?" He looked down and placed a hand on the hilt of the sword at his side, trying to remain resolute for Sheelos' sake. "I'll ask Lord Remiel.. uh, Father, what he can do."

Before Kraine could say anything more, a set of stone doors at the front of the room whooshed open to reveal a room. The sound of footsteps approaching could be heard for a couple of seconds before a familiar man with a head of blue hair stood in the doorway with a hand on his hip. "Are you all waiting for a formal invitation?"

"Yuan!" Colloyd smiled and ran for the door, the rest of the group following. Kraine frowned to himself at the situation and followed at the tail of the group into the next room.

What faced the group was a much taller room with multiple levels. Colloyd looked around in awe and glanced back at the other room a few times until Yuan led them through and past large white glowing orbs that seemed to be shooting beams of light at mirrors around the room.

They exited into a smaller room this time. A small brown treasure chest sat off in the corner close to an open door that looked like it led up a staircase to Colloyd as he ventured closer to the chest. It looked like it was rotting away at the edges. He carefully knelt and opened the thing to see a pair of chakrams inside. Taking them out, he noticed their purple-blue sheen, refined quality, and the large spikes that protruded from the base in place of blades all around. He set one of them back in the box and fiddled with how to go about holding the new weapon while they travelled up a large staircase. Although Kraine told them to be on their guard as they climbed higher, Colloyd found his mind wandering. It seemed pretty common for the seals to have very few- if any- enemies anyway.

After getting to the top and catching their breath for a few moments, the group made their way into the next room. It was a mirror image of the room before the stairs and led off through another door on the left. Colloyd immediately recognised the room it led into and looked at the Professor who came in behind him.

"It seems we are in the same room as we were just a little earlier, except higher," Kraine observed as he stepped forward to what looked at first to be the edge of their level. Two chests sat on the floor at his feet. Colloyd approached and saw that a glowing platform of light joined the area across from them to them.

Kraine stroked his chin as he knelt to look at it closer. "It seems that this may be the way we have to go. I can see some kind of teleportation ring up ahead." He touched the light bridge and ran his hand over the surface to confirm to himself that they would be able to walk on it safely before standing and leading the group across.

Colloyd was the last to follow, having picked up a strange looking gem from one chest and a heavy chain mail from the other. He felt a little weighed down by it but had decided it would still be better than nothing to sell to a merchant in the next city they found. On the other side of the light bridge, Kraine stepped into the teleportation ring. Colloyd closed his eyes as he stepped in, the uncomfortable weightlessness setting in.

The wind hit his face a second later and rustled his hair. Colloyd opened his eyes to see that he was outside and that his companions were in front of him and looking at the yellow glowing ring in the center of a raised platform.

"The mana is quite strong here," Gesea said.

"I'll say," Sheelos said as she nodded in agreement and pinched her nose strangely. "What's going on?"

"Be on your guard," Kraine said. Colloyd lifted his sword and new chakram from their sheaths and watched as Yuan raised his right arm. The butterfly blade that he had seem him use once before appeared in his clenched fist a second later.

"So you summon your weapon like Gesea?" he asked in awe. Automatically he wanted to ask if he could learn to do it, but he also automatically knew it would be impossible.

Yuan bobbed his head once in answer without giving him eye contact. Colloyd quickly turned his attention back on the glowing ring to watch it form into the shape of a blue horse-like creature with a golden mane and wings. It gave a shrill cry and charged right for them. The group split to each side before it managed to make any impact, with Gesea, Sheelos and Kraine on one side and Yuan and Colloyd on the other.

Gesea began to cast a spell as her aura glowed a fiery red. Seeing that, the horse-bird decided to charge for her. Kraine, who had been going about charging at it from the side along with Sheelos and Yuan, realised just in time to run in and scoop her out of the way. He took the full blow of the impact and went flying to the ground several metres away from their location.

"Professor!" Colloyd exclaimed, setting off to help him up. Kraine got up slowly by himself and pointed behind him. Colloyd turned in time to see the monster charging right for him. He dove out of the way and skidded closer to the edge than he would have liked. The horse-bird snorted and neighed before turning to face Yuan, Sheelos and Gesea. Gesea yelled "fireball" as a bunch of red fiery orbs flew out of nowhere and onto the enemy. It flinched slightly but snorted much louder after it recovered and turned its head for the pinkette.

"Oh no you don't!" Colloyd exclaimed as he ran to the monster from behind and summoned his wings. He dove through the air with his chakram and blade both pointing slightly downward. "Rising fal- Oof!"

He found a barbed tail hitting him in the stomach and knocking him back to Kraine, who's aura was glowing white. "First aid," he called. Colloyd saw his own aura glowing and realised he was being healed. It was only when he briefly looked down that he noticed the pool of blood seeping out of his stomach and on to his clothes that he noticed the tingling pain. The blood patch stopped growing bigger a moment later, and with it the pain.

With a groan, the monster knocked Sheelos aside as she tried to get close to it. Colloyd threw his chakram when he saw the monster about to charge for Yuan but found himself distracted the moment it left his hands. The blue haired elf-ex-professor had moved so fast he barely saw it. Before he could blink twice, Yuan was in the air above the monster and slicing right through its middle. The monster fell immediately, hitting the chakram on the way down. With a blinding flash of light, it was no more. Kraine rushed to Gesea's aid. She was clutching her arm that she must have scraped when he had pushed her out of the way of the attack.

Colloyd turned to the altar. "Oh Goddess Martel, great protector and nurturer of the earth, grant my thy strength!" He closed his eyes and allowed his angel wings to appear behind himself before opening them. Instead of the glowing light from Remiel as he descended down to them in his usual fashion, he looked down upon the altar to see it glow an even brighter yellow.

"Where is Aska?" a voice asked. Colloyd faltered back in mid-air a little when the yellow light faded to reveal a transparent woman who looked to be sitting on a moon. She looked up at him and then at the rest of the group. "Without Aska, I cannot form a pact or a vow," she continued. "Please…find Aska in order to restore my power."

The woman disappeared as quickly as she had appeared. Colloyd looked back at his group and immediately noticed Sheelos' jaw had dropped.

"This is the third seal. You have done well reaching this far, Chosen One, Colloyd!"

Colloyd turned his head back to see Remiel descending as per normal. He smiled nervously and gave a respectful bow. "Thanks."

"Now, receive this angelic blessing from Cruxis as proof of your journey," Remiel continued. Another glowing light flew from him into Colloyd. It felt sort of warm for a few seconds before the feeling completely ceased as though a switch had been turned off all of a sudden. "Go and offer your prayers at the altar in the distant land from which you have already journeyed from."

The white-winged angel had a coldness to his voice that Colloyd found somewhat intimidating. Still, he hadn't forgotten what he had spoken to Sheelos about not too long ago. "I shall do as you say, Lord Remiel," he said first to get the formalities out of the way. Remiel gave the expected nod and went to vanish when Colloyd raised a hand. "Excuse me.. father?" Remiel said nothing. He continued. "I was wondering if you might be able to tell me if there is a way for both worlds to prosper equally?"

" _Both_ worlds?" Remiel asked.

Gesea took a step forward. "We know about Tethe'alla. Sheelos told us about how the Journey of Regeneration is the simple reversal of the mana flow between the worlds."

"That is not for you to know," Remiel said, his disapproval very obvious.

"Please Remiel," Colloyd pleaded. "Is there anything we can do?"

Remiel looked at him. "Your job is to complete the Journey of Regeneration and become a true angel. You will be able to consult Origin of your concerns then." He disappeared in a stream of light and transparent feathers.

Colloyd flapped in the air a few times before lowering and turning to the rest of the group, Sheelos in particular. "I'm sorry Sheelos. It looks like we might have to wait after all." He concentrated and made his wings disappear as his feet touched the ground.

"In the meantime we should hurry for the Seal of Water," Yuan said, turning for the teleportation pad behind them all. Colloyd nodded and took a few steps before stopping. Something didn't feel quite right. He took another few steps and stopped again.

Kraine stopped last before getting in the teleporter and turned to see him with what must have been a very confused expression as he stared at the palms of his gloved hands. "Is something the matter Colloyd?"

Colloyd flexed his fingers and moved his hand to the hilt of his sword, the perplexed expression on his face deepening. "My whole body has gone numb, Professor."

"It must be the Angel Toxicosis again," Kraine said, walking closer. "Should we stop to rest for a bit?"

Colloyd shook his head. "No, let's keep going. I don't want to worry the others."

Kraine looked over him for a few seconds in case he changed his mind. When he saw that he was holding firm, he gave him a nod and continued onward into the teleporter. Flexing his hands once again to try and bring back anything but the odd numb sensation in them, but failing, Colloyd took a deep breath and entered the teleporter too.


	17. It's a trap!

Kraine kept a close eye on Colloyd as they journeyed and made their way back to Hakonesia peak where they would have to travel through once again in order to get back to where Yuan had mentioned the last seal was more than likely located. Although his stomach did little flip-flops at what was to come, he kept himself in check in lieu of more important issues. If Colloyd remained in this mood, it would be very difficult to keep his current condition a secret.. among other things. He almost couldn't stand to look at the boy. He was usually so cheerful and full of optimism, but that person had suddenly vanished and been replaced by a quiet shell of a young man as he seemed to come to grips with the inevitable end of the journey.

Eventually he could contain a sigh no longer. "Colloyd."

Colloyd stopped and looked up at him. "What is it Professor?"

Kraine thought his next words through carefully before speaking them. "Do not forget your friends are as much a part of this journey now as you are. Myself included. We are here to help you."

"Thank you Professor," Colloyd nodded and cracked a smile for the first time in hours. "Actually, would you mind teaching me more about sword techniques a little later when we set up camp?"

Kraine hesitated. "In your current condition you-"

"I'm fine, really," the red-clad dual wielder lied, his eyes wandering away from Kraine's as he clutched his elbows.

Kraine crossed his arms. "Do you have no regard for your own safety, Colloyd? I will refuse to teach you anything more if that is the case."

"Can you blame me?" Colloyd asked. "I _am_ going to die at the end of this journey."

Behind him, Kraine noticed that Sheelos had stopped the moment the words had left Colloyd's mouth. He crossed his arms and hummed thoughtfully before speaking. "If you don't want anybody else to discover your fate, I would be a little more selective on your audiences."

Colloyd turned his head but Sheelos had already begun walking away again. He turned back to Kraine and gave him a confused look.

"Don't worry about it," he said with a sigh. "Tonight we will spar."

"Really?" Colloyd smiled. He left Kraine and headed to the front of the group to Gesea and Yuan. Kraine sighed heavily and followed. At least the Chosen appeared to be happy again.

xxx

The group found their way to Hakonesia Peak where they casually strode past the guards, keeping their heads down. All except Yuan, Kraine noticed. He was certain that the man might have at least a shred of conscience about the fact that he had stolen Palmacosta's Book of Regeneration from the Governer-General and essentially sold it on the black market. It didn't appear that way. He tried to not let it bother him, especially considering all that they had now been through together. He was left with no choice but to somewhat place his trust in him for the time being. Yuan was not someone he particularly would like to have to fight against. The "elf" was more cunning than a cartoon bear in a honey factory.

Colloyd had regained his usual demeanour, despite the fact that he must have still been deeply troubled by the events to come. It was only when Sheelos dropped back to his side and waved her hand in front of his face that he realised how dangerously deep in thought about it all he had been. "You know," Sheelos said, her voice softer than normal. "You aren't doing him any favours by moping _for_ him."

"I don't believe I understand what you're talking about, Assassin," he answered, a little more defensively than what was needed. He kept his eyes straight ahead as they made their way down the mountain pass and toward the field that would eventually lead them to the Thoda Dock and take them to Thoda island where there was little doubt the last seal before the Tower of Salvation would await them.

"Drop the act darling," Sheelos muttered. "I heard what the Chosen said earlier. About how he is going to die at the end of this journey."

Kraine paused in his step for a brief moment, but it was still enough for the eye of an assassin to pick up on. Sheelos grimaced. "I don't think you have to worry about him. He probably isn't bothered by that fact any more. Knowing Colloyd, I'd say it's much more likely for him to be worried about the fact that he can't save both worlds."

Kraine watched Colloyd while he thought. Since the boy couldn't feel things any more, it was probably very important that he remain vigilant in case he tripped. "Tell me something," he said. "What will you do when you find out that we can't stop the world regeneration and save both worlds?"

"Hmm." Sheelos glanced away. "I suppose I will have to kill him."

"Then be warned," he replied seriously, "it is my duty to ensure no harm comes to the Chosen. You may be outnumbered if you choose to fight us."

Sheelos went to open her mouth but was stopped when a booming voice from behind called them to halt. The group hesitantly turned to see a group of three soldiers standing there, their spears turned to the sky to show they meant no harm. Kraine withdrew the hand that he had instinctively placed on his sword sheath and stepped forward to nominate himself as their spokesperson. "Can we help you?"

"Are you the Chosen's group?" the soldier at the front of the group asked in a hushed tone.

"Who is asking?" Kraine asked.

The soldier at the back produced a sealed letter to the head guard. He unsealed it and read out its contents to them. "A Church of Martel pilgrimage tour guide has been kidnapped by the Desians. In light of this, Dorr has decided that this is the time to gather Palmacosta's forces and launch an attack on the human ranch controlled by Magnius."

"What?" Colloyd gasped. "Chocolat?"

Kraine nodded. "It appears that girl is in trouble yet again. Strange." He rubbed his chin. "I had thought Magnius would not attempt anything again so soon."

"Looks like we _should_ have killed him," Yuan sighed. "Some things are just destiny."

Kraine ignored his not-very-subtle hint that he wasn't impressed with the way they had initially dealt with the Desian leader and frowned at the head guard. "What does this have to do with us?"

"Governer-General Dorr would like you to postpone your Journey of Regeneration temporarily and assist us."

"I'm afraid that it would put the Chosen in danger, so we must decline and send our best wishes that the rescue of Chocolat goes safely," Kraine answered.

Naturally, Colloyd spoke up at that. "Professor! We can't turn our backs on people that need us." He looked at Yuan, who sighed and glanced at Kraine.

"Actually Colloyd, I have to agree with Kraine this time," Yuan said, to much his disappointment. "You _should_ be wondeirng just _why_ they are asking you? Out of all the people they could ask." He looked at Kraine and managed to spot a hint of a smile that he was winning this argument with the Chosen for once. He looked away quickly, feeling sorry for him, knowing that this was far from over. Judging by the look on the guards face at their argument, it appeared he had a better reason than 'just because'.

"It is because..." the guard talking with them shifted uncomfortably. "The Desian leader Magnius has also said he will not release the girl unless he gets an audience with the Chosen and his companions."

"Then we _have_ to go," Colloyd said, clenching his fists and looking at Kraine again determinedly.

"I agree with Col," Gesea said. "It's not like it is completely out of the way for us Kraine."

Kraine looked at the last person in the group to talk, sensing she was also going to agree. She put her hand on her hips. "Don't look at me like that, darling. I'm just agreeing with the majority."

With a heavy sigh and a nod, Kraine crumbled under the force of three against two. The group took the note from the guard and headed down the rest of the mountain.

Xxx

"So it _is_ a trap..." Kraine said softly once they had reached the Palmacosta ranch and discovered the familiar friendly man that they recognised as the right hand man of Governer-General Dorr, Neil. He crossed his arms. Yuan smirked. "Of course, we _did_ know that already."

"But not for the reason we thought," Kraine sighed. "Of several possibilities, it looks as though the worst has come true. Dorr did not just _agree_ to this. He was a part of the plans. I did wonder why a lone girl of little value to them would get kidnapped from a city full of armed forces."

"I'm sorry to tell you this," Neil said softly. "But now that you know, you can just leave this region."

"What about Chocolat?" Colloyd asked. "It's still true that they only wanted to see me, right?"

"We will do our best to get her out, Chosen. I just need some time to assemble our forces and work out the best way of action," Neil said in a tired but reassuring voice. It was abundantly clear to Kraine that this meant they would not be taking action any time soon. The whole thing had made him incredibly curious though. What was in it for Dorr? He thought about Kvar and how they wanted Colloyd's exsphere. He eyed Yuan and saw the half-elf's brain ticking away behind his usual curious grin.

"I don't care if it's a trap," Colloyd said, interrupting Kraine's thoughts. "But I want to know more about why Dorr would set this up with the Desians. He is a kind man. I'm sure there has to be more to this story."

Kraine couldn't help but to look at the boy with a little surprise. "Colloyd, I hadn't expected you to be so grown up about this." He mulled it over. "However, I'm afraid the latter is no longer an option for us." He shot Yuan a more venomous glare. The bluenette put one hand on his hip and raised his eyebrows.

Neil looked confused and looked to Colloyd for answers. Colloyd apparently thought it was fine. "Professor Kraine thinks that the Governer-General will lock us up when he sees us."

"I suppose that is an option," Neil nodded. "After all, you know that he was working with the Desians. If you went there and questioned him about it, he would not take very kindly to that."

Before Colloyd could correct Neil on his assumption, Kraine spoke out. "It goes without saying that we have been trapped into doing this for the safety of that girl." He looked at Colloyd and wondered why he even needed to ask his next question. "We will not have the help of the Palmacosta armed forces. Are you certain you want to enter the ranch?"

"Of course!" Colloyd nodded with certainty.

"There is also the chance that talking with Magnius will reveal how Dorr is messed up with this," Gesea said.

"Well, looks like we're gonna infiltrate," Sheelos said with a grin. She pulled the sleeves of her garb up in readyness. "Just leave that to me. I've got the perfect idea!"

"Does it happen to involve something like-" Yuan started, dropping his backpack and unzipping it. He searched through for a few moments until he found what he was after and pulled out what looked intriguingly like a female Desian outfit. "This?"

Sheelos gazed at it in surprise for a few seconds before crossing her arms and grinning. " _Insightful_ as always, Yuan."

"You shouldn't expect any less," Yuan replied curtly.

"Can't we just enter?" Colloyd questioned. "I mean.. he's expecting us, right?"

"The lower Desians probably don't know anything about this meeting," Kraine said. "Dorr likely couldn't risk a lower rogue revealing that he had ties with them and kept it quiet. In all likelihood, Palmacosta probably knows very little of this operation. I believe an infiltration would be best, despite my reluctance to be involved with more bloodshed than necessary."

"Do you _always_ speak so formally, darling?" Sheelos asked. "You sound like my village chief."

"Your chief?" Colloyd asked.

Sheelos blinked and glanced away. "Um, nevermind. Let's decide who gets to wear the outfit."

"It's a female costume, so I do believe that leaves our options quite limited," Kraine explained. He looked down at Gesea. "My sister is too short, and the rest of our party are male."

"And Noishe isn't an option either," Gesea nodded, petting the 'dog' on the head when his ears pricked up at his name.

Sheelos grinned and took the costume from Yuan. "Let's get going."

xxx

Colloyd couldn't quite comprehend it. Looking at Sheelos dressed in the Desian uniform made him feel oddly uncomfortable, and yet he couldn't take his eyes off of her. Her physique was definitely accentuated by it. He was startled when two angry voices called them to stop where they were what seemed like all of a sudden. Jumping back to reality, he saw that they were nearly at the head of the base. Sheelos tightened her grip on the chains that she had been holding on to while she led her 'prisoners' to the base. Two somewhat short looking Desians ran up to them, their weapons drawn.

"I have the Chosen and his accomplices in my custody," Sheelos explained. "Please allow me to deliver them to Lord Magnius."

The two Desians looked at each other, shrugged and turned back to Sheelos. "Go on then. Hurry."

They all followed Sheelos awkwardly in a straight line until they were safely inside and had turned a corner out of sight. "We should be safe now," Sheelos said, dropping the chain. The rest unbound themselves from the loose chains and handed them back to Yuan, who had also been carrying them in his backpack of surprises. "It looks like the front was mostly just heavily guarded. They probably didn't feel a need to increase the security here."

"I agree," Kraine nodded. "If anything, it would make sense for Magnius to make it as easy as he could for us to get in without arousing too much suspicion."

"We could have just knocked them out, it seems," Gesea said.

"There's little need to be so violent, Gesea," Kraine said. "The less bloodshed, the less likely this is to be dangerous for the Chosen."

Seeming to ignore Kraine's remark, Colloyd sighed as well. "Attacking them would have been much easier and far less distracting, too."

"Distracting?" Gesea asked. "That is an odd choice of adjective, Col."

Colloyd stuttered. "Uh, um.. Nevermind." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he glanced around. His eyes widened when he saw something quite familiar. It was the same kind of device he had seen in the Balacruf Mausoleum. "H..hey! Isn't that one of the reactors for the Sorcerers Ring?" He ran to it, making them all follow with haste.

After some experimentation, Colloyd found that the device allowed them to see objects that shone on the ground that seemed almost invisible to the naked eye. Not only that, but the Desian base had teleportation pads all over the place. After some trial and error, and possibly going around in circles, they discovered that the teleporters were designed to confuse intruders that did not have a sorcerers ring or know the path to take in order to get to Magnius. The ones that led them to new unexplored areas emitted a very faint humming sound that seemed to react when Colloyd activated the ring.

By using his exceptional hearing and the ring, the group finally found themselves standing in front of a slightly different looking teleporter. It was bigger, looked blue when he used the ring, and hummed a little bit louder than the others. There was little doubt that this would lead them to where they would need to confront Magnius.

"Is everyone ready?" Colloyd asked, staring the teleporter down as though it were Magnius itself. "I'm not sure what's going to happen in there."

"I would suggest Kraine and I head in first in case of an unexpected trap," Yuan said, stepping to the front of the group. Kraine agreed and stepped forward with him. The teleporter was large enough to fit two people.

"Okay," Colloyd agreed reluctantly. The two professors stepped onto the teleporter. _Whooosh!_ It made a sound and they were gone in the next instant. Colloyd stepped onto the teleporter with Gesea next and activated the ring. He closed his eyes, expecting the feeling of weightlessness overcome him. After a couple of seconds of nothing, he opened his eyes to see Sheelos looking at them both with a puzzled expression. "Oh no.." He mouthed.

Gesea dropped to her knees and started pounding on the teleporter. "Kraine!"

xxx

"So, you've finally come," said Magnius, turning around in an oversized spinning sofa in the middle of the room to face Kraine and Yuan once they had stepped off the teleporter pad.

Kraine said nothing to the Desian leader, while Yuan put a hand on his hip and glanced at the teleporter when he heard a sound behind him. Instead of seeing Colloyd, he saw the whole teleporter pad freeze solid. "When I said about an unexpected trap, I hadn't foreseen this." He sighed loudly and looked at Magnius. "It appears that the Chosen was never in your sights to begin with. What is it that you want?"

Magnius laughed. "Well, I had wanted to do this alone with the Seraphim next to you, but I suppose it doesn't matter." He looked at Kraine. "I simply want an exchange of information. Now, tell me _exactly_ what is going on, Lord Kraine. Why does the _Chosen_ have the Angelus Project?" He got out of his chair and stepped toward them. "Better yet, why don't you tell me why you're directly protecting him when it is our assignment to kill the Chosen and take back the Angelus Project, and why I shouldn't just kill you now?"


	18. The secrets behind closed Dorr's

Kraine thought he had been staying silent for an eternity. There was no turning back from this. Magnius had found out information he should not by all means know. This did not bode well for the Desian leader. Magnius' knowledge was not at the forefront of his mind however. The blue haired man next to him had heard every word and was now an even greater risk to the mission. Still, they stood together in a united defensive stance, so for the moment he had no choice but to see him as an ally. Slowly he reached for the hilt of his sword and drew it, scraping the sheath intentionally slowly in order to judge Magnius' movements. He had almost been bested by him the last time they had fought and he would not allow that to happen again.

A grin came to Magnius' face when he seemed to realise that their "exchange of information" was over before it began. He raised his axe in the air and jumped away just as Yuan materialised his sword out of the fourth dimension. "You don't want to talk? Well then, my orders are to destroy you."

Kraine led the charge, Yuan tactically covering from the side. Again, as he clashed with Magnius' large axe, Kraine felt as though fighting with Yuan alongside him felt oddly natural. Not that he didn't know why.. the similarities between him and _that woman_ were far, far too obvious. He hadn't yet counted it necessarily as a blessing though.

When he felt Magnius starting to overpower him through the sheer weight in his attack, he ducked over to the left of him and watched as he almost tripped up. Before he could get the upperhand, Magnius swung his axe around himself in a very wide arc. Yuan jumped in the air with only a split millisecond to spare before he would have found himself cut in half right through the abdomen. His dual-edged butterfly blade glowing on one end, he somersaulted over Magnius, landed on the ground behind him, and plunged the sword into the floor. A wide arc of electricity popped around him and stunned Magnius in order to give Kraine a chance to knock him off balance and the axe out of his hands.

As though Kraine were experiencing deja vous, Magnius didn't stay dazed for long. He roared loudly and threw a heavy punch at him. Kraine dodged and watched as his battle-tag finished the job and knocked the Desian stomach first to the ground. Pointing his butterfly blade at Magnius, Yuan waited until the red head turned to face him. "My apologies to turning what might have been a much fairer battle into one that you could not possibly win. Now, for the sake of my own curiosity more than anything, why don't you tell me just _who_ was giving you orders to kill my friend whom is currently about to use his sword on-" He stopped, feeling the coldness of steel pressed lightly on the back of his neck. "Well, me. But you get the idea."

Magnius grimaced. "Like hell I'm going to tell you. You might as well kill me." His eyes trailed to where Kraine must have been standing and he frowned. "Unless your Seraphim starts talking first, my lips will remain sealed."

"You must have lured him here for some reason," Yuan rebutted. "You suspect that you might have been deceived. Am I correct?" He felt the tip of Kraine's blade press harder on his neck but he continued. "This is your last chance Magnius. You should have died long before now, so feel glad you were spared the first time." He positioned the blade closer to his throat and felt Kraine's leave his neck. He took a deep breath and dodged the attack Kraine directed at him, to see that he had indeed only swiped with the flat of the blade. Magnius made one last attempt to get up but found himself ended by a quick and final slice of Kraine's sword.

As Magnius took his final breath, Kraine and Yuan glared at one another, blades turned and waiting for one another to strike first. When neither man did anything, Yuan was the first to declare a truce by making his sword disappear back to the other realm. The blue haired half-elf sighed and resumed a more relaxed stance. "Professor Kraine, I do believe we might have some things to discuss." He immediately drew the long sword from the sheath on his belt and met Kraine's blade right before it hit him. Kraine's serious facade remained solid as lake-blue eyes met emerald green ones and as they tested one another's blade strength.

"If you know what is good for you," Kraine said sofltly, "you will leave this Desian base and never come close to the Chosen again." He strengthened his force and found Yuan met his strength, showing no sign of backing down.

"I'm afraid that would not be in either of our best interests," Yuan replied. They clashed swords with one another, meeting swords as though they had done it a million times before. Yuan swiped upward, knocking Kraine off balance. He turned on his heel and roundhouse kicked him. Kraine dodged back and went in for a kick to receive the same treatment. Yuan grinned as they watched each other steadily and saw a small crack in Kraine's facade.

"It is not surprising that you're highly skilled," Kraine said. "Although, I must admit, this all feels eerily familiar to me. You wouldn't happen to know why that would be, would you?"

"I'm sure you could question me with irrelevant things all day," Yuan said. He glanced at the teleporter. The magic ice that had sealed them and only them in the room was slowly dissipating. "But we both know we have limited time until unwanted ears enter the vicinity."

"Hmph." Kraine sparred with him again, watching his movement and how he seemed to know where he would be before he even made the movement. "Why is it that you allowed me to kill Magnius?" Yuan faltered for just a second and he accidentally let a smile slip. "Fascinating. You only give away your poker face when you're fighting." He jumped back and glanced down at Magnius' lifeless body. "From your position, you could have easily caught me off guard and chosen to question me while being sure that Magnius would not attack you."

Yuan gave him an impressed look. "Hmph, I suppose we find ourselves at a stalemate for information once again, Kraine."

"I'm afraid not," Kraine replied. He put his sword away and crossed his arms. Yuan watched as ethereal blue wings sprouted from his back and fluttered slowly back and forth. "You must tell me why you were not the least bit surprised at hearing I am a Seraphim, and why I shouldn't silence you."

Yuan put his own sword away and mimicked Kraine's crossed arm pose. "I think you only get _one_ free answer." His aura glowed a light orange colour and he shot a small spark of flame magic at the frozen teleporter. "The answer is simple. You shouldn't silence me because I am the only one capable of protecting your son."

Before Kraine could reply, Yuan looked behind him and watched as the last of the ice magic melted away and as the teleporter started to glow, receiving a signal from the other end. "You should put your wings away. That is, unless you want to explain why you look like a giant butterfly at present."

Kraine glanced behind himself and did as Yuan instructed, scowling. "This conversation is not over."

"I look forward to resuming it," Yuan replied, stepping up next to him to wait for the cavalry. "In the meantime, we need to explain what happened, and that Chocolat is nowhere to be seen."

"Do you suppose she was never in danger to begin with?" Kraine asked.

Yuan nodded. "I think Dorr played us like a fiddle. He knew you would not return, given how you left Palmacosta that night."

"Kraine!" Gesea exclaimed.

Kraine watched as she and Colloyd materialised on the teleporter. She was kneeling down as though she had been examining it to try and work out what had happened. She looked up at him and stepped off of the teleporter. "Brother! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Gesea," he answered. He watched Colloyd step off of the teleporter out of the corner of his eye and look at Magnius still on the ground where he had been slain. "The situation went about as expected." He ignored Yuan's grin and knelt down to her level. "I'm sorry to have worried you."

Gesea glanced away. "I knew you could take care of yourself Kraine."

Behind her, Sheelos appeared in the teleporter, being the last to join the metaphoric party. She looked around the room and at Magnius, then to Yuan. "Did you find Chocolat?"

"About that," Yuan started. "We think this was a setup in its entirety. I would suggest that we continue on our mission and to the Thoda Geyser, but I have the distinct feeling that won't suffice, will it Colloyd?"

Colloyd shook his head. "We need to see Governer-General Dorr and get the full story."

Gesea nodded. "We also need to make sure that Chocolat hasn't been taken anywhere."

Colloyd looked concerned. "What about what happened with the Book of Regeneration? Do you think we'll get arrested?"

"I doubt he will even bring it up," Yuan said simply. "I think after we have our visit with him, he may have a few more things to worry about." He stepped past them and used the teleporter, insinuating that the others would follow. Colloyd did, without hesitation. Sheelos complained a little about how she had only just gotten out of that other room before following.

Kraine stepped toward the teleporter and looked at Gesea, who was looking around the room with a confused expression. "Is something the matter Gesea?"

Gesea turned back to him. "It's just.. haven't you noticed it?"

"You might have to be a little clearer," he replied.

Gesea looked around again. "The mana signature here. It feels like yours.. but.. different." She gave him a worried look. "Kraine, do you think someone is following us?"

"No," Kraine said. "You are safe Gesea. I promise I won't let any harm come to you."

She didn't seem convinced. Kraine frowned. "Is this something that has been bothering you?"

Gesea nodded. "It isn't the first time I've felt it. The last time before now was when we were falling over the edge of the cliff at Asgard. It is like it's something invisible."

Kraine said nothing, only shook his head and waved his hand to the teleporter. "We should hurry and catch up with the Chosen and the others."

xXx

Sheelos, Gesea and Colloyd got their wish on the way out of the Desian base. With Magnius dead and no other clear way out, the group found themselves leaving the base the same way that they had entered. The Desians had been so surprised that they hadn't put up much of a fight and with very little fuss, the group met with Noishe again and were on their way to Palmacosta. Neil had made himself scarce.

Kraine travelled with his head in his studies with Yuan maintaining a pace next to him. He was sure that they didn't need to have words to explain that this was not the time to discuss matters further. He hummed in distressed thought until he found his feet clacking on the bridge that led into Palmacosta.

The first thing he noticed when he glanced around while they quietly made their way toward Dorr's office was that the city's militia had returned and didn't seem to be stretched thin. He was sure that the two guards in front of Dorr's front door would stop them, but neither batted so much as an eyelid at them. Something wasn't right with this. He looked at Yuan, who followed him inside. Yuan's attention had immediately been drawn to the open doors to their right that led down to a lower level basement.

"Nobody appears to be around," Gesea said, coming in behind him.

"Not up here anyway," Colloyd corrected her. He pointed to where Kraine and Yuan were both looking. "I think I can hear something coming from down there. It sounds like Dorr and.. someone else."

The group made their way down the narrow staircase that led down into the basement. Around them they could see what looked like holding cells for prisoners and criminals to be kept before being taken to a proper jail. Kraine stopped ahead of everyone else and held out his hand in a stop signal to the rest of them. From their position, they could carefully assess the situation from around the corner.

"When will you allow my Clara to be free of her curse?" Dorr asked a Desian soldier that stood with him and his small blonde haired daughter at the end of the room in front of a suspiciously tarped holding cell.

"Not yet," the Desian answered. "You have been paying us less and less gald. Unless this improves, you will still be a very long way from being reunited with the mother of your child."

Dorr slumped his shoulders. "But this is the best I can do! The tolls, the taxes, the offerings to the Church of Martel…" He growled angrily and clenched his fist as he looked straight into the Desian's helmeted face. "There's nowhere left to squeeze money from! I thought for sure my offering of the Chosen to you would more than pay my debt!"

"The result of your offering of the Chosen to Magnius has yet to be decided. We will inform you again soon enough as to what you may still owe."

Before Dorr could say anything else, the Desian let himself out through a well concealed trapdoor in the floor, and before Kraine could stop him, Colloyd rushed out into the open to confront him. The rest of the group had no choice but to follow and reveal themselves.

The Governer-General turned around at the sound of their footsteps and visibly turned a shade of white. "What are you doing here?! Neil! Where's Neil?!"

"I'm afraid your right hand man told us everything, Dorr," Kraine explained.

Dorr scowled. "So that's it. He betrayed me!"

"You're the one who had betrayed the people of this city, G.G," Sheelos said angrily, stepping forward.

Colloyd nodded. "Sheelos is right. The people of this town believe you are a fair and honest person. How could you betray them and work for the Desians?" He stepped closer to Dorr but Kraine put a hand on his shoulder in order to stop him going too close. Something still didn't seem right.

"Please Governer-General," Colloyd begged. "Let me help you. Are you in some kind of trouble with the Desians?"

"You can't help me!" Dorr snarled, the weakness in his eyes betraying him. He dropped to his knees. "Nobody can save Clara. Not even the Chosen." He reached a hand over to the beige tarp that covered the cell and pulled it off to reveal the beginnings of the truth. A horribly mutated looking creature stared back at them. It wore a torn blue dress with a green buttoned overcoat that looked ready to burst open, had one eye, and long green arms that dangled by its sides, connected to hands equipped with sharp and long claws.

Gesea was the first to make an audible sound past the gasps of the others. "It's.. it's... a monster!"

Kraine found her arms around his abdomen as she hid her face into the side of his leg and cried. Colloyd looked at her with concern before looking back at the creature again. His legs trembling, he moved closer to the cage. "No, you mustn't call her a monster. She's in a lot of pain. This _is_ Clara!"

"You see?" Dorr said. "You see what has become of Clara?"

"So this is why you told everyone in the city that she passed away?" Kraine asked. "Because she has become this creature?"

"How did it happen in the first place?" Colloyd asked. He half didn't need Dorr to answer though, the sudden memory of what Gesea had told him had happened to Marble coming to the forefront of his mind. He looked over the monster again and caught the dauntingly familiar red colour of the gem embedded into it's head. "She was.. another experiment.."

"It's all because of my father, the previous Governor-General. He was a fool," Dorr explained. "Because he insisted on defying the wishes of the Desians, they killed him and planted that demon seed in my Salvatorian as a warning. If I cooperate with them, they will give me the medicine to save her. That's why I had to sacrifice you," Dorr explained. "There will be another Chosen, just as there always is. There will only be one Clara."

"Surely there had to have been another way Dorr," Colloyd said, shaking his head. "By working with the Desians you could have easily found more of your townspeople captured by Magnius and ending up just like Clara, and-"

"Silence boy!" Dorr exclaimed. "Just because you are the Chosen does not mean that your justice and way of thinking is absolute!"

A look crossed Colloyd's face, one that Kraine rarely saw. It was usually reserved for the Desians or particularly frustrating math problems. "You should not talk as though your justice is correct either, Governer-General. If you wanted to save your Salvatorian, you could have resigned from your position and searched for a cure or-"

"Colloyd," Kraine said from behind, interrupting him. "It may not be as simple as that."

"But Professor," Colloyd replied. He wanted to say more but seemed to find himself defeated. He looked back at Dorr. "I suppose not everyone is strong enough to say no to using their social status to stand up against the Desians." He nodded to himself. "I'll find it for you. If there's a medicine that can save Clara, I promise to find it! So please stop what you're doing before it's too late. Magnius is dead, so please just look after your daughter and Palmacosta."

"There's no use. There no way to remove a demon seed once it has sprouted," came a little voice from behind Dorr that belonged to his daughter. Colloyd watched Dorr's eyes stare into cold nothingness, and then as he slumped down in front of his feet. Behind him now, he could see Dorr's daughter holding a bloodied knife and looking at her father with a not-so-human expression on her face.

"What are you doing?" Colloyd exclaimed, looking over the wound she had inflicted upon Dorr. Kraine left Gesea where she had been hugging him and rushed over to him to check it out.

"Kilia, how could you do that to your own father?" Gesea asked. Kilia just laughed at that.

"Don't be fooled," Yuan said, summoning his weapon and glaring at the girl. "This is clearly no child."

"No kidding," Kilia laughed. They watched as her pale skin darknened until it became the colour purple, and as her eyes grew further apart and became a deep blood-red colour. Golden orange horns emerged sideways from her head while she stood and laughed at the unfortunate situation she had created.

"I am a servant of Pronyma, leader of the Five Grand Cardinals who rule over the Desians. I was merely assigned to observe the new human cultivation technique developed by Magnius. There's no way that a superior being such as I could have a fool of a father like this!" She floated up in the air and frowned down at Dorr, whom Kraine was trying his best to heal. Colloyd had a front row seat on all of the action and knew enough to know that his wound didn't look good.

"Just look at him!" Kilia screeched. "He didn't even notice that his own daughter was dead…because he was too busy chasing after medicine that doesn't exist…in order to save his monster Salvatorian! Hahahaha!"

Her laugh pierced Colloyds ears. He drew his dual weapons and summoned his wings in preparation for battle. He leapt into the air and threw his chakram at her. She wasn't very fast and suffered the blow almost head on. He went to slash his sword in an upward motion to rid her of the world when she disappeared out of sight. He heard her laugh from somewhere behind, then Yuan yell his name. There was a distinct and very ear straining screech. He turned to see her startled and knocked back to Clara's cell through the sheer weight of Yuan's butterfly blade, which he had thrown in the air. It ricocheted back toward him and he caught it in mid-air, landing on the ground close to where Kraine was still trying with all his might to stop the Dorr's bleeding.

Kilia groaned. "This can't be! I am superior!" She spluttered something else that they couldn't make up. "See how you like having this monster set loose on you!" With her last breath, she unlocked Clara's cell. Everyone in the room tensed as they watched it stumble to the open door, ignoring Kilia as she turned into dust on the ground after being hit with a fireball Gesea had summoned and waited to unleash, just in case.

Colloyd braced himself to fight the mutant monster, his stomach tying itself in knots. "Please Clara, you have to stop!" he pleaded.

Clara didn't appear to listen, but he could still feel sadness emanating from her and hear a low pitched moan. He raised his sword and heard Gesea scream at him to stop. She ran to his side. "We can't! She's just another innocent victim Col!"

"I know," he said. "But what are we meant to do if she makes the move against us?"

"Back away very slowly," Kraine said softly behind them. They did as he said and watched with equal shock as Clara made her way to the secret passage that the Desian Dorr had conversed with had left through. She lowered herself and disappeared through there.

"Now, close the trapdoor," Kraine instructed.

Colloyd bravely volunteered to do it. When the trapdoor latch was safely fastened, everyone in the room let out a sigh of relief and for a brief moment, everything seemed better. That was, until Kraine stood up from Dorr's body, his face paler than usual. Colloyd took his place and put his hand on Dorr's body. He was still breathing.

"Is.. is Kilia really dead?" Dorr asked, somehow finding the strength to prop his head up to look at Colloyd as he asked the question.

The Chosen paused in thought before giving the Governer-General the most promising smile he could muster at present. "Don't worry. Your real daughter is fine."

"Col.." Gesea mumbled argumentatively.

Colloyd ignored her in order to maintain eye contact with Dorr. He groaned and rested his head back on the ground. "Chosen... if you somehow find a way to save my Clara…please, help her return to her human form. When my daughter comes back, I don't want her to be all alone."

"O..okay. I promise," Colloyd said softly, watching the life finally drain from his eyes. He sat there and watched Dorr sadly. He had seen death quite a few times since leaving Iselia, but it never got any easier.

"Chosen," Kraine said. "We should remove ourselves from this scene before we are suspected of foul play."

Something was different about the Professor's voice too, Colloyd noticed. He didn't follow it up though. The Professor was the Professor after all. If he did not want to talk about something, nothing could make him.

Upon leaving the basement and entering Dorr's office, the group found a familiar face staring at them all. Neil was standing behind the desk, a wad of papers in one hand and a quill pen in the other. After explaining the situation and giving the right hand man a time to calm himself, Neil spoke. "I'm sorry for everything that's happened. Thank you for being so kind to Dorr, even after what he put you through."

"What do you plan to do now?" Kraine asked. "I trust you will allow us to be fully indemnified of any wrongdoing?"

Neil nodded. "I will ensure that your name doesn't come up in any proceedings to take place in the investigation. In the meantime, our first step is to reorganise the government and alert the townspeople of Dorr's _tragic_ and sudden passing."

The group were quiet a first, most probably disagreeing with misleading the townspeople. Colloyd came to peace with it first and smiled gratefully at Neil. "It is better this way. The people need hope in a time like this and their pain at his loss will be easier, knowing he was not a traitor." He turned to the rest of them. "It's time to go."

They agreed and bid farewell to Neil.

"We should go and check on Chocolat," Gesea said once they were clear of the office and standing in the middle of the town circle. "Col, where did you say she lived?"

"I think she and her mother might live at the general store," Colloyd replied, pointing behind them to the housing district of town. They nodded and headed in that direction.

Colloyd followed slower than he would have normally liked to, curious about the expression on Kraine's face. The Professor had his hand to his chin in thought for a few seconds, before spreading his hands out in front of himself and shaking his head.

"Is something the matter Professor?" he asked.

"Nothing that you need to be concerned over, Colloyd," came the carbon-copy answer Colloyd had grown to expect.

He decided to muse aloud to himself while he waited for Kraine to open up. He had a few questions of his own that he wanted to ask. "Do you think I did the right thing, Professor?" he asked. "Telling Dorr that I would help save Clara and that his daughter was alive?"

"As a teacher, I would normally say that telling the truth is always the better option," Kraine started, "but as Dorr was dying and there was nothing I or anyone else could do, I think you eased just a little of his pain." He once again looked at his hands. "Even with my knowledge on white magic, I still am unable to save any lives."

"You did everything you could, Professor," Colloyd reassured.

"Thank you for saying so," Kraine replied. "But I too have a lot to learn still."

They stayed quiet for a short time. They were closing in on Chocolat and Cacao's house now. Colloyd was glad that Yuan apparently knew where to go. Things looked so different in the city during the day. When he had another thought, he looked at Kraine again. The Professor put the book he had been musing through back in his pocket and looked at him expectantly.

"Do you think being a parent is kind of like when you're a twin?" Colloyd asked. When Kraine frowned and seemed to be straining to figure out what his meaning was, he decided to elaborate. "Can you feel whether your children are alright?"

"Parenthood is a very strange thing," Kraine replied simply. "If you're asking me whether Dorr knew that his daughter was not of this world, even though you lied, then it might be possible. We will never know for sure though."

They stopped briefly at the front of the items store while Yuan opened the door. With a pleasant ring of a bell, they stepped into a small and crowded room.

"Welcome to Marbles!" called a woman, Cacao, from over the counter. She seemed surprised when she set her gaze on Colloyd. "Ch..Chosen?"

Colloyd smiled awkwardly and waved a hand in greeting. "We just wanted to make sure that you and your daughter are fine."

Cacao looked concerned. "Has something happened? Chocolat is touring at the moment to the Thoda Geyser Church of Martel."

"There is nothing for you to worry about," Yuan answered, bowing at her. "We were passing through and thought to make sure nothing else has happened since _that night."_

Cacao smiled and shook her head. "Thank you."

They turned to leave the shop after stocking up on a few gels, but Gesea stayed behind. Kraine waited for her at the door and watched her carefully. "Excuse me, Ms Mocha?" Gesea asked.

"Can I help you?" the woman asked politely.

"I was just wondering why you called your store Marbles? I couldn't see any marbles for sale."

Cacao smiled fondly. "It is to remember my mother by. We called it Marbles in hopes that if she returns to us from the Iselia ranch, she will be able to help us run the store like we used to."

Kraine was glad that he had stayed in the doorway. Gesea started to tremble at hearing the story and he knew they needed to leave before she told the truth out of guilt. With a tap on the shoulder and a knowing smile, he led his little sister out of the general store and toward the exit of Palmacosta where the rest of the group were waiting.


	19. Washtubs, waterslides and wishful thinking

"It's a washtub.."

"Yes, it's a washtub."

"Washtubs.. hm..."

Kraine swallowed deeply and moved the moored "transport" a little in the dock while it was still connected to the chain in order to test its suitability. The second he budged it slightly, water came seeping in through the cracks. He looked at the rest of the motley party. Colloyd had an excited twinkle in his eyes as he fiddled with the key in the lock that the woman named Candy had given him once they had paid for their excursion.

"This looks like it'll be fun!" Colloyd chirped, finally unlocking the washtubs with a click and being the first to settle himself inside one. There appeared to be room for two per washtub. Gesea went to slot herself in next to Colloyd but found herself beaten by Sheelos, who did a run up and would have turned the whole washtub overboard if Colloyd hadn't grabbed a hold of the chains attached to the dock in a fit of panic.

Gesea looked at Kraine. "Come on Kraine." She grabbed his hand and began to attempt to lead him toward the edge.

Kraine pulled away and took a very quick few steps backward. "I.." He glanced at Yuan and hated himself for what he was about to say. "I will stay here and put my trust in Yuan to keep you safe."

" _Kraine,"_ Gesea said, exasperated. "They're perfectly safe." She looked ahead at Colloyd and Sheelos, who had paddled away and were enjoying taking turns in steering the death bucket.

"I'm not getting in that thing," Kraine said simply, quite aware of how childish he sounded.

"Okay," Gesea said, surprising him. She started to paddle away. Whether or not it had been her objective to riddle him with guilt with just a single answer, he didn't know, but it worked. He called for her to stop and pulled himself one leg at a time off of the small dock and into the washtub. Yuan settled himself in the last one and caught Noishe as he jumped with his tongue hanging out into it after him.

xXx

"Are you alright Professor?" Colloyd asked, reaching his hand out to him when they had reached the Thoda Geyser dock and offering to pull him up. Kraine steeled himself and refused help out of stubbornness for the most part. Avoiding the grin on Yuan's face that said something like "a seraphim scared of water?", he looked around at his surroundings. He could hear chatter of civilians above them. A steep track just behind them would lead to the tourist area. From there, they would hopefully be able to discover the tell-tale signs of the seal.

"Now that we have completed such a.. rare.. experience, let's continue," he said to the group.

They made their way up the steep hill and past the various merchants and tour guides. Colloyd stopped when he appeared to spy something out of the ordinary up ahead. Kraine surveyed the area and saw a familiar girl with a brown-haired ponytail surrounded by a bunch of people with large backpacks and the occasional child.

"Chocolat!" Colloyd called, waving.

"So _that's_ the girl," Sheelos said. "The way Col was wanting to save her, I thought she was going to be some kinda real beauty." She stalked closer for a better look.

Gesea rolled her eyes. "The idea of that probably never even crossed his mind." She kept her distance. Kraine was torn in-between pulling Colloyd away from the girl to avoid a bunch of tourists somehow learning that he was the Chosen, and switching his attention to Gesea. The news from Cacao was still obviously on her mind because she watched Colloyd greet her with his big smile and handshake with a guilty expression.

"It is alright to feel remorse Gesea," he said as he leaned down to her to be at her eye level. "But sometimes telling the truth can hurt more than keeping a simple secret."

"Your brother's right," Yuan agreed. "Think about why Colloyd told that lie to Dorr."

Gesea frowned. "But it is such a burden to know that I.. I killed her grandmother. I killed Marble." Her eyes filled with tears again. "I'm keeping it from Col too. How can anyone live with keeping secrets this big?"

"It is not for the faint of heart," Yuan replied. "But those of us that do, do it because it would cause more pain to tell everyone the truth." He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small handkerchief. "Wipe your eyes Gesea and continue to endure." He nodded over to Chocolat, who was leading the group around with Colloyd and Sheelos following her and listening to her stories in amusement. "Let's head over there and meet with Colloyd... and Sheelos."

After Gesea had wiped her eyes, they made their way over to the tour group. Colloyd saw them join and sunk to the back to stand with them while Chocolat explained the geyser and the Spiritua statue that sat on a little cliff opposite them. As Kraine listened, he took some mental notes of the features and properties of the geyser for possible homework. He was almost disappointed when they moved away to continue the tour. Eventually Chocolat led them to the edge of the cliff that faced a large cave separated by a calm body of water.

"This is the seal that each Chosen is said to use to reach areas related to their quest on the Journey of Regeneration." Her eyes drifted through the crowd and to Colloyd. Kraine hoped nobody would notice. The last thing they needed was an audience.. particularly for when they would emerge from the last trial before the Tower of Salvation. Still, they couldn't really afford to waste too much time waiting for the crowd of tourists in the area to disperse.

He tapped his foot on the ground and started to formulate a plan. Just as he was getting to the complexities, Chocolat announced a recess in the tour and pointed out a good spot for picnics. The crowd left the group standing a short distance away from the girl, muttering things to each other about what they might like to have for afternoon tea and where the toilets might be located.

Chocolat let out a large sigh of relief when they approached. "Chosen, you shouldn't surprise me like that! It was really hard to not say your name in front of all those people."

"Oh.." Colloyd started stuttering. "I'm sorry."

Chocolat shook her head and glanced at the seal. "I suppose you are all here on business?" Her eyes sparkled with a somewhat disturbingly similar grin to Colloyd's as she gave the boy a once over. "How far away is the regeneration?"

"It's.. it's pretty soon!" Colloyd answered, doing his best to sound excited about it.

"Colloyd," Kraine started. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but now would be a near-perfect time to activate the seal and head inside the cave."

Colloyd surprisingly nodded his head and headed for the stone tablet located just on the edge of the cliff. As per usual, it had the crest of the Chosen engraved on it, was made of limestone, and had an indentation where he was supposed to put his hand. Chocolat watched with curiosity as he did as he always did. When a bridge of light appeared between the edge of the cliff and the cave, Yuan and Sheelos started to head across.

Colloyd and Gesea stayed behind briefly, saying their goodbyes. The simple girl seemed disappointed that they couldn't allow her to follow but probably understood. Had Kraine had it his way, half of the people who now accompanied them would not have been allowed inside. He glanced ahead across the bridge at Yuan, who's hair shone an almost fluorescent hue as the afternoon sun hit it, and then at Sheelos beside him with her arms crossed behind her head and not a care in the world about falling to her death if she didn't look where she was walking. It seemed a safer precaution to keep the two of them closer rather than further away, so he had allowed himself to go along with it. Colloyd and Gesea shook hands with Chocolat and ventured past him and across the light bridge.

Kraine turned to Noishe, who didn't look especially keen to follow. "Don't let anybody come past here, okay?"

Noishe tilted his head, blinked twice, yawned and dropped to his stomach. "Good," Kraine said, smiling down at the 'dog'. He turned on his heel and was the last to follow the group into the depths of the cave.

Chocolat watched as the last of the group entered the cave and looked at Noishe, who was currently giving her a lazy half-asleep look. A concerned look on her face, she turned away and headed for the picnic area of the tour group. She stood on a small grassy patch and waved to a woman wearing a tight bonnet a little way away. She stood, brushed herself off, and headed toward her.

"Thank you for trusting me," the woman said, taking off her bonnet and letting her hair fall over her shoulders and down her back.

Chocolat stuttered for a second, somewhat intimidated by her green eyes. They reminded her of the blue haired man that travelled with the Chosen group, except her eyes seemed intense with an unsaid desire.

"Thanks to you, I know what happened to granny." She glanced behind herself. "I can't believe that's the imposter group. No wonder they got away with it." She clenched her fist. "Using magic to summon wings and fool me into thinking he was the Chosen! I won't forgive any of them." She turned to the woman. "Thank you for revealing your true identity to me, Chosen."

"Please," the woman said with a smile, "I am just doing what I am destined to do."

Chocolat giggled nervously. "I never imagined I would be friends with the Chosen." She leaned closer. "Your wings are beautiful."

The woman smiled and flipped her odd blue hair behind her elven-looking ears before turning away and raising one arm in the air. Members of the tour group stood up on cue and headed to her. A spiky haired man was the first to make it to her and bowed slightly before addressing her. "My Lady, what would you have us do?"

"As we planned, Botta," the woman replied.

"The fake Chosen and his companions set some kind of monster in front of the path to stop anyone else from going in," Chocolat explained. "What are you going to do about that?" She hoped secretly that they wouldn't kill it. It was pretty cute and seemed pretty harmless.

Everyone waited for the Chosen's verdict. She let out a giggle. "Oh, don't worry about him. I'll take care of that."

"Are you sure?" Botta asked her. "He might look friendly but he has been asked by Kraine to allow nobody inside, remember?"

The Chosen shook her head. "Don't worry Botta. That Arshis won't cause us any trouble."

xxx

"Excellent," came Kraine's voice from behind Colloyd and Gesea. Colloyd glanced at his friend as they turned in the direction of the Professor. It wasn't hard to recognise and somewhat fear _that_ tone of voice. "Now that we're inside..." Kraine continued, mumbling to himself as he looked around the area with his magnifying glass, "we can begin the excavation at once!" He started laughing softly to himself.

Gesea cringed a little and headed for her brother. " _Kraine!_ We are not here to excavate anything."

Kraine's 'ruin maniac' eyes faded a bit and common sense seemed to return. "It is not a crime to marvel at ones surroundings, Gesea. I assure you, my interest in the research is founded." The crazy look returned to his eyes, making Colloyd realise that the journey might take a little longer than he had thought. In a way, he wondered if he should actually be thanking his Professor instead.

In the next instant, as Gesea gave up and headed on up ahead, Kraine snapped out of it and cleared his throat. Colloyd waited for the man to catch up with him. When they began walking side by side, Kraine watched as the boy slowly zoned out and almost walked directly into a wall. He pulled him out of the way of the oncoming inanimate object just in time and snapped the boy out of his thoughts.

"S..sorry," Colloyd replied. "I was just thinking about Chocolat."

Kraine raised his eyebrows. "That girl?"

Colloyd nodded. "She acted like she was happy to see me.. but.." He frowned in confusion. "I felt like she wanted to say something else to me. I wonder what it was?"

Kraine thought briefly on it before shrugging. "I doubt it was anything to be overly concerned about. You should be more concerned with your surroundings, Chosen. You could get yourself killed if you aren't careful."

"But that's why I have you, isn't it?" Colloyd asked with a grin. When Kraine didn't return a smile, he sighed. "I wish you wouldn't call me that. Besides, it's not like _you're_ never deep in thought about anything and never make mistakes."

"I never said anything of that nature," Kraine defended. "We all make mistakes Colloyd. I have made many in my life. I once made a terrible choice that haunts me even to this day."

Colloyd couldn't help but be surprised. The Professor _never_ spoke about his past. He wondered if the 'mistake' had anything to do with the Salvatorian he chose to have a child with in accordance to the W.S.P. The last time the topic had come up though, he had been shut down pretty quickly. He had learned his lesson on prying into that particular avenue of his Professors history, but he was still incredibly curious. "It haunts you, Professor?" he asked, trying to be delicate and evasive.

Kraine's thinking eyes were replaced by the usual cryptic gaze after he blinked. "Oh, nothing. I apologise." He sped up his pace and gestured for him to follow.

Colloyd scratched his head in confusion and followed. _"_ _What's he apologising to me for? I really don't understand him sometimes."_

xXx

Colloyd stopped with the group when they came to a Sorcerers Ring changing device. The ring on his finger was vibrating with the power from the device. He turned away from the party and gripped his hand into a fist to activate it. A burst of water came flying out of nowhere as though a water pipe had just blown.

"It makes sense," Gesea said. "This place is a plentiful source of water, so maybe this device reacted to that."

"With that power, we can supply water even to distant areas. Depending on the type of contraptions this seal has in store for us, even those of us whom are able to use magic may not be able to summon the water for long enough to be useful," Kraine said.

Following the path around and fighting some small fish-like monsters along the way, the group found themselves standing in front of a contraption that looked like a large version of kitchen scales. On top of the scales were water jugs, and on the left and right hand side of each scale was a large stone wall with a water drop symbol protruding out of the ground. Colloyd used the ring to shoot some water in the jug on the scale that was higher. The device lowered so that the two were roughly the same height, but nothing happened. Colloyd turned to Gesea, who shrugged and looked puzzled. He looked at Sheelos next, who was looking up to the roof. Following her gaze, he saw a small path. "I wonder if that leads to anything?" Before anyone could say anything else, he summoned his wings and flew up, proud that he had taken the initiative on something for a change.

"Be careful, Col!" Gesea called as she watched Colloyd hover in midair while he examined the surroundings above. He dropped back down to them. "There are some fire symbols and a jug that's on fire." He looked at his ring. "That's not fair. The Sorcerers Ring changed without being asked to."

"I can do it Col," Gesea offered. Colloyd looked at her as she summoned her kendaxe. "Take me up to the top there. I'm the smallest here so.." She looked down, her voice going quiet.

Colloyd tilted his head, wondering why she was going completely red. Maybe it was embarrassment? She never had been one to like being the center of attention. "Okay, here goes!"

He picked her up and carried her to the top level of the room, past the fish monster that had its back to them at the time. It was harder to fly with someone else in tow, but Colloyd had experienced much more pain when he had saved Harleisha and Linar from falling to their deaths after the incident at Asgard. That was when he had been _able_ to feel things, at least.

With a quick incantation, Gesea set the unlit vase on fire. Colloyd assumed it must have been filled with something flammable in order to work, but tried not to think too hard on it save he ask the Professor for answers and get an assignment in return. A buzzing sound came from over to their left and a teleporter glowed to life. Colloyd looked down at the remaining group from above and waved. "Looks like we have to come up here guys."

"And is the darling Mr Chosen going to help us?" Sheelos asked, looking to follow the path that they were standing on to the exit of the room over to the southeast. "The gate there looks like it's blocked off."

"It would appear we've skipped over a complication to encounter another one," Yuan said. "Colloyd, would you be obliged?"

Colloyd nodded and assisted the rest of them one at a time to get to the top. Once they were all safe, they each ate a gel to top up their energy. If the previous seals were anything to go by, they would likely be facing an enemy.

Colloyd opened his eyes after a time when he thought the light feeling of going through a teleporter would have normally subsided. He barely had time to react when a blue monster with a long mermaid-like fish tail came charging right for him. He ducked for cover and it went over him and Gesea. Kraine and Yuan drew their weapons first and seamlessly ducked in opposite directions. Colloyd scanned the battlefield and watched the movement of the trio of enemies that had attacked from the get-go. There was one larger one and two smaller ones. The larger one looked like it was summoning magic, as Gesea next to him had already started to do. The two smaller ones were fighters, judging by how they met the swords of both Professors and didn't immediately get chopped to ribbons. Sheelos ran into the fray next, taking out her cool floating battle cards that she still hadn't explained.

"Pyre seal!" she exclaimed as she threw one of the cards on to the belly of the largest mermaid monster and only narrowly dodged a rather painful looking tail whip. Colloyd decided to help Sheelos in the battle first. He took his sword and reached for the chakram. He held the round bladed disk in his hand and readied it for an aerial assault, but as he went to let it leave his fingertips, he found himself gripping it tighter accidentally. He remembered the feeling well. An unsettling knot wound its way through his stomach. He couldn't remember how to throw the chakram correctly. Awkwardly holding the chakram in his hand, he ran in with his sword ready and summoned his wings. Timing his attack with Sheelos', they managed to knock the enemy to the ground. As it fell with a loud crash, a large lightning bolt of magic hit it square on.

"Colloyd!" Sheelos exclaimed. Colloyd found himself on the floor a second later, the mermaid that he had previously thought out for the count on top of him and the prongs of its trident that it had gripped in its fingers protruding straight through his armour. He knew he should have cried in pain, but instinct kicked in first and he used the chakram still in his left hand to make a nasty dent in the side of its snarling head. It flinched back and pulled the trident clear.

What shocked Colloyd more was seeing the blood on the prongs. _His_ blood. Just looking at it, it had been stuck in there pretty deep. For a vital moment, he stared at the sight, only to be waved out of it when he saw the flash of lightning magic from Gesea again followed by the blur of Kraine and Yuan as they did a dual slash on the large monster, having felled their own targets sometime during the last few seconds. The mermaid monster turned to dust on the ground with a high pitched shrill.

Kraine ran to him, his aura glowing white. If he was healing him, Colloyd couldn't feel it. Gesea looked horrified as she approached. "Kraine! Is Col going to be okay?"

Kraine didn't answer right away, his gaze meeting Colloyd's. "You might want to sit down, Colloyd," he said quietly. "You will faint of blood loss if we cannot stop this."

Colloyd nodded and did as he said, but smiled at Gesea. "I'm okay. I'm sure it just looks bad."

"I don't buy it," Sheelos gaped. "What's going on? You were _skewered_ and you act like it's no big deal."

Colloyd couldn't bring himself to meet her eyes. "It's okay, really! You guys don't need to worry about me."

"That only makes us women worry _more,"_ Sheelos answered. "By the way, your daddy dearest looks like he's descending on us again."

Colloyd went to move but Kraine held him firmly in place. "You are not fit to move, Colloyd. This may take some time."

"Chosen of Regeneration… You have done well in reaching this far. Now, offer your prayers at the altar," came the voice of Remiel from above.

Despite Kraine's instructions, Colloyd got to his feet. His eyes were a little blurry when he stood and apparently he had lost enough blood to wobble as he walked. His companions went to help but he held up a hand weakly and insisted on finishing what he had started. They had come this far anyway. The transformation couldn't get much worse than it already was, anyway.

"Oh Goddess Martel, great protector and nurturer of the earth, grant me thy strength!" He summoned his wings and watched as his vision darkened around the corners. Remiel appeared out of a floating ball of light from above in front of him.

"Your journey has been long. You have done well to reach this far, Colloyd, the Chosen one!"

"Thank you…Lord Remiel," Colloyd replied. He wanted to ask or say more but the words wouldn't leave his mouth. His mind had gone blank.

"Let us grant you our blessing," Remiel continued. A ball of light travelled from him and into Colloyd's body.

"…Thank you," he replied again.

"Hmm? Now, Chosen One. Your journey is finally drawing to a close. It is time for you to rejoice. The path to the Tower of Salvation is open! Head to the Tower of Salvation and offer your prayers of regeneration! Then, you will be able to climb the stairway of meet Origin."

"The world regeneration is going to take place?" Gesea asked. She didn't need to elaborate. Colloyd understood her feelings perfectly. Since learning about Tethealla, nothing about what they had striven for and what Colloyd had been primed for his whole life made as much sense as it had before.

"I shall await you at the final seal, Colloyd…my son. There, you will become an angel, like me, and the world will be regenerated." Remiel disappeared with a flash of light and a puff of angel feathers.

Colloyd put his own wings away and turned to the group. Their eyes immediately went to his shoulder wound again, but his eyes went elsewhere when he watched several figures appear in the teleporter behind them. He recognised the dark-haired man from Gesea's kidnapping in the Triet Desian base. It was Botta.

Botta stepped off of the teleporter. "Hello Chosen. I am afraid you will need to die today."

Colloyd opened his mouth to retort but no sound came out. Suddenly, it became crystal clear what the last test before becoming a full angel would be. Botta and his Desians stepped off of the teleporter and more figures appeared behind them. _"It's an ambush,"_ Colloyd thought, gripping his sword and realising he had left his chakram on the floor on the other side of the room where Kraine had been healing him.

"We aren't here for no reason," Yuan replied, grinning like a Cheshire cat at Botta for some reason. Botta glared at him and drew his red blade from his sheath. It looked as though it had been repaired. "You might be able to take on some of us, but not all of us!" He charged for him and Yuan caught the assault. Colloyd went to ready himself with his weapon but found his vision darkening with any movement of his arm. While Sheelos and Gesea met some of the Desians rushing them and held them off, the fact that more kept appearing in the teleporter was not a good sign.

Kraine backflipped and landed next to Colloyd. "Chosen, stay behind me." He put away his sword and clapped his hands together. Under the clashing of swords and the cries of the Desians and his friends, he heard Kraine chanting a melody. When he stopped, a large blue dome appeared around the two of them with a bit of breathing room on either side. Sheelos fell back and looked over their situation, watching Gesea fling a few Desians in the air with a stalagmite spell. The Desians got closer than desirable and she seemed to realise she needed to change her tactic. Throwing her weapon in the air, she caught it with the other end and swung it around herself in a wide crescent.

"Kraine!" she called, knocking another lot down. "We can't do this forever."

Kraine nodded in recognition but he didn't appear to know what to do.

"Looks like it's finally _my time_ to shine!" Sheelos said in a surprisingly uppy tone given their dire situation and that there was nowhere to run. Colloyd could only watch from his protective bubble as Sheelos fought off some Desians before placing her own hands on the altar. It seemed crazy at first, but soon enough the ground rumbled and the ground in front of it opened up to reveal a patch of water. A blue woman with purple tattoo's along her chest and arms, long flowing purple hair and legs that connected into a curved tail floated out and stood on the water, looking at Sheelos. She wasn't human, but she didn't seem like a monster either.

"Undine," Sheelos called.

"You who possess the right of the pact. I am one who is bound to Mithos. What is your name?"

Her voice was something else. If it could have sent shivers down his spine, Colloyd was sure it would have. Undine sounded like she was talking underwater.

Sheelos stepped back in surprise and Colloyd stared. " _Mithos? As in, the **hero** Mithos?"  
_

"We must not get distracted with the details," Kraine called. He was starting to sound worn out. The Desians were surrounding the barrier and doing their best to weaken it. Gesea, having taken out many Desians with her kendaxe swings, appeared to be at the end of her tether and made her way into the barrier for some respite. Yuan was still swinging and dodging Botta. It seemed the Desian had improved from their last run in. Yuan didn't seem to be able to get a decisive blow on him and it seemed like he was just stalling for time.

"I am Sheelos," Sheelos answered. "Undine, I seek a pact with you."

"As things stand now…I cannot," Undine answered, seeming to pay no special attemtion to the direness of their situation.

"What?" Sheelos asked. Colloyd could barely see what was going on past the persistent Desians, but judging from the sound of Sheelos' voice, this was not meant to happen. "Why?" Sheelos asked.

"I am already bound by a pact. I cannot form two pacts at the same time."

"You mean your pact with that Mithos guy?" She put her head in her hand. "They never mentioned this could happen at the institute!"

"Sheelos," Kraine called. "A Summon Spirit pact requires a vow. As long as the pact-maker upholds that vow, the pact remains valid."

"…That is correct," Undine replied.

" _So it is a summon spirit,"_ Colloyd stared. Sheelos had told them that she could summon spirits, but she had yet to show them the proof in the pudding, so to speak.

"Therefore," Kraine continued, "all you need to do is ask for the annulment of the previous pact and form a new one. The previous pact-maker may have broken his vow or passed away."

"How do _you_ know this, anyway?" Sheelos asked while she fought off some Desians that got too close.

"I am a scholar," Kraine replied simply. "Hurry, otherwise we all might die here and both worlds will eventually fall."

"But what if the pact maker hasn't broken his vow or died?" Sheelos asked. The answer was self explanatory though and Kraine didn't seem to want to waste any more energy on it.

"Okay, I'll give it a shot," Sheelos nodded to herself. "Hey Undine, I'm Sheelos! I ask that thou annulst thy pact with Mithos, and establish a new pact with me."

For a tense moment, Undine paused. Colloyd somehow imagined her searching files in her brain. Then she spoke. "Before I can allow the formation of a new pact, I must test your worthiness as a pact-maker. Draw your weapons."

Sheelos gasped. "Undine, please give us your aid. We are unable to fight right now."

Undine thought. "I sense spirit within you, and for that I am willing to make a one-time agreement to allow you to use my power as you see fit. Do be warned however, that this comes as a cost."

"A cost?" Sheelos asked. She fought away some more Desians but they seemed to all be converging on her location now instead of hacking at the barrier Kraine was still somehow holding up for Colloyd and Gesea's sake.

"You alone will fight me to earn the right to my power, and if I do not see you worthy of my power, you shall die," Undine replied.

"Oh come _on,"_ Sheelos cried. She shook her head. "Okay."

"Very well then," Undine sounded pleased and turned into a ball of blue light. "Use my power to travel through the water and to freedom," Undine said before she disappeared.

Sheelos nodded. "Okay." She turned to the group. Yuan backflipped close to her, Gesea ran and Kraine used the last of the energy he could muster to scoop Colloyd into his arms and carry him, the protective barrier still surrounding them. With a cry of Undine's name, the water she had emerged from rose higher and enveloped them. Like a slippery dip made of water, the party found themselves flying out into sunlight, around a few bends, upstream and downstream, underwater and then floating upward to surface at the top of a lake. Before he blacked out, Colloyd saw a sign nearby that read "Lake Umacy."


	20. The beginning of the end

" _Wha...Whoah!"_

Colloyd gasped as thoughts suddenly started to race through his mind. He opened his eyes to see the relief on the campfire-lit faces of Gesea and Kraine, who were surrounding him as though he were on his death bed. He opened his mouth to apologise but quickly shut it again.

"Are you okay, Col?" Gesea asked him. "You blacked out for quite a while."

Colloyd thought back to the last events of the day. The sun had obviously set since he had blacked out because he could still remember the piercing of the bright sun in his eyes when they had emerged from the cave and each time they had dunked in and out of water. He moved to sit up and was pleasantly surprised that it didn't feel anywhere near as difficult to do. A white bandage was wrapped liberally around his shoulder and his red jacket and armour sat on the ground next to him.

"You should not move too much," Kraine instructed. "I have done my best to seal your wound but your body is not in very good shape. You should also refrain from summoning your wings unless it is absolutely necessary."

Colloyd habitually opened his mouth to say "thank you Professor," but when no sound came out and his mouth moved, he realised he had sealed his fate.

"Col?" Gesea asked, tilting her head. "What's wrong?"

He looked down from all of their gazes. Kraine sat back and hummed in thought. "It would appear that he has lost his voice."

"His _voice?"_ Gesea gaped. "Is this a part of the trial of becoming an angel?"

"Becoming the one who will regenerate the world is not meant to be an easy task," Yuan said, coming into sight with Sheelos beside him, carrying an arm full of twigs for the camp fire that roared with life close by.

"But this seems just so unfair," Gesea replied. "I don't even understand why the Chosen needs to go through these trials."

"It does seem harsh," Kraine agreed. "But that is why we must stay strong for the Chosen." He cleared his throat. "For the sake of disclosure, I feel it is time I told you all the extent of Colloyd's Angel Toxicosis."

xxx

"I _knew_ it," Sheelos gaped once Kraine had all sat in thought for a moment, listening to the sound of the crickets and insects of the night. " _That's_ why you acted like it was just another day in the park. You couldn't even feel that you'd been stabbed," the assassin eventually continued.

Colloyd nodded and opened his mouth to apologise, shutting it again when he couldn't. Gesea let out a sigh. "Even when you can't apologise, you still apologise. It isn't your fault Col."

 _"I'm sorry,"_ he thought again. He wondered how he could communicate with her. In a sudden spark of genius, he reached for one of her hands and wrote out his thoughts in the palm of her hand."

"I.M S.O.R.R.Y," Gesea read. She sighed and gave him a half smile. "Didn't I just tell you it wasn't your fault?"  
Colloyd shook his head and continued writing. She read the words out as they formed. "I D.I.D.N'T W.A.N.T Y.O.U T.O W.O.R.R.Y." Gesea shook her head. "Col! You're my best friend. I am going to worry regardless. When did we start keeping secrets from each other?"

Her voice became quiet and sullen at the end of her sentence as though she had trailed into her own thoughts about something else. It reminded Colloyd of how she and Kraine acted when they didn't want to talk about the times before they had come to Iselia. She was keeping something from him. Still, if she didn't want to talk about it, it was fine. He couldn't bring himself to tell her what would be coming next. It was probably selfish of him, but he wanted his last memories with her to be happy ones.

He looked at Sheelos next, who held out her hand expectantly. "Am I going to get a Salvatorian invite from the Chosen on this fateful evening?" She watched Colloyd start spelling his words in her hand. "N.O.T L.I.K.E.L.Y."

She laughed. "I was kidding, really." Nobody believed her, but she hushed everyone when Colloyd started to write in her hand again. "I W.I.L.L A.S.K A.B.O.U.T T.E.T.H.E.A.L.L.A W.H.E.N I M.E.E.T O.R.I.G.I.N."

"I know," Sheelos answered. She looked incredibly disappointed. "But what happens to Tethe'alla if you can't do anything?" Kraine shot her a glare but she ignored it. "My world is counting on me as well." She wrote something on Colloyd's palm, and he gave her a look and wrote something back. Sheelos sighed and waited while Colloyd decided to write something else after. "W.H.A.T H.A.P.P.E.N.E.D W.I.T.H U.N.D.I.N.E?"

"She hasn't said anything since we got out of the water," Sheelos answered and shrugged her shoulders. "I think she's giving me the night off."

"Speaking of which," Kraine interjected, "We should all try to rest as much as possible tonight. Tomorrow will be the day." He stood, stretched, and walked off. Although the Professor didn't want to show it, Colloyd understood the implications well. Although he had told the group the secrets behind his condition, he hadn't said anything about the true meaning of the world regeneration and what would happen to him tomorrow.

Yuan must have seen his worried gaze over his Professor because he stood as well and followed him out of the small clearing they were situated and toward where Colloyd could see some moonlight hitting the lake.

xxx

When Yuan reached the exit of the clearing, he slowed his pace. Kraine was nowhere to be seen. He sighed and softly drew his short sword from its sheath. As expected, a sword swung out at him from the shadows. He fought it off and jumped back to face his opponent. Kraine looked impressed and put his sword away. "You do have keen senses."

Yuan rolled his eyes and sheathed his sword. "You were testing me."

Kraine didn't answer and walked toward the embankment. "Did you come to chide me?" he asked. "You can save your breath if so."

Yuan stood next to him. "Did you not listen at all to what I have stated several times since travelling with you?" he asked, feigning being hurt by Kraine's statement. "We are on the same side."

"Hmph," Kraine grumbled as he crossed his arms.

"There is no need to be on guard," Yuan reasoned. "I also meant what I said at the Palmacosta base this morning."

"Hmph. I suppose there is no honour in playing the clueless card," Kraine surmised, slightly relaxing his shoulders. The average person might not have noticed his change in countenance, but Yuan saw straight through it. "My question to you is how do you know such information?"

Yuan looked through the trees to where Colloyd and Gesea were sitting. Colloyd looked incredibly troubled, Gesea doubly so. "One only has to study the two of you to see it," Yuan explained. Kraine said nothing, appearing to want a more complicated answer than that. "He talks the talk, just like his father," Yuan explained, "and although a bit loose with his sword skills at present, he will one day walk the walk, too."

Kraine started to feel irrationally irritated. Yuan always did that to him. Just like _that woman_. "What you're saying is conjecture. What is your point?" He glared and studied Yuan carefully and silently, like a snake judging its prey before going in for the kill, Yuan thought. Kraine continued, "Earlier you said that you are the only one who could protect my son. Just what did you mean by that? What makes you think it is possible to protect the Chosen from his fate?" His eyes narrowed. "You know much more than you are saying, Yuan."

Yuan was the one to stay silent this time. Kraine went to prod him but he held up a hand to hush him. "A young man once told me that no life should be born for the sole purpose of dying. I plan to believe in those words until the end. I don't think they will fail. Destiny is destiny, after all."

With those words, he turned on his heel and headed back to the group. Kraine watched after him, curious and infuriated in equal measures.

* * *

**Later that night..**

* * *

While Gesea, Sheelos and Yuan slept, Kraine took up night watch with Colloyd. The boy had found a distraction, working on the figurine that he had initially given Gesea. He wasn't sure when she had given it back to him, but he sensed Colloyd's reasoning for working on it further was a more personal one than he deserved to know. He had gotten a set of small acrylic paints as well as a variety of brushes from none other than Yuan before he had retired to bed, and was busy painting a lime green coating of paint on to the wood. As if sensing his stare on him, Colloyd turned his head and gave Kraine a look. The Professor blinked and glanced down at the book he had been pretending to study to appear occupied. Colloyd left his work and approached. He poked his hand, asking to be able to talk in the new way he had discovered.

" _Are you worried about Noishe?"_ Colloyd asked.

"Your dog?" Kraine asked back.

The Chosen nodded. _"_ _You and Yuan both seem to like him a lot. I thought you might be worried since we left him at the Thoda Geyser."_

That last sentence had structured itself painfully slowly. Kraine was glad that teaching and a long life had afforded him patience. He wasn't sure what to say to the question though and decided reassurance for the Chosen was probably best. "If you are worried about Noishe, I don't think there is a need. There were many friendly people there with food and no monsters. He will be alright until we return."

 _"Then you.. will return for him?"_ Colloyd signed. _"Even if it means going over the sea again?"_

Kraine simply nodded and went back to his reading, hoping that would be the end of the conversation. Colloyd seemed to get the hint, mostly. He finished the train of thought with a request. Kraine reluctantly held his palm out for the question.

" _When you find Noishe, would you be able to take him back to my dad's house?"_

Kraine kept on his guard and nodded. "Do not worry Chosen. I will ensure your affairs are in order after the world regeneration is successful."

The dual-wielder Chosen gave him a look and wrote something else in his hand. Kraine watched slowly as the letters formed. "Are you sure?" he asked, once the complete sentence had formed. Colloyd nodded. Kraine looked around at the group. Yuan had his eyes closed, but his breathing was soft, unlike the snoring of Gesea and Sheelos on either side of him. They would be safe in his care, he hoped.

xxx

"Hey! Chicky!" Sheelos shook Gesea awake. She mumbled and squinted her eyes, but when she saw the unmistakable figure of Undine behind her, she jumped awake. "What's going on?"

"Undine woke me to battle with her but-" Sheelos gestured to the area around them and Gesea took a good look around. The site looked like a normal morning after an evening of rest on their journey. There was a camp fire that had quelled overnight, sleeping bags, and a rising sun. Two things were missing though. There was no sign of Kraine or Colloyd.. or Yuan for that matter.

"-We have bigger problems," Sheelos ended.

Gesea stood from the slightly damp grass and did a full 360. Unsurprised by the fruitless outcome, she closed her eyes and scanned the area from Kraine's mana signature. Nothing. Squinting her eyes harder, she desperately extended her search past the the normal field of 'vision'. When she reached her limit, she opened her eyes and let out the breath that she had been holding. It was then that she saw a hint of blue coming from the trees and Yuan emerging from the lake. He seemed surprised when he saw her and Sheelos scanning the area. "You're awake I see."

"Yuan," Sheelos stalked over to him and put her hands on her hip. "Where have they gone?"

Yuan remained quiet and Sheelos growled at him in frustration. "Don't play dumb. I _know_ you know. You've been ten steps ahead this whole time and- hey where are you going!?"

Yuan stopped her from continuing by walking past casually and standing in front of Gesea. "There's something you should know."

Sheelos stalked up behind him to listen, staying clear of Undine who still hovered a little above the ground patiently for the battle she had been promised. The kid was not going to like what came out of Yuan's mouth next. She almost felt sorry for her.

"I apologise for the secrecy," Yuan said. "Your brother and Colloyd headed off to the Tower of Salvation late last night. Colloyd did not want you to see what would happen next."

Gesea trembled but her eyes remained strong as she kept eye contact with him and waited for the rest of the information. "Becoming the Chosen means becoming an Angel," Yuan explained. "But becoming an angel means that Colloyd's human life will end."

At the final part of the knowledge, Gesea's trembling became worse. "H..how?" She asked. "How are they going to get to the Tower of Salvation?"

"Hima," Yuan explained. The panic in Gesea's expression grew. Yuan continued. "That's the only place they would be able to get to the Tower of Salvation from short of flying. Colloyd is not in shape to fly and your brother would only be more of a burden on him. There is a dragon breeder there." He glanced at Sheelos and she nodded slowly in confirmation. She looked off in thought at the mention of Hima though.

"Then it is impossible," Gesea said. "For us to try and follow."

Sheelos laughed and she clenched her fist at her. "What are you sniggering about? My best friend is going to die today. We have to-"

"Have to what?" Sheelos interrupted with a question. "Let's say we get to him before he sacrifices himself. Are you going to stop him? Don't you want your world to be regenerated?"

Gesea didn't answer at first, but eventually she shook her head. "Even if I can not do anything for him, I need to be there." She gave Sheelos an odd look. "Don't _you_ want to make sure he doesn't succeed?"

Sheelos sighed and dropped to her backside. She crossed her arms over her legs. "I wanted to try trusting him.. like he trusted me." She clenched her fist. "But even still.." She stood and looked at Yuan. "You're right. We have to go there."

Yuan grinned and reached into a pocket of his robes. He brought out what looked like a P.E teacher whistle. "Then we will take to the air. It wil be easier to catch up with them from there."

"The... the air?" Gesea blinked and watched as he blew into it. No sound came from it, but something about it sent a shiver up and down her spine. At first it looked like nothing happened until the loud beating of wings against air sounded from above. Sheelos and Gesea looked up at the same time and gaped at what they saw lowering to their location. Three.. _dragons._

Sheelos looked at Yuan, her eyes wide. "You really _do_ have all the answers, don't you? But how.."

Yuan couldn't help the smug grin on his face as he watched the dragons descend to the ground and land with a soft thud. Sheelos gaped as though she had just had a realisation. Yuan cut her off before she could say anything and Gesea before she could ask. "There is no time. We have an appointment with destiny." He helped Gesea onto a black and blue dragon and hopped onto his own, a grey and green dragon with a bright orange mane and a yellow saddle.

Sheelos looked back at Undine. "Sorry Undine, looks like we might have to postpone."

Undine didn't look impressed but faded away into a little ball of light, disappearing inside of her. As she hopped onto her dragon, a blue one with a yellow mane and a purple saddle, she heard Undine inside her head. _"This delay will not go unnoticed. You **will** pay penance."_

Sheelos shivered at the thought.

xxx

Colloyd stared ahead as the tower come into view as he gripped the painted Noishe figure in his hand tightly. He hadn't finished it yet, but he had run out of time.

"Hold on," Kraine said, turning his head back to him slightly and gripping the reigns of the harness on the dragon they had borrowed from a tamer in Hima. The man had initially asked for millions of gald for the use since he had mentioned he had only a few left for rent after selling three to someone else. Naturally revealing his wings and having Kraine explain that he was the Chosen had forced his hand and they had gotten away with a deal.

Colloyd held onto his Professor as they dove lower through the clouds to the base of the tower where the lone platform with a tablet for him to place his hand stood. He had noticed Kraine tensing up as they rode and wondered what to say... figuratively speaking. Any words he could have said didn't seem right enough. He had burdened his teacher and friend with a lot over the course of their journey together under the premise that he was older and wise enough to handle the situation. Kraine _knew_ what was going to happen to him. He likely knew that he would have to be the one to tell Gesea that he wouldn't be coming back once he did the final test for Remiel. He settled for resting his head against the teachers back and writing "T.H.A.N.K.Y.O.U" into it.

"We still have much to do before you should be thanking me," Kraine replied.

Once they both had both feet on the ground after 'parking' their dragons, Kraine took the whistle he had gotten from the tamer and gave it a blow. The dragon comically tilted its head, gave a growly squawk, and flew off back toward Hima. Colloyd gave Kraine a worried look.

"This very same whistle should be my way back as well," Kraine reassured him. He turned to the tablet and Colloyd approached. With the light touch of his hand on the tablet, a light blue ethereal staircase appeared from the edge of the platform to the mouth of the tower. He headed toward it, Kraine following closely.

The journey up the large winding staircase in the tower was silent aside from their two sets of footsteps. At first, the steps up were emotional. Not only did he have to keep his gaze off of the floating coffins that circled the mysterious tower, Colloyd found himself pondering about many more less mysterious things. At the forefront of his mind were his friends that he had left behind. Slowly as he made his way up higher, he came to terms with the fact that even if he had been able to extend his time with them, it would have made parting all the more painful for them. He didn't expect Gesea to forgive him, but he hoped she would move on and live a happy and full life.

The moment he and Kraine reached the gigantic set of double doors at the top and they opened as though they had been expecting him, all of his worries melted away, to be replaced by sheer determination.

"Chosen one, Colloyd," came Remiels voice from above as he and Kraine stepped inside. Colloyd watched as the white-winged Angel descended upon the majestic altar just ahead. Colloyd approached and bowed respectfully at him. "Now, my son. Release the final seal! In doing so, you will complete the final sacrifice of your human existence—your heart and your memory. By doing so of your own free will, you will become a true angel and gain the right to meet with Origin."

Colloyd closed his eyes and silently agreed with a small nod. _"Even if mine was a short life.. I was happy to have met everyone."_

"Very good," Remiel nodded. "Come to me."

Colloyd took one step forward, then another, and then another, until he touched the stone altar and a white magic circle appeared at his feet. Then he felt something he hadn't felt for a while. A tingle travelling all around his body... and... _pain._ He winced through it and managed to keep one eye open to watch Remiel. The serene look on the angels face vanished the worse the pain got for Colloyd to bear, replaced by a knowing smirk. "You shall now surrender yourself Chosen, for the sake of Martel!"

Right before he closed his eyes for the final time, he saw something unexpected. Something from somewhere behind him flew past and knocked Remiel to the floor. A voice called a name, something he knew he should have remembered. He couldn't quite make it out though. He thought he should have known the girls voice too. His mind went blank. Whatever had happened, had likely happened too late. Not that he could find the strength to care or any reason to think it should have mattered.

"Colloyd!" Gesea cried again as she stopped a short distance from Kraine. "Stop this! You'll die!"

Remiel got up from where he had been knocked down and sneered at Yuan, who had thrown his butterfly blade at him. Blood seeped through the angels green clothes and he didn't look in a very forgiving mood.

Gesea looked at her brother, who still had not turned to face them. She guessed that he was ashamed of what he had done. "Kraine!" she called. "We have to save Col! He's going to _die."_

"It is too late, Gesea," Kraine replied softly, his voice chilly. "Colloyd has already become the vessel."

"The.. vessel?" Gesea gave him a confused look. "What are you talking about?"

"His body will be offered to Lord Yggdrasil as a vessel for Martel! By sacrificing himself, Colloyd will revive the Goddess. This is the true nature of the world regeneration!" Remiel sneered. He side-glanced at Kraine. "Lord Kraine, I trust you can take this from here?"

Kraine didn't reply, only gave a short nod of the head. Remiel disappeared in an array of feathers, leaving Sheelos and Gesea to stare at Kraine.

"Kraine..." Gesea shook her head. "What was that all about? What's going on?" She looked at Colloyd, still floating. His eyes were open but there was no life to them. It was just as Remiel had said. He looked absolutely lifeless.

"You must all leave here at once," Kraine explained. "You shouldn't have come here in the first place." He looked at Yuan pointedly, who crossed his arms and grimaced. "I don't think we need to explain ourselves right now. This is where _you_ tell us the truth I think."

"I don't think he has to," Sheelos growled. "It's pretty clear from where I'm standing that he's not our ally anymore. He _wanted_ this to happen."

"That.. that can't be," Gesea shook her head quickly. "Kraine's my brother. He may have known Col would die but.." Her words stopped short when Kraine turned his back to them and summoned his very own pair of angel wings. She gasped and startled back. The mana signature coming from him was one she had felt before. The one she had feared. Standing in front of her was her brother.. an _angel._


	21. Split personalities

"…I am of Cruxis, the organization that guides this world. I am one of the Four Seraphim, sent forth to keep close watch over the Chosen."

When those words next came out of Kraine's mouth, Gesea's already numbing body gave out and she fell to her knees from the shock. Yuan protectively took charge and stood between him and her. Kraine glared at him and he glared back.

"Just what will you do with him?" Yuan asked, gesturing toward the vacant Chosen.

Kraine crossed his arms. "I have no time for the charades Yuan. We will take Colloyd as our vessel and begin the next phase of our plan." He drew his sword and pointed it at him. "You can either leave peacefully, or I _will_ make you regret stalling my business."

Yuan summoned his butterfly blade and readied himself. Kraine took a slight step away, his signature movement before he dove in for a strike. Yuan perceived it and clashed weapons with him at full force. Not making any ground, Kraine retreated backward in midair and landed softly a short distance away.

Gesea looked up at him, a dumbfounded look on her face. "Why?" she asked softly. "How long have you been lying to me?" She stood and stepped toward her brother. "Did you get in trouble with them when you were trying to help me?" She tried to approach further but Yuan stopped her. She pushed past him and tried to run for Kraine. She gasped in surprise when Kraine turned his sword on her. "Not another step closer Gesea. I.. I will use my sword if I must."

His expression looked pained as the words left his mouth, but it was hard to tell who was the most pained by the situation. Kraine, Colloyd, Gesea- they were all suffering. Yuan simmered silently with rage as he watched the short pink haired girl in front of him fall to her knees once again.

"Why Kraine?" She asked as she looked up at him, showing the tears streaming from her face. "I'll never forgive you if you take Colloyd away from us!" She summoned her own weapon and glared at him with emotional grief.

"This is what the Chosen wanted," Kraine replied, the hurt he had revealed in his eyes vanishing and being replaced by his usual steely gaze. "Would you have his sacrifice be in vain? He was prepared for this from a young age and always knew he would die." He looked at Yuan, still standing and looking the most collected mentally of them all. There was a look in his eyes though, like he was expecting.. more. More than just their usual sword versus sword. Though he didn't show it, the knowledge that the man knew more than he had been willing to admit unnerved him.

Then, as though to answer Kraine's mental question about Yuan's antics, the tower filled with an almighty well of mana. Gesea gasped at the sensation, Sheelos turned her head in all directions. Eventually everyone, including Kraine, looked to the altar where Colloyd was still lifelessly floating- sensing the well of mana focus in his direction.

"I had thought you would have ended this by now," said a voice.

A ball of light appeared out of nowhere. The first thing Gesea saw as it formed was a large pair of amethyst coloured wings. A tall man with blonde hair appeared, looking at Colloyd with interest and paying the rest of them, including the open-mouthed Gesea and Sheelos, as much attention as a grain of sand on a beach jetty. Kraine put his sword away, got to one knee, and bowed his head at the angel. "Lord Yggdrasil."

The name of the man Kvar had mentioned in the same breath as Cruxis Crystals and the Angelus Project had not left Gesea's mind. Sheelos appeared to have some recollection of it too. " _He's_ Yggdrasil?" The Assassin asked, raising her eyebrows. "He is a _he,_ right? I can't tell one-hundred percent from this angle with the long hair and everything."

"Silence," Yggdrasil said, turning to them. "I am the leader of Cruxis and the Desians. I will not be spoken of so insolently!" He shot a beam of light so fast at Sheelos that all she had time to do was blink before it hit her and she was sent flying several metres backward.

Yggdrasil grimaced as though such a powerful attack hadn't taxed him at all. "Since you have yet to heed the warning of Lord Kraine, I suppose I will have to take care of you myself." He glanced back at Kraine. "I should have guessed you would find it difficult to fight such opponents." His aura began to glow. The group readied their weapons while Kraine kept his eyes downcast.

Yuan and Sheelos ran for Yggdrasil, airing on the side of caution of a back attack from Kraine and tackling the angel from the other side. Before any attacks could connect, all in the room stopped dead still. Mana tingled through the air, stronger than before.

Yggdrasil let out a sudden cry and snapped his head to where Colloyd floated, the magic aura he had been emitting fading. Sensing danger, Sheelos and Yuan retreated and watched the body of their friend pulsate. The pulses started off slow and audibly sounded like a heartbeat, but slowly became louder and more overbearing. The colour changed with each pulse. First it was white, then a light green, then pink, then blue.

"This.." Yggdrasil whispered, shaking his head frantically, "wasn't supposed to happen!" He looked at Kraine darkly, a pained expression on his face.

Kraine stepped toward Colloyd. "It appears the Chosen is rebelling. There is no telling what this could do. We should take him at once."

"Not-" Yuan exclaimed, running at him with his blade ready for a back attack, "-if I can help it!"

Kraine turned just in time to catch it. Colloyd's body pulsed louder though and neither of them could keep their force up without buckling from the severe amount of energy emanating from his body.

With a particularly debilitating round of pulses, all in the room were on the ground staring at Colloyd. His body glowed white. From the glowing white blob, the shape of a human body emerged. It looked like the body of a female with long hair. The glowing faded and left behind two new looking humans. One with brown spiky hair and red clothes, the kind of clothes Colloyd always wore, except..

At first Gesea couldn't place it. He seemed _different._ His face was pointer, but that seemed impossible. Then she realised what it was. His _eyes._ They were still lifeless, but they were no longer the usual lake-blue that reminded her of her brothers eyes. They were hazel. With no words able to escape her mouth, and the rest of the group including their enemies clearly just as stunned as she was, she looked at the blonde haired girl floating next to him. Her hair reached her lower back. She wore a white robe that reached her knees with blue trimmings on the arms, seams and bottom, with purple slacks and the same boots Colloyd liked, except in the same white as her robe. She had her eyes closed currently, but slowly she opened them to reveal a lifeless expression but undoubtedly the blue eyes Gesea knew well. Amongst the silence, Gesea started to hear the sound of rushing footsteps. Many footsteps.

The pulsing stopped and Yggdrasil was the first to his feet. "I have had enough of fooling around. Let us leave with them both, Kraine."

"As you wish," Kraine nodded, standing and taking a step. Yuan crossed swords with him again, while Gesea and Sheelos sprung into action on Yggdrasil, who had set his gaze on Yuan in a stalemate of swipes and clashes with Kraine. She swung her readily fire-imbued axe at him but he dodged and laughed, hovering in the air out of reach before any more attacks could reach and over to the two floating bodies. A ball of white light shot at Yggdrasil from behind all of them, not damaging him but knocking him off guard. Gesea turned her head and finally noticed the source of the footsteps she had heard in the silence. A familiar Desian that they had only fought with the day before burst onto the scene with a group of heavily armed Desians behind him.

"The Renegades," Yggdrasil cursed. "I see they intend to be as annoying as ever."

Gesea heard Yuan yell her name but it was too late. Something hit her in the back and before she knew what was happening, she was flying into a pillar several metres away and losing consciousness.

xXx

"This doesn't make any sense," came a girls voice. "Just who is Cruxis anyway? Cruxis Crystals... Are they something.." She paused for a second. "That's it isn't it. Cruxis and the Desians are working together for some reason."

"That about sums it up," a male voice answered.

He opened his eyes to see a bright fluorescent light shining down on him for a second before a girl with pink hair blocked it with her body as she stood and leaned over him. He blinked, his memory a little foggy. Eventually he figured out her name. "Gesea?"

The pinkette's eyes glittered with tears but none fell from her eyes. "It _is_ you, isn't it Col!" She gasped. "Y..you can talk!"

He frowned and tilted his head. "I think so?" He rested back, a bout of dizziness coming over him all of a sudden. "I feel strange."

"That should not come as a surprise," the voice he recognised as Yuan said. He watched the blue haired elf come into view and sit on a seat beside his bed. "Do you remember anything that happened in the tower?"

He closed his eyes and frowned hard, trying to recall the memory. He pictured Kraine, then Remiel. He thought of the startling image of Remiel's face as he caused him pain. His own father..

" _No.."_ he shook his head. _"He was never my father. I felt that truth back then."_ It probably stung the least, but it was one of the only truths that he could understand at present.

"Jeez," Sheelos sighed. "Let's at least tell the poor guy what happened." She walked up and took a seat around the bed.

Colloyd looked at Gesea and Yuan for an explanation, who glanced at one another and appeared to have a silent eye conversation before they nodded in agreement. "This might come as a surprise," Gesea said. "Don't worry. We'll figure things out. I promise."

She reached onto a desk behind the bed and offered a mirror to him gingerly. He hesitantly took it and turned it toward him, confused... that was, until he understood perfectly.

His face of almost eighteen years didn't look back at him in the mirror anymore. Well.. not completely. His face was more masculine, as though he had done a years worth of a fitness regime overnight. The distinctly masculine face that he had always desired stared back at him. Speaking of _staring back,_ hazel brown eyes looked out from under dark brown eyebrows. His hair spiked up more than it usually did despite his best efforts. It was shorter too.

He dropped the mirror in surprise and looked at everyone. Sheelos grimaced. "Didn't know you were hiding a _man_ under that baby face of yours, Colloyd!"

He blinked belatedly at her when he realised she was talking to him and mentally stumbled for the words he wanted to say. _"Neither did I."_

"Perhaps we should start from the beginning," Yuan acknowledged when he noticed Colloyd seemed to struggle for words to fit his feelings. "If we start from what we do know, the rest should all fall logically in place."

"I somehow doubt that very much," Gesea mumbled. A pained expression crossed her face as she bit her lip slightly at a memory. Colloyd was almost too scared to ask what was bothering her.

"First," Yuan started, "Our current situation. When we were about to be killed in the Tower of Salvation by Yggdrasil, we were rescued by the organization on this base that resembles the Desians. They call themselves the Renegades." He looked at Gesea and over to Sheelos. "That is the part the two of you are probably the most unclear about. I assessed the situation and decided that it would be better to trust someone who is willing to save our lives, albeit possibly only for the time being, over someone who was definitely planning to kill us."

Colloyd sat up again and looked around himself. The room did resemble a room he remembered from a Desian base. With recollection of the base came another realisation. His eyes darted around the room in search of his stoic yet ruin-crazy Professor. He looked at Yuan and opened his mouth in question.

Yuan hushed him and stood from his spot. "The next thing. It seems that the Renegades oppose the Desians. They probably have a reason for intentionally trying to look like Desians." He paused only briefly, formulating his next words sensitively for at least the two most innocent in the room. "Kraine told us he is from Cruxis, and Yggdrasil claimed to be the leader of Cruxis and the Desians. If you think of Desians and Cruxis working together, or perhaps Desians being the pawns of Cruxis, everything makes sense."

All of a sudden, the distress Colloyd had seen in Gesea's eyes had become perfectly clear. He didn't know what to say. His first instinct was to ask for proof of the Professor's involvement in it all, but the instinct to trust the word of Yuan and the looks of understanding if not a little bewilderment on his friend's faces at the conversation took over.

"Does that mean.." Colloyd started, still finding the voice coming out of his mouth odd.

"Yep! He was our enemy, right from the start," Sheelos replied, her fists clenched. "He admitted it himself. He's one of Cruxis' Four Seraphim!"

"Seraphim?" Colloyd knew he had heard the word before. After all the books he had read during his childhood, even _he_ would have been surprised if he hadn't been able to connect the dots. The conclusion made his mouth drop.

"As much as it brings me pain to agree," Yuan started, "Kraine is likely a subordinate of Yggdrasill. He probably joined us to make sure Colloyd didn't stray too far from the journey to regenerate the world." He looked at the boy on the bed, still looking and probably feeling very dazed. Nobody could blame him. It was a lot to take in, and they hadn't even gotten to the _other_ thing yet. "Not every Chosen in the past has been so resolute on their sacrifice for the good of the world."

Colloyd hugged himself and rested his chin on his knees. "We were deceived from the very beginning. By Remiel, the Cruxis, even Kraine!" He looked at Sheelos. "But the world regeneration wasn't a lie completely, right?"

Sheelos shook her head and looked troubled. "Definitely no lie about that. Tethe'alla exists and it _was_ my job to kill you to stop you regenerating Sylvarant."

Colloyd looked even more miserable. "And I didn't even get to meet this "so called" Origin either. I guess that was just another part of the story Cruxis made up to lure Chosen to them." He looked at Yuan, who had an unsure expression on his face.

Gesea saw it too. "You think he still exists, Yuan?" she asked.

Yuan shrugged after a second and glanced to the open door of their little sick bay. "Further than what we know, it isn't wise to speculate. It looks as though Botta might have a few more answers for us though."

The Desian/Renegade that they all had met on two to three other occasions appeared in the doorway and looked over at them. He managed a somewhat unnatural smile when he saw Colloyd staring at him. "Ah, good. You're awake. I trust you have a lot of questions. Let me take you to meet our leader."

The group followed the Renegade Botta through a sleek corridor filled with strange machinery. It felt strange to walk with Botta as though they were his guests. Colloyd barely had time to go into his own mind about recent happenings because they soon came to a door that slid open at their presence and stepped inside a familiar room. It had been the room where he had first fought Botta and met that mysterious and oddly unforgettable woman.

And there she was.

It was only the back of her, but he recognised the blue hair immediately. The same shade as Yuan's, but incredibly long.

"Lady Martuan," Botta said in greeting. She turned and he did a slight bow of greeting. When her green eyes met Colloyd's, he felt a little shiver run down his spine.

" _You're_ the leader of the Renegades?" he asked.

"Correct," she answered with a cool smile and a flick of her hair. "We're an underground resistance dedicated to fighting the Desians…or rather, the Cruxis."

Yuan had been right in his assertion. It made sense of course.

"Cruxis controls the Church of Martel in the open, and operates the Desians from behind the scenes. The Desians are a subordinate organization within Cruxis," Botta added, just to reconfirm that Yuan was indeed a smarty-elf. Not that Colloyd expected anything less of his former Professor.

Martuan nodded at Botta. "The Church of Martel is nothing more than an instrument created by Cruxis to rule the world. Those who call themselves angels are half-elves, who've evolved by using a special type of Exsphere called Cruxis Crystals."

"Half-elves?" Colloyd blinked. "What's a half-elf?" He looked pointedly at Gesea and then at Yuan. Both suddenly seemed very uncomfortable with the topic. Gesea at least met his eyes for a brief moment, but Yuan kept his eyes squarely on the woman.

"That doesn't matter for now," Martuan continued on. "The angels aren't gods or anything of the sort. Of course, the Church of Martel and the Chosen know nothing about that."

Colloyd noticed her gaze had shifted to him again and started to feel uncomfortable. Maybe Gesea and Yuan's odd behaviour was a product of that too. She was very unnerving. "Before I go on, perhaps it would be wise to show you something."

She turned and led them to an adjoining room. Before she turned on the light, Colloyd saw a bright pink light flittering back and forth. The light buzzed on and there in the middle of the room stood a girl with blonde hair and a white robe outfit. A small tingle travelled down his spine. Gesea gasped next to him, Sheelos raised her eyebrows, and Yuan frowned.

"This is Colette," she said. Gesea stepped forward but the Renegade leader swiftly stepped in to stop her. "You recognise her I see."

Gesea said nothing else but glanced at Colloyd. He didn't return her glance, his gaze on the girl. It was like he was in some kind of trance. Even the gaze of Martuan back on him didn't make him waver straight away.

Martuan looked at Colette, then back at Colloyd. "What about you? Do you recognise her, Lloyd?"


	22. Noishe learns to fly

_Lloyd?_

_Lloyd.._

_Lloyd._

That name. Colloyd stared at the Renegade leader after she had said the name, unable to put his thoughts together into words. The name didn't feel foreign at all. Sure, he could probably argue with himself that it was because half of his name sounded like 'Lloyd', but deep down he knew it would only leave him lying to himself. Ever since he had awoken in the Renegade base, whenever they called him 'Colloyd' he hadn't felt as though they were talking to him. It was like the basic human instinct to turn his head when he heard his name had vanished for some unknown reason. The moment she said that new name though, he felt it belonged to him.

It was too complicated to explain to everyone on the spot so _Lloyd_ just uselessly gabbled a "no" to Martuan, who was waiting for a response to her question. He didn't know Colette. Or at least he didn't _think_ he did. Then again, this lately he wondered whether he knew himself or the people he had come to call his friends. The brief onset of worry started before he shook his head and determinedly forced the very idea that he couldn't trust anybody out of it.

" _It's better to trust than to live in fear that I could be betrayed, right?"_

Martuan grimaced at him. "I didn't think you would have recognised her. She was a part of you for a long eighteen years, after all."

"Why don't you start from the start?" Yuan asked, seeing everyone's confused expressions.

Martuan put one hand on her hip and raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm afraid starting at _the start_ would take a decade to explain."

"We'll just settle for the short and sweet version," Sheelos replied. "I'm not sure how long I can get away with swatting Undine away from her battle before she decides to exact her revenge."

"That is about all we have time for, regardless," Martuan answered. She led them out of the room. Lloyd stayed behind, looking at the girl and her pink angel wings. She looked lifeless as she stared at him with eyes he recognised. They were the eyes of the boy that had stared back at him in the mirror every day for seventeen years. He waited until they were out of the room to step a bit closer. As he did, her wings fluttered a little more vigorously. Her mouth moved suddenly, but no words came out.

"Come," Martuan called to him then, poking her head around the corner of the open doorless frame. He did as she said reluctantly, but when he met with the others back in the familiar room he had first seen the Renegade leader, he was met with surprised gazes. Martuan put her hand to her chin and gazed at him and then somewhere off behind him. "Interesting. She seems to be reacting to you."  
Lloyd whirled around to see the angel girl-Colette- standing behind him. She didn't react to him at all, but she was standing close enough for him to feel the tiny breeze her flapping angel wings created.

"You said Angels were half-elves," Gesea said, deciding to keep the conversation going since it was clear that everyone else was pretty distracted with the girl. All except Yuan, who had maintained his attention on Martuan pretty much constantly. "Does that mean Col and.. uh.. Colette are half-elves?"

Martuan shook her head. "The bloodline of the Chosen is a unique one. The powers of the Chosen come from the Cruxis crystal that Cruxis send an angel to give to them when they are born as a part of the fabricated story of the World Regeneration. The reason the Chosen is given a Cruxis Crystal is because it is the goal of Cruxis to end up with an empty vessel at the end of the journey, while also reversing the mana flow from one world to the other."

"So Cruxis isn't just in this to try and rule the world?" Lloyd asked.

Martuan looked a little annoyed. "Do you intend to make me repeat myself, or could you perchance use your own head a little?" She frowned and crossed her arms.

Lloyd backed off and wished he had just stayed quiet and let Yuan or Gesea continue the plot that was unravelling before his eyes.

"Does Cruxis really wish to revive Martel?" Yuan asked. "They send Oracles to those of the mana lineage and control their marriages using the Worldwide Survival Project to create Chosens who become the vessel, correct?"

Martuan nodded and smiled. "You are quite the interesting one, Yuan. I expected no less of you."

"I am also quite impressed," Botta agreed.

"It didn't take a genius to figure it out," Yuan replied, being oddly modest. "Kraine told us that is what Cruxis wished to do with his body before.." He glanced at Colette. "Everything happened."

Martuan didn't reply directly and turned away, her cape flapping behind her from the sudden movement. "You already know that there is another world beyond Sylvarant that competes for mana, correct?"

Lloyd nodded and looked at Sheelos, who didn't seem to look as stunned that this woman knew about her world as he thought she should have. "Tethe'alla," he confirmed.

"The one who created this twisted world that vies for mana was Cruxis' leader, Yggdrasill," Martuan explained.

"Create a world?" Gesea asked and grimaced. "The probability of that is less than one percent."

Martuan sighed. "If that's what you believe, then our conversation ends here." She started walking off from them, but she didn't appear to actually _want_ to go anywhere. Lloyd called her to wait and she obliged.

"So how much of the story of the hero Mithos and the Goddess Martel and the spirit of Origin is a complete lie made up by Cruxis? I went to the Tower of Salvation and didn't meet Origin." He clenched his fists. "If Yggdrasill was the one that created the two worlds himself, what can you possibly hope to do against someone like that?" Before Martuan could answer, he continued on his emotional rant. "And that's not all. You sent your Renegades to try and kill me more than once. You're not on our side, but for some reason you saved us. Why?"

Martuan looked impressed. "It seems this change has made you a little less gullible."

"Excuse me?" Lloyd began to sizzle with rage. He had just about had enough of this woman. She seemed intent on giving them plenty of questions and not enough answers.

"Our reasons for saving you are our own," Martuan answered, as cryptically as expected.

"However," Botta continued on, "Our goal is to stop Martel's revival. Therefore, the Chosen, who would become her vessel, was an obstacle."

"Do you still mean to kill the Chosen?" Yuan asked, his hand going to his sword immediately.

"Kill the Chosen?" Martuan cast her gaze over Lloyd. "I am quite certain I could not kill the _Chosen,_ even if I wanted to." She tilted her head to eye Colette. Lloyd thought that it might have been a cute look if she had been anyone else. "She completed the Angel transformation and is now a lethal weapon whose only goal is self-preservation. Laying a hand on her would simply be a death wish."

Three mouths in the room dropped in different ways. Gesea, who usually was always the 'quiet one' unless she had a strong opinion, spoke first. "Are you saying that the only reason you haven't killed Col yet is because..." She stopped short and trailed off. Like Lloyd, she probably didn't need to finish the end of her sentence to understand that she was correct.

Still, he shook his head and swiped at the air in disbelief. "You're saying that I'm not the Chosen anymore?"

Martuan raised her eyebrows. "I never said that, but why don't you prove me wrong?"

Without giving it too much thought, Lloyd closed his eyes and concentrated. He felt the familiar tingling sensation of his wings spreading from his back. He opened them to see the stares of everyone on him. Martuan seemed equally as surprised, but quickly masked her expression with a grin. It reminded him of Kraine suddenly and his heart ached. He gestured at his own wings in a "See?" gesture, but couldn't help but notice that his wings looked different. They were now a pure sapphire blue rather than the mix of pink and blue that they had been before. He tried not to let on though. "I don't think it can easily be disputed that I am still the Chosen now."

Gesea put her head in her hands while Yuan kneaded his eyebrows and cursed under his breath. Lloyd only realised his mistake when he saw Martuan glance at Botta, then the Renegade click his fingers. A group of three armoured Renegades ran into the room at his command.

They were quickly surrounded as more poured into the room. "Regardless of whether it could be disputed, we no longer need the _Chosen_ ," Martuan said, holding her hand out to her side and summoning what looked like a quarterstaff from thin air. "What we need is _you,_ Lloyd!"

There was that name again. The right one.

Momentarily surprised, Lloyd didn't notice Sheelos had apparently been preparing a way to get them out if things turned bad. A smoke screen enveloped them. He felt a hand touch his wrist and through the smoke saw Sheelos' red hair. He ran with her hand clutching his wrist until they were free of the room and could see clearly. Before he had a chance to ask a single thing, he and Gesea, whom he hadn't noticed had hold of his hand until then, were pulled into a small crevice and out of the view of a team of Renegades whom scouted past the hallway.

Amongst the coughing Renegade grunts, Martuan knocked Yuan's butterfly blade back with her quarterstaff, then quickly swung it to try and counter. Yuan was too quick for her though and ducked under the attack skilfully.

"Tell me," she said as they clashed. "Why _did_ you call him Lloyd and the girl Colette when we rescued you?"

"I merely saw them separate and decided on a name that would be fitting of each of them," Yuan replied. "Do you find that hard to believe?"

The smoke was starting to clear now. He saw Botta heading for the door of the room. "I apologise that we can't chat longer, but I have to be somewhere else." He dodged away from another quarterstaff blow and charged for Botta at the door. "Sorry," he apologised briefly before knocking him flat to the ground and running out to the base hallway. As he ran and hid in a small crevice just before some Renegade scouts turned the corner, he heard a familiar bark. A flash of white and green filled his face and he found himself on the ground with Noishe looking down at him, happy to see him. As he silently struggled to get the 'dog' off of him, he heard what sounded frighteningly like an explosion from somewhere not too far away.

xXx

Lloyd, Gesea and Sheelos all stared at the downed Renegades, and then at the girl-Colette- as she stood at the center of the mass knockout and stared blankly.

"Looks like that Martuan chick was right," Sheelos said. "The girl really is a self-defence system." She looked at Lloyd. "Was only when the Renegades went to attack _you_ though."

Lloyd held his head in frustration and let out a low yell. "Gahh! I wish people would just make up their minds if they're our friend or our enemy! One minute the Renegades save us and the next they want to kill us!"

"We have to get out of here," Gesea said. "But they no doubt have the exits surrounded."

"Do you think we can fight our way through?" Sheelos asked.

"That's all we can do," Lloyd said. "We have no choice. Besides, hopefully Yuan will-" he stopped mid-sentence when he saw a white, green and blue blur in the distance. The blur slowed down to reveal the figure of Yuan riding on the back of Noishe.

"What are you people waiting for?" Yuan asked. He set his gaze on Sheelos. "I thought you'd have told them by now." Sheelos flinched and glanced away from the gazes of Gesea and Lloyd. "What the lovely Sheelos means to say is that there's no way we're going to kill all the Renegades," Yuan elaborated. "She has a better idea though."

"You do?" Lloyd asked, as though Sheelos herself had said what Yuan had said.

Sheelos crossed her arms and gave Yuan a ticked off look before nodding. "The Renegades know about Tethe'alla, obviously. Actually, they are the ones who helped me to travel to this world by lending my people some of their technology. In return, I was to kill the Chosen."

"You mean.. you _knew_ about the Renegades?" Gesea gaped. "Why didn't you tell us this sooner?"

"What good would it have done?" Sheelos asked defensively. "I knew about the Renegades, but that didn't mean I could tell them apart from the Desians. I had no idea that Desians still existed in the world. They're little more than fairy tales in Tethe'alla." A troubled look crossed her face but she didn't say what else was wrong. "Anyway," Sheelos continued, "My point is that they should still have some of that technology here at the base." She looked at Yuan. "Any idea where it is?"

"No idea," Yuan replied, "but follow me." He held a hand out to Gesea and lifted her onto the back end of Noishe. The dog let out a small whine of complaint before galloping off toward another adjacent hallway.

Noishe, Yuan and Gesea led Sheelos, Lloyd and Colette into a small room. It had a circular doorway that looked like it might open depending on what buttons were pressed on the glowing and beeping technology that sat on the left side of the entrance. The door behind them whooshed shut when Sheelos hit one of the buttons, creating a nice breeze. A few buttons more were pressed. A large circular door that Lloyd hadn't seen on the floor opened up and a platform raised out of it to reveal four bird-like machines.

"Magi-technology?" Gesea asked as she hesitantly moved toward them.

"Right," Sheelos answered as she pressed another button and made all four machines whirr to life with loud sounds like a clock ticking really fast. The sound wasn't as new to Lloyd though. They sounded like the teleporters at Magnius' base to him. Sheelos sprinted past him, sat on one of the machines and lowered her foot to a little panel protruding from its red body. As her foot touched it, the large round door that Lloyd had first saw upon entering the room opened. Bright sunlight emerged from the hole, making them all shield their eyes.

"Are we really going to go to Tethe'alla?" Lloyd asked. His head still whirred at the idea that the devices that had come out of the floor could take them to another world. He wondered what his dad would think of them.

"That seems like the only way out of here," Sheelos answered, looking uncomfortable.

Yuan spoke up. "Besides, don't you remember what Martuan said? Angels are half-elves that evolved using special exspheres called Cruxis crystals." He glanced at Colette. "If I'm not mistaken, Colette is currently wearing what looks like one around her neck."

Lloyd went to look but was distracted when Gesea nodded. "I noticed that as soon as I saw her earlier. It's different to your exsphere Col. It's more like.." She trailed off. Lloyd knew what she wanted to say but guessed she didn't want to talk too much about it in front of the others.

"They study the Cruxis crystal that belongs to Tethe'alla's Chosen at the Imperial Research Academy," Sheelos said then.

Lloyd's eyes widened. "There's a Chosen in Tethe'alla, too?"

"O...of course. The world regeneration ritual is carried out in Tethe'alla as well. The Church of Martel exists, too. It's been centuries since the last Chosen went on a world regeneration though."

"I wonder how long Cruxis has been involved in the world Regeneration?"

"I dunno," Sheelos shrugged, "but if you don't hurry up and get on a rheaird, the Renegades are gonna override the code to get in here and capture us again!" She pointed to one of the devices.

"So these are rheairds," Lloyd said, getting on one. Gesea went to sit behind him but found herself stopped by Colette as she vacantly took the seat instead and held on to him. Lloyd stuttered an apology to Gesea. She smiled and shook her head, taking her own rheaird instead. Yuan was the last to take a seat. To their surprise, Noishe jumped in front of Yuan on his rheaird and sat with his front legs flopping off the front and his back legs and tail sitting between Yuan's. His tail wagged and slapped him in the face.

If the elf wanted to complain, he didn't get much chance to. The devices lifted from their places on the ground and whooshed out of the room and into the blue sky. It only took a few seconds of frantic trial and error for Lloyd to work out that the levers at the side helped to keep it in the air. He followed Yuan, Gesea and Sheelos higher and higher. He heard a yell from Yuan to brace himself but didn't understand why until they flew straight through a large fluffy cloud. It didn't feel like cotton wool or fairy floss at all and he emerged on the other side drenched from head to toe. Sheelos laughed at the sight, having expected it and manoeuvred her rheaird to avoid the cloud completely.

"Tethe'alla, here we come!" Lloyd exclaimed over the wind, shivering from both the cold and excitement. They sped faster and faster upward. It was only when the rheairds started to make clunking sounds that Lloyd got a chance to look downward and notice that the scenery had definitely changed.

"What is happening!?" Gesea asked as she shook her head to release some of the cloud water from her pigtails.

"It must be because the seals have been released in Sylvarant," Sheelos called. "Tethe'alla's already starting to run dry on mana."

"What does that mean?" Lloyd asked. The rheaird underneath him made a louder and much more concerning clunking noise.

"It means we're gonna faaaaaaaaall!" Sheelos exclaimed as they all did a nosedive toward a cliff face of unknown origin.

Amongst the yells of his friends, Lloyd felt Colette's grip loosen as she let go of him and flapped down to safety. "That's it!" he exclaimed, realising what he had to do and quickly summoning his own wings.

After scooping up his friends and Noishe with mad swoops up and down and offering all his available limbs, the rheairds dropped to the ground and they slowly hovered down to meet them. Through the immense pain coursing through his body at the strain, Lloyd thought three people and a dog hanging like monkeys out of a barrel just above a mountain top must have looked quite funny.

He let out a cry of agony when they landed and awarded himself the worried gazes of his friends, followed by a frenzied lick from Noishe. Yuan knelt down to him and rested one hand on his shoulder. Lloyd felt the familiar sensation of being healed and thanked him before getting to his feet. "So this is Tethe'alla?" He directed his question to Sheelos, who nodded and gazed around herself with her hands on her hips.

"Yep. The mana in the air is different but it's definitely Tethe'alla. Looks like we're at the top of the Fooji Mountains." She pointed behind them all. "We can see a lot of the Tower of Salvation from here."

"T..the Tower.. of Salvation?" Lloyd couldn't help the nervous quiver in his voice when he said the name of that tower now. It wasn't exactly attached to good memories.

"So there are two towers as well," Gesea said in the calculative voice she always used when she was thinking while she was talking. "Sheelos, what else is similar between here and Sylvarant? What about the Holy Ground? The Church of Martel is also over here, right?"

Sheelos nodded and hummed in a 'don't interrupt' tone for a second. "The place where the Tower of Salvation lies is the Holy Ground of Kharlan."

"But that's impossible," Lloyd said, shaking his head. "The Holy Ground of Kharlan is where the peace treaty was signed to end the Ancient War. There can't be two of them."

"Sorry to burst your bubble my dashing darling, but are you sure yours isn't fake?" Sheelos asked. "We have records in our museums that depict how the Hero Mithos called the two ancient monarchs to the Holy Ground of Kharlan in order to forge a peace treaty before Martel was sacrificed and Origin regenerated the world."

"Of course I'm sure," Lloyd replied. He didn't feel sure though and just continued to stare at the tower. "But I suppose given everything that has happened, there's a chance that that whole story is fake and that both might be fake."

"There's only one way to really know for sure," Yuan said. He pointed downward. "We need to explore Tethe'alla more."

"I agree," Lloyd nodded before looking at Sheelos. "I want to finish what I started with you. I want to find a way to stop the world regeneration once and for all. I don't want any more Chosen to be sacrificed for some grand plan to revive Martel. I want a way for Sylvarant and Tethe'alla to be happy."

Sheelos looked touched at the sentiment. "Then the first thing we need to do is to tell the King of Tethe'alla the state of things in Sylvarant. He might not believe just me thanks to the Pope's influence, but if a whole group of people from Sylvarant speak with him, he'll have no choice but to listen."

"Well what are we waiting for?" Lloyd clapped a fist into his other hand. "Let's head there!"

"No use in standing around here I suppose," Sheelos agreed.

"But what about the rheairds?" Gesea asked. "Are we just going to leave them here?"

"There isn't much we can do with them at the moment," Sheelos admitted. "We managed to avoid destroying them completely thanks to our handsome Chosen, but they won't be goin' anywhere until we get some fuel."

"What's the fuel then?" Lloyd asked, skirting over her flirt. "Coal?"

Sheelos snorted. "Of course not. Didn't you hear what I said when we were falling? Geez, how do you guys _live_ in Sylvarant?"

"The fuel is mana," Yuan answered more concisely. "The obvious answer would be to use a summon spirit to power it. Some lightning perhaps? Volt might do."

Sheelos flinched backward suddenly at Volt's name. "But.. I haven't made a pact with Volt. I've only just made a half-assed pact with Undine, too."

Lloyd looked disappointed and nodded. "I guess we have no choice but to leave them here for now then."

Gesea nodded and looked just as disappointed. "And the history books had me thinking that magitechnology was infallible."

"Well then, let's get going!" Lloyd cheered, changing his tune instantly and heading off down the path.

Gesea trailed at his side, the excitement Lloyd was radiating contagious because she also cheered. "Wow, our first adventure in Tethe'alla!"

"Gesea," Yuan called from behind the group where he and Noishe followed, "Remember this is not a field trip."

"Yuan!" Lloyd laughed. "You're starting to sound like the Pro-" He stopped suddenly, realising that just mentioning Kraine would put a damper on the mood. Too late though; Gesea heard him. She had seemed to be doing alright but it was quickly obvious that she was even more confused at the professor's betrayal to them than he was. She looked at her feet as she walked until he couldn't stand it and put a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him and he gave her his best smile. "It'll be alright Gesea. We'll find out why he lied to us. There has to be more to this." Gesea gave him a smile, but it wasn't her usual bright one. Lloyd looked back at Yuan and Sheelos. "You guys agree, right?"

Sheelos bit her lip and slumped her shoulders. "What is it about you? Even when you're betrayed you still believe in people."

"It worked for trusting you, didn't it?" Lloyd grinned.

Sheelos let out an exasperated sigh and looked at Gesea. "I'm not as optimistic as Colloyd, but I guess I gotta agree. Kraine's too smart not to have any reason for what he's doing." She grinned. "Nobody with eyes like his is just a pretty face."

The sound of flapping wings could be heard from above suddenly and they all craned their heads to see. Several eagle monsters had spotted them and were beginning to swarm.

"We should keep moving," Yuan said, making his butterfly blade appear as a precaution. Gesea followed his lead and summoned her kendaxe. Lloyd went to follow suit after he saw Sheelos also draw her dagger from a sheath on her hip but stopped when his hand reached the bag he kept his chakram inside. It was a familiar awkward feeling- like he had all of a sudden forgotten how to use a weapon he had trained and played with half his life. His other hand that rested on the sword at his side gripped it comfortably. Paralysed by indecisiveness on what to do about the situation, he turned from his friends and called them to keep following him down the mountainside.

Upon reaching the foot of the mountains, Lloyd turned to the group that had been following him and stopped his gaze on Sheelos. "So where are we meant to go?"

Sheelos raised an eyebrow at him. "Why're you asking me? You're the one leading the group, darling."

Lloyd scratched his head and sniggered a bit in embarrassment. "How would I know where to go? I'm from Sylvarant remember?"

Sheelos blinked in realisation and took the lead. "Right. Sorry. This way everyone. We're off to Meltokio." She waved behind herself and led them off the mountain and toward a city with a castle that they could see even from their current distance.

xXx

When they entered the bright and bustling city of Meltokio, Lloyd hid a sigh of relief from his friends. They hadn't encountered any fights with the local field monsters, but he knew it would only be a matter of time before he had to explain to them the gradually stacking list of new issues he'd been discovering. The amount of discomfort and confusion he'd felt when they'd occasionally been told to keep on guard during their trip through the wilderness had been very unsettling. Not only did he have to wonder how he might fight if they needed to, he had also inevitably found himself remembering Kraine's training words about using a weapon that was designed to be used in a pair and felt the inevitable stab to the heart that came along with it. He wasn't just being optimistic about it. He didn't _want_ to believe it.

"Well, I'm off then," Sheelos said suddenly before they walked in through the main gate where two guards stood. They all turned to her and she glanced around. "I've got a few things I need to do. I need to go back to Mizuho and report my mission failure to the Chief."

"Mizuho?" Gesea asked.

Sheelos nodded. "I grew up in Mizuho. It's a village that lives in hiding from the rest of the world."

"In hiding?" Lloyd asked. "Why?" He shook his head. "More importantly, what will happen when they find out that you didn't kill me?"

"Nothing that you need to worry about," Sheelos replied. She reached into her outfit and brought out a letter. Lloyd stepped forward and took it from her. "Give this to the King in Castle Tethe'alla," she explained. "Tell the guards at the front that it's a special request from Sheelos Wilderbayashi. The King should grant you an audience right away."

"Really?" Lloyd blinked. "Thank you! You're really a nice person Sheelos." He watched as Sheelos turned a shade of pink at that.

Gesea watched too and laughed. "You get embarrassed at strange things, Sheelos. You give compliments all the time and you never think twice about it."

Sheelos stuttered and turned away from them, raising her hand to wave. "Well then, bye."

"Hey, wait!" Lloyd called. "When will we see you again? You're coming along with us aren't you?"

"Don't worry about that handsome," she said. "I'm sure we're fated to meet again."

She left them standing at the entrance of Meltokio until she disappeared around the corner of the large stone wall that served as the city perimeter.

"Well then, should we be off?" Yuan asked, clearing his throat to get their attention. The small group minus Sheelos and Noishe -who patiently waited at the gate for their return- headed toward the large castle that loomed at the northern edge of the city.


	23. Just another afternoon in Meltokio

Meltokio was stunning. Lloyd couldn't help but be at awe at everything. He couldn't think of a single city in Sylvarant that they had visited that even vaguely matched up to it. Marble footpaths of an almost golden hue lined every inch of the city, except for a small offshoot that led off to an eastern residential area of the city. A small dirt path led to to a series of old houses made of clay. Seeing them made Lloyd feel a little homesick for his slightly run down wooden-style house in the middle of the Iselia woods. He briefly wondered when he might next get a chance to talk with his dad about everything that had happened so far on the journey before he heard a small gasp from Gesea.  
"What's the matter?" he asked, looking down at her.

She shook her head and gave him a small embarrassed smile. "I'm not sure why I did that. I just saw that man up ahead there and it sort of just..slipped out."

Lloyd looked to where she was pointing and saw a peculiarly dressed man with spiky dyed blue hair and a monocle that made him look twenty years older than he probably was. The man was standing on the next level of town near a fountain, nodding to himself as though deep in thought. Lloyd was about to turn to Yuan and ask him if it was anything they needed to be alarmed about when Colette absently walked ahead of the rest of them and to the stairs. Instead he exchanged a shrug of the shoulders with Gesea and followed the weird new addition to the party.

A puppy wandered away from two curly haired brunette twins as they reached the top of the stairs and curiously wandered over to them. Gesea knelt down to inspire it to come to her, but the puppy seemed more interested in the flapping angel wings of Colette.

"Uh, that isn't a good-" Yuan started and cringed with the rest of them when Colette kicked the puppy away toward the children who had been running to catch it. They cried in horror and picked the puppy up. Mouths still wide, they ran away, turning their heads back to them every so often to make sure they weren't being followed. "-Idea.." Yuan sighed, finishing his sentence.

Gesea put her hands on her almost non-existant hips. "Colette!"

She looked at Lloyd with the same angry expression and he recoiled back. "What did I do?"

Gesea calmed herself. "Sorry. It's just.. you like dogs, right Col?"

"Of course. I have Noishe. That puppy was really cute too," he answered, still unsure where she was going with this.

"Then why did she kick it?" Gesea asked. She asked under her breath, making Lloyd wonder whether she was actually directing the question at him. "She _was_ a part of you, wasn't she?"

Lloyd slapped his hand to his forehead. "You're asking _me_ that question?" He shook his head. "Martuan said a lot of things back then and you guys saw it happen, but it still doesn't seem possible that I just happened to randomly split into two people."

"Another mystery of the world we have yet to really uncover," Yuan said from behind them. They turned to him and he continued with a strange whimsical grin on his face. "I'm sure if we can figure out how to get Colette back to normal, she might be able to help us figure it out."

"You think so?" Gesea asked. She habitually touched her chest where her Cruxis Crystal sat, covered by her apparel currently. "I suppose it's possible that she isn't exactly herself at the moment."

"My, what a violent lady you are," said a strange cackly voice, interrupting their conversation. They all looked in the direction it had come from to see the spiky haired man looking at them with one hand on his monocle. He held the eyeglass closer to his eyes and leaned closer to them all and then stopped on Colette. "Marvelous."

As quickly as he had invaded their conversation and personal space, he walked past them and headed down the steps to the exit of town. Yuan turned and watched him for a few moments, making Lloyd curious whether he should have asked the ex-professor whether there was any cause for alarm. Another couple of moments passed before Yuan nodded to himself in thought and turned back to them. "Shall we continue on to the castle?"

xXx

As they passed the large water fountain the odd man had been standing near and approached the large stone castle, Lloyd looked left to right. He could see another residential district off to his right with white picket fences and large mansions. Ladies walked together with fans clutched in their hands and men walked about with cravats around their necks. He wondered if people related to royalty lived there. From where he was standing he could practically see the air of stuffiness in the area. To his left he saw a cathedral that connected on to the side of the castle.

"Come on," Yuan said, looking left to right. "We should hurry to the King. Hand me the note would you Colloyd?"

Lloyd uncomfortably and slowly went to hand it to him, hoping for an explanation. Yuan opened his mouth to give it to him but found himself cut off by some loud shrieks from the distance.

"It's Master Yuan!" cried one woman with strawberry blonde hair as she ran toward them.

"It's really him!" another woman with brown hair exclaimed, joining her in the race. Several other women in the vicinity turned their heads and stared directly at the group, predominantly Yuan. Before Lloyd or Gesea could say a single word, Yuan was surrounded by squealing women. He tried to back away but like hungry wolves, they latched on and would not let go.

"Master Yuan! How are you?" one woman asked.

"Did you get my latest letter to you?" another questioned.

"Will you be my Salvatorian?" at least three asked in the space of two seconds.

"What's with all these girls?" Gesea asked, trying to see past all the women to Yuan.

Lloyd nodded in agreement. "What's going on Yuan?" That was all he could ask despite the amount of questions an answer other than "I don't know" would raise.

The women turned their attention on Lloyd. "You dare to speak to the great Master Yuan like you know him?" Three asked in unison.

"W..well, I do.." Lloyd defended, stepping back when the blonde who had been the first to the location stepped out of the crowd and glared. Gesea took a few very quick steps back with him.

"You must be from the slum crowd," the woman said, the pitch of her voice really grinding on Lloyd's ears. "Nobody of any _class_ woud speak to our Chosen like that!"

She took another step toward Lloyd. Before anyone could stop her, Colette stepped in the way, picked up the woman and threw her toward the door of the castle. Stunned, Lloyd watched her fly, and then as all of a sudden Yuan jumped out from the middle of the gaggle of girls and to the woman's location. He caught her bridal style and she looked up at him with a wide grin before fainting in his arms. The other girls cheered and cooed while Gesea and Lloyd watched the scene blankly.

"Did I just hear correctly, Col?" Gesea asked over the commotion.

"I don't know.." the boy replied, a little numb. "Did you just hear her call Yuan... The Chosen?"

Yuan put the unconscious woman down on the ground carefully and ran to the castle doors, waving at them to follow. They glanced at one another and quickly sprinted after him, the screaming girls of all ages giving chase like a wild stampede. Yuan didn't even stop properly when he got to the guards standing out front. They nodded at him and opened the heavy iron doors for them to run straight through. The doors boomed shut behind the four of them. Lloyd looked at the guards who stood to his left and right, back at the door, and then at Yuan.

The elf grimaced and pushed his hair that had been messed up during the attack back behind himself. "I was hoping this wouldn't be as awkward as it seems to be."

"Yuan," Lloyd frowned. "What that girl said? Is it true?"

"That I'm the Chosen?" Yuan asked, crossing his arms. "I suppose it is." He turned toward the large arched hallway that seemed to lead to the throne room. "I think the King will be in his chambers. We might as well head there."

He started walking but Lloyd, Gesea and Colette stayed where they were. When he realised they weren't following, he sighed and turned to them. Lloyd clenched his fists and looked to the floor. "You as well, Yuan? Have you really been lying to us all this time?"

Seeming to finally realise the implications, Yuan gazed at the bunch of teenagers and slumped his shoulders. "Does me being the Chosen really change everything that I have done and helped with up until now, Colloyd?"

Lloyd considered his point carefully. He wasn't sure what to say to that. If he went by the same logic that he had only hours ago used to console Gesea about Kraine, than it shouldn't have mattered. "I.." He trailed off and shook his head. "At least tell us what's going on!"

"Col's right," Gesea nodded. "If you're Tethe'alla's Chosen, then that means you've known about Tethe'alla this whole time we've been travelling together."

"You're right, I have," Yuan admitted. He looked at Lloyd. "Just as Kraine likely does, I also have a reason for having deceived you until now."

Lloyd stared. It was like Yuan had just read his mind. Yuan chuckled to himself in the awkward silence. "This is hardly the place to have a discussion like this." He looked at the guards standing at the doors. They did their best to keep straight faces but he'd heard them telling all kinds of stories about the goings on inside the castle to their comrades on many other occasions.

Still feeling and looking troubled and with a million other questions ready to ask, Lloyd reluctantly agreed to wait for a time when they were alone.

xXx

The blue haired ex-professor-elf-apparently-Tethe-alla's-Chosen led them through to the eastern wing of the palace and up two sets of stairs as though he had been inside the castle many times. He didn't look back at them, sensing their contempt for the situation. Lloyd watched him from behind, thinking back on everything he knew about the man. Yuan had been his Professor at Iselia for four years before Kraine and Gesea had come. He had been his first ever official school teacher since before he'd turned ten he hadn't been allowed to mix with other children. He had been home schooled by Phaidra at the Temple of Martel on all things Chosen. The old woman had tried her best to teach him things but it hadn't been until Yuan had come to Iselia that things had begun to sink in.

Yuan had taught him more about being a person as well as the Chosen and he had treasured those years. He'd resented Kraine at first for replacing him until he had been told that Yuan had left of his own volition by Phaidra. His stomach twisted into a knot upon the realisation that the reason Yuan had been able to offer such honest knowledge to him about Kharlian, the written language of the Angels, and about how to deal with being the Chosen was because he had _first hand_ experience. He didn't exactly know how to feel.

By the time they climbed the staircase and stood in front of a door with a golden plaque above the frame that read "ROYAL CHAMBER", Lloyd had gone through a long list of emotions in his head about how he felt about the revelation. Deciding he felt more _confused_ than betrayed, he decided to focus on the task at hand and to trust that Yuan would give them a more thorough explanation soon. At seeing Yuan, the guards stood at ease and allowed him entrance into a large bedroom. A man with a long fuzzy beard sat in bed with a trolley next to him full of medicine and surrounded by tissues. It looked like he was bed ridden with a cold. An empty chair sat on the other side of the king-size bed as though he'd had visitors recently.

The King fluttered his eyes open at the sound of the door shutting behind them and observed the group. "Oh, Chosen. It has been some time since we have had your presence in this castle." He looked at Lloyd and Gesea equally before looking a little perplexed at the sight of Colette. Lloyd couldn't blame him. Her pink angel wings had not retracted back into her back and were clearly visible.

There was movement from a small room off to the right. A man with a long hat and clothes representative of the Church of Martel walked into the bed chamber. Lloyd guessed he might have been the Pope that Sheelos had mentioned earlier.

"Ch..Chosen!" He said, looking surprised but not all that pleased to see Yuan. He also looked over the rest of them "Who are these other people you have brought into the castle?"

"Yes, I would like to know that as well," the Tethe'allan King said, hacking a cough.

Yuan turned to his side and waited for the King to settle down before he waved his hands at Lloyd and Gesea, then over to Colette. "These are very important friends of mine, your Highness."

Before a word more could be said, the doors behind the group opened. A woman with long dark blonde hair that was parted at the sides and a ruffly blue and white noble dress stepped through. She gasped when she saw Yuan and just like the rest of the people in the room, seemed confused at the "extras".

"You are just in time, Princess Hilda," Yuan said with a polite bow. Princess Hilda nodded back in greeting and sat in the empty chair next to her fathers bed.

"As I was saying, these people are from Sylvarant," Yuan said.

"These are people from the declining world?!" Hilda gasped and brought a small fan out of her sleeve. She fanned herself while she looked over the group again. Lloyd looked down from all of their gazes. He was starting to feel like an exhibit.

"Well don't just stand there," the Pope said, "Introductions are in order."

Lloyd and Gesea shared a glance for a second before Lloyd stepped forward. "I'm Lloyd, Your Highness." He realised too late his mistake in telling his new name and saw Yuan and Gesea's expressions change. They didn't approach him on it though and he was glad. There was a better time and place for _this_ conversation too. Gesea stepped forward to introduce herself next, then Yuan introduced Colette to them. "Colette is the Chosen of Sylvarant," he explained.

Lloyd kept his lips tight this time, remembering what it had been like when he had proven his Chosen status to Martuan. Still, he felt bad. If anything bad came of her being labelled the Chosen.. No. He didn't want to think about that. "We've come to deliver a letter," he explained, trying to get the attention off of the absent angel. He didn't want to know what might happen if someone in the room decided that they wanted to shake hands with her.

"A letter?" the King asked. "Whom is this letter from?"

Lloyd looked at Yuan, who nodded and handed the letter from Sheelos to the Pope, who handed it gingerly to the King. "Sheelos Wilderbayashi, Your Highness," Yuan answered.

"Sheelos?" The Kings eyes widened and he opened the letter. It turned out to just be a folded piece of paper with some kind of wax seal. They all waited for him to finish reading and watched as his expression changed by the time he arrived at the end. He frowned, making the aging lines on his forehead all the more prominent. He rested the letter on the bed next to him and looked at Lloyd. "People of Sylvarant, please be escorted by our guards and wait in the Crimson Chamber."

The doors behind them opened and the guards who had been out front stepped inside. "Please follow us," one of them instructed.

Lloyd looked at Yuan, who shook his head. "It's okay Lloyd. The Crimson Chamber is just a fancy guest room."

He relaxed a bit more and left with Gesea at his side and Colette following blankly as always.

xXx

Lloyd impatiently paced back and forth in the waiting chamber while Gesea had taken to summoning her kendaxe and playing with it using the ball and paddle end in order to pass time. Just when he was about to ask the guards standing outside for the eleventh time whether they knew when they would be able to go, the doors opened and the Pope and Yuan stepped into the room.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, travelers from Sylvarant," the Pope said.

"So can we go now?" Lloyd asked. "You read the letter right?"

"You want to use Tethe'allan technology to save the Chosen from your side, correct?" The Pope asked. Lloyd nodded, realising that Sheelos must have mentioned the idea of saving Colette in her letter as well. The Pope tisked at that and shook his head. "I'm afraid that as long as the Chosen lives, our world teeters on the brink of destruction."

The guards that had been waiting outside the doors and possibly going mad at Lloyd's persistence earlier approached Colette. They barely placed a hand each on her before she knocked them away. One was sent crashing into the wall of the hallway outside of the room while the other crashed into a stack of chairs on the other side of the room and sent them all tumbling down.

Gesea backed away. "They were going to kill us all along!"

"Just for the record," Yuan said, "I was not a part of this plan." He looked at the Pope with a cross expression. "What would you say to making a deal?"

"A deal?" the Pope's eyes narrowed at Yuan.

"I will continue to accompany the Sylvaranti and ensure that they do not try to leave back to Sylvarant if they decide to save their Chosen's life using our technology," Yuan explained.

Lloyd frowned in confusion, but Gesea seemed to understand the implications. "In order to attempt to get Colette back to normal and conduct our own research on _matters_ as they stand, we will forfeit our right to completing the world regeneration."

"Abandon Sylvarant?" Lloyd looked at Colette and briefly wondered whether it would be worth such a price. It didn't take him long to agree with himself that it _was_ worth it. He had vowed to Sheelos that he would try to stop the sacrifice of Chosen's. Regardless of his somewhat confused notions on the fact that _he_ was the Chosen and Colette was Colette, saving her was the first step to his goal if she did in fact turn out to be the Chosen of Sylvarant somehow. With a weak nod of his head, he agreed to the deal.

"Are you sure something like that should be decided so easily Col..uh, L..Lloyd?" Gesea asked. "This is the whole of Sylvarant we are talking about."

"I know," Lloyd answered. "But if we back away now, we might as well have let the Renegades capture us in Sylvarant."  
Gesea remained quiet after that. Lloyd looked at the Pope. "We'll do as Yuan..uh, the Chosen suggested. Please tell us where we need to go to help Colette."

"We should head to the Imperial Research Academy," Yuan answered. He looked at the Pope. "Please tell His Majesty of the affairs as they currently stand. I'll escort the Sylvaranti out of the castle now."  
The Pope didn't look like he appreciated the order, but did as was told and left them to go to the Kings chambers again. Yuan turned to look at Gesea, Lloyd and Colette.

"So where is the Imperial Research Academy?" Lloyd asked him. Yuan felt surprised for a moment. He had expected a bombardment of questions. He regained his composure quickly and led them out of the castle as he explained that they would need to journey out of Meltokio and across the Grand Tethe'alla bridge to get to a small town called Sybak that was known for its research.


	24. The Angels and the Angelus

There was a reason it was called the "Grand Tethe'alla Bridge".

Lloyd gaped at the sight of the thing. Although it had been an incredibly short trip from Meltokio, the thing was taller than the Temple of Martel and longer than his field of vision would allow. He'd squinted to see if he could spot what lay on the other side but got nothing but a green blur no matter how hard he tried. Gesea stood next to him, but instead of a look of awe on her face, he saw a look of pure horror.

"What are those?" she asked, alarm in her voice as she pointed to the sides of the bridge. Lloyd looked to where she was pointing. At first he didn't notice anything, but when some clouds moved out of the way of the sunlight pouring to their location, he saw a familiar glimmer. A _lot_ of familiar glimmers.

Yuan walked in front of them and regarded the direction of their horrified stares. "I suppose I might as well tell you since you noticed." His crossed his arms and closed his eyes, a regretful expression washing over his face. "According to Tethe'alla, this is the greatest drawbridge in the world. It connects the continents of Altamira and Fooji. Its control system incorporates 3,000 exspheres."

Gesea backed away from the bridge slowly, shaking her head. "Three thousand.."

"Three thousand human lives, I know," Yuan admitted. He looked at Lloyd. "You know as well as I that the manufacturing of exspheres cannot continue. We must do all we can for the innocent people in the world."

The boy's dark expression faded at those words and was replaced by sheer determination. "Right. Let's keep going." He started off again. This time Yuan walked at his side while Gesea and Colette walked behind.

As the group made their way across the bridge and saw the sun gradually get lower on the horizon, Lloyd began to wonder whether they would ever reach the end. He kept telling himself that because he hadn't come across another person wearing a cat costume for some time, that they definitely weren't somehow going around in circles. He started to get bored of the scenery and his mind began to wander again to the blue haired man matching his stride next to him. He wondered what kind of life the Chosen of Tethe'alla led by not having the burden of a regeneration on their shoulders. He'd seen Yuan in action at the castle in Meltokio. He certainly wasn't in hiding from the world as the Chosen typically was in Sylvarant.

It was only when he trailed out of his envious thoughts about Yuan that he realised they had suddenly left the bridge and stepped foot onto some short grass that squished slightly from rainfall under their feet. He glanced at Yuan, who pointed toward a town they could see in the distance. It was obviously Sybak. The city looked quite brown and old fashioned, but according to Yuan as they headed quickly through the wilds to it, it was quite well known for being in the know with current technology.

"We should head to the Research Academy before retiring to the inn for a nights rest," Yuan said, gesturing to the north of town as their feet left the grass and clacked on the brick path of the town. Lloyd could see a building looming higher than the rest in the area that was surrounded by a cobblestone fence that curved around in an oval and cast a shadow. It was nothing when pitted against Castle Tethe'alla though. The town itself looked pretty small. The entrance led straight into a small town circle where there were a few trading stalls and an inn to their right. He could hear the faint sound of running water, which made sense considering the town was situated right on the coastline.

Grinning eagerly at his new surroundings, Lloyd led the group in the direction the elf had suggested, doing his best to avoid people's stares. They weren't looking at _him,_ obviously. They were fixated on Colette, who had remained at a close proximity during their adventure from Meltokio to Sybak. After they had been done looking at the angel, they seemed content to look at Yuan. It seemed like the only one in the city who hadn't looked at their group as they entered was a white spotted dog chained near the fence of the inn. Lloyd quickened his pace a little, hoping to avoid any rampant fangirls of the Chosen and only stopped when he glanced back and realised Yuan and Gesea weren't following. Gesea was glancing around herself, a confused expression on her face.

"What's wrong?" Lloyd asked as he re-approached them. He wondered if she was bothered as well by the whispers of all the white-robed and college-uniformed people around them.

"It's.. this city.." Gesea said. She took a few quick steps back suddenly and looked at her hands. They were trembling. She frowned and looked back up at Lloyd. "I.. I feel like I've been here before!"

Lloyd blinked in confusion. "But we're in Tethe'alla! That can't be right."

"That may be a rash conclusion," Yuan butted in, giving Lloyd his 'Professor' eyes. "We now know Kraine is working with Cruxis. It is possible he has been to Tethe'alla and Gesea was too young to remember."

"Or.." Gesea whispered, "..I just forgot." She looked around herself nervously. "Let's not stay too long here. It is making me very nervous."

"I suppose we can set up camp outside," Yuan replied.

"It will be better to, anyway," Lloyd agreed, squaring Yuan down for a moment.

The elf grimaced. "I suppose there is no way for me to escape the inevitable questions that await?" He walked ahead of them and called them to hurry otherwise the sun would set and the academy would close.

Gesea still had a worried expression plastered on her face. Lloyd put a hand on her head and gave her his most reassuring grin. "Don't worry. I'm here to protect Colette and you."

Gesea glanced at Colette and then back to him. "Do you think it has to do with my exsphere?" She touched her chest where it sat under her clothes, as she habitually did when she was thinking about it.

Lloyd stretched while he thought. He didn't really have an answer though. "Don't worry about it. We'll figure it out eventually." He walked ahead and hoped she would follow.

Gesea looked up at the sky and sighed. "What happened, Kraine?"

xXx

After passing through the town circle, the group of four followed the curve of the rounded wall along a small path filled with sewer lids and the coastline that faced out to where the city of Meltokio could be seen. The wall ended and led them to the front steps of the Imperial Research Academy. With a nod to a man that stood outside to greet visitors, Yuan opened a heavy looking metal door and they followed him inside the building. A researcher with short blonde hair and large glasses shut a door to another room behind himself and spotted them. "Chosen," he greeted with a conservative nod.

Yuan nodded in greeting back, being the only one in their group of sound mind to not gape at the enormous winged dragon skeleton that towered over everything in the room. It was taller than the stairs to their right that led up to another level of the academy. "I take it you have received word about the nature of our visit?" he asked.

The researcher glanced behind Lloyd and at Colette. "Yes, we have been waiting for you. Please come this way." He opened the door behind him and led them a short way down a long hallway with a long red carpet and into another room with a giant table in the middle stacked with books and papers. Swivel chairs littered the room around the table and the odd bookshelf and potted plant decorated the otherwise plain walls.

"Upon receiving the report of Colette's symptoms, we found our research data regarding the Chosen's Cruxis crystal." He touched an indented platform on the table and it beeped. Had Lloyd not seen the technology in the Desian ranches, he was sure he would have been surprised a little more when a holographic globe appeared suddenly. He wondered what his dad would think of it all if he could see it.

"Cruxis crystals are thought to be evolved forms of exspheres. Both exspheres and Cruxis crystals are lifeless beings," the researcher stated, waving his fingers around the globe and making it spin and apparently show him more data.

"What did you say?!" Lloyd blinked. He looked down at his exsphere. It shone back at him with its strange but comforting blue hue. "Life..less?"

"What he is saying is that basically exspheres are alive, though not in the same way we are, I.. I think," Gesea explained.

The researcher nodded in confirmation. "Both of these crystals are like parasites fusing with other life forms."

Lloyd looked at his exsphere. "That's not a very pleasant thought."

"Agreed," Yuan nodded.

The researcher continued, "When this happens, the mana within the body loses balance and goes out of control without a key crest."

Lloyd turned and looked at the lifeless shell of a girl, Colette. The Cruxis crystal that sat on her neck did not have a key crest, yet he had never seen it before and had only ever seen his own exsphere, with the key crest his father had made for him. No matter how he looked at it, he and Colette _had_ to be two different people. His stomach churned uneasily when he thought of their camp later. All of a sudden the interest he'd had in finding out about Yuan was overshadowed by anxiety at explaining his name change and having his own situation explained to him from his friends point-of-view.

"It is understandable why exspheres without Key Crests turn people into monsters," Gesea said aloud.

"Exactly," the researcher agreed. "You're a bright one. Colette is indeed suffering from a parasitical infection caused by her Cruxis crystal.

"Angel Toxicosis," Gesea mumbled, "just like Kraine said."

"The release of the seals would be a way of promoting the fusion between the host and the Cruxis crystal," Yuan surmised, a curious grin on his lips. "It also makes a great deal of sense when you think about the human ranches and how they are used."

Lloyd couldn't help but drop his mouth at him. He really did remind him of Kraine sometimes. "Yuan, you shouldn't look so happy at finding out all this after everything I..-we've- been through."

"He's always been like that," laughed a familiar female voice from behind. They all whirled around to see a familiar red-headed assassin standing in their midst.

"Sh..Sheelos!" Lloyd blinked, "I didn't know if we would be seeing you again."

Sheelos grinned. "How could I stay away from someone so handsome? It would have been pure torture!"

As she said that, Lloyd noticed something. He wasn't sure what it was, but her typical flirt was covering for something else. He figured there must have been _another_ reason she had graced them with her presence. Sheelos looked at the researcher then, he nodded in confused greeting to her. "So, if Colette had a key crest, she would return to normal, right?" she asked, as though she had been present for the entire conversation.

"Yes, she should be able to freely control the Cruxis crystal if she had a key crest," the researcher replied, casting his eyes on Lloyds exsphere. "Much like you do with your own."

Lloyd resisted the urge to hide his hand and looked at Sheelos. "Do you know anywhere here that might sell a key crest?"

Sheelos shrugged, "Beats me, but you might as well start locally I guess."

"Right," Lloyd nodded and headed for the door. "There were some vendors just outside."

He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned his head to see Yuan shake his own. "Just _any_ key crest will not do. I would wager that only one of dwarven technology would be able to make any visible difference to Colette's condition."

"Do you have one?" Sheelos asked him. It might have sounded like a bit of an unfair question if Yuan hadn't shown himself to be two steps ahead throughout the journey. Lloyd looked at the elf, hoping for him to perform the usual miracle. When he shook his head this time and didn't drop his bag, he couldn't help the disappointment he felt.

"Sorry," Yuan replied. "Key crests aren't something you can just come across. Especially not ones that can contain a parasitical infection. We're going to have to do this one the hard way."

"We could ask my Dad?" Lloyd suggested. "He's a dwarf."

Everyone in the room appeared to have an opinion, but Gesea was the first off the mark. "But Dirk lives in Sylvarant. We have no way of getting there. The Rheairds are out of fuel."

"Maybe the Academy might know a way?" Lloyd asked, looking back at the researcher.

The man didn't get a chance to reply. Yuan cleared his throat and interrupted. "I suppose you are forgetting that I cannot allow you to go back to Sylvarant?"

"Why don't you just come back with us?" Lloyd questioned. "Y'know, to keep an eye on us?"

"I can not see a problem if you did that. Please Yuan?" Gesea asked.

Yuan sighed and said nothing at first, instead taking note that the researcher had slipped out of the room. "I suppose this is the part where I can't refuse?"

"I _think_ we might have bigger problems!" Sheelos said, turning to the door. A few seconds later it burst open and almost flew off of its hinges as two knights in the same armour as the ones that guarded Castle Tethe'alla stormed into the room. Sheelos jumped back in a very agile manner to where the rest of them stood.

"Chosen!" the first guard to enter yelled, pointing his weapon at Yuan. "We received word of your conspiracies. We hereby declare you and your companions to be traitors attempting to destroy Tethe'alla."

Yuan crossed his arms. "Perfect timing as always, Papal Knights."

"You took the words out of my mouth," Sheelos groaned.

"By the Pope's orders. We are to watch you for suspicions of plotting against the throne. He has requested we take a blood sample of you all." The first Papal Knight to enter looked to his companion. "Restrain them now." Another Knight ran into the room.

"Now just wait-" Lloyd cut himself off when the second Knight approached him with a large needle in his hand.

"Don't touch the angel," the first Papal Knight instructed. "If you approach her carelessly, she will kill you."

"That would go for the brunette too," Yuan said.

Sheelos nodded. "Unless you want the whole place to blow up of course- owch!" A Papal Knight poked a needle into her arm. The Knights clearly didn't want to listen, but they did so anyway just to be safe.

"Why are they trying to take our blood?" Lloyd asked as he tried to stop another Knight poking a needle into Gesea.

He put his hand on his sword but saw Yuan shake his head. "If you make a fuss, this will get ten times worse." The elf cringed when a Knight took a sample of his blood and laughed a bit. "Pope's orders? Amusing. I'm the one who is plotting against the throne am I?" He sneered angrily and glanced at Gesea. "Gesea, I apologise. This is about to get a little more complicated."

"It's.. it's a match!" A Papal Knight said, blinking at the device in his hands that he had inserted the blood sample from Gesea in.

"As the Pope thought, the Chosen is also a match," another Papal Knight said after doing the same thing with Yuan's sample. Gesea was quickly apprehended by one.

"Gesea!" Lloyd yelled, hesitantly staying his hand on the hilt of his sword and glancing at Yuan, who was being surrounded by the remaining two Papal Knights. "What's going on?"

"That is top-secret," one replied. "Don't resist, or we will have to use force." The Papal Knight with his arms around Gesea tried to move toward the door but Sheelos quickly blocked it. She looked at Yuan for a long moment, and he nodded in what looked like agreement. While the Papal Knights still held him at the arms, his aura glowed and his butterfly blade appeared in his right hand. Lloyd didn't hesitate then and drew his right hand sword, leaving the chakram on his left in its pouch. He swiped at the Papal Knight holding onto Gesea and the armoured man fell back.

All the Papal Knights drew their spears, but seemed pretty confused on who to fight first in the small room. Sheelos being Sheelos, was ironically the first to finish any bloodshed before it started. She threw a round ball-like object at the ground and the room quickly filled with smoke. A sense of deja-vu coming over him, Lloyd ran with Gesea, Colette and Yuan out of the room. Unsurprisingly they found themselves face to face with more Papal Knights. Students and Professors of the academy hid under chairs and behind pot plants in the hallway. Yuan made his blade disappear and drew the short sword that sat under his cloak. "Don't hurt them, but make sure they feel it!"

"Right!" Lloyd nodded and charged with him through the Papal Knights blocking the path, making sure he struck with the flat of his sword. He looked behind himself on occasion as he caught blows from their assailants to make sure Gesea and Sheelos were still following and not tripping on the steadily increasing row of unconscious armoured men. Colette was staying clear above the commotion by hovering vacantly and following just behind him as always. He dreaded if a Papal Knight actually landed a hit on him, remembering what had happened at the Renegade base. He and Yuan burst through the door leading to the main foyer and out the front door a second later. It had gotten dark while they had been inside and the street lamps were on now. Off in the distance they could see Papal Knights stationed to capture them if they tried to enter through the town circle.

"We're going to have to jump into the water," Sheelos exclaimed. "It's the only way."

They ran to the cliffs edge where the sea crashed against it a few metres down. It was definitely a survivable fall. Just as Sheelos was about to make the first jump down, Yuan caught her by the collar of her garb. "Maybe not." He tilted his head in the direction of a slightly raised sewer lid to the left of the academy. A woman with green hair and glasses was looking directly at them and waving for them to hurry. Lloyd briefly looked at Gesea. She didn't seem to disagree with their method of hiding for the time being. They all put their weapons away/made them disappear into another dimension and followed Yuan to the sewer drain. The woman opened the lid up further and headed them down a ladder into what looked like some kind of basement lab.

xXx

It was only when they got to the ground and all stood around in a semi circle that Lloyd got a good look of the woman that had probably saved them being captured. The sound of Papal Knight boots echoed when they walked over the sewer grate above and he could hear muffled yells to check the academy again to see where they could have gone.

The green haired woman with glasses wore a robe like a lot of the other academy goers. She also had slightly curvier ears like Yuan and Gesea. Lloyd smiled and held a hand out to her in greeting. "You're like Gesea and Yuan! Nice to meet you."

The woman glared at his hand. "Unbelievable. You think I would fall for your trick? You must have some kind of device to punish me."

Lloyd frowned and withdrew his hand. "Why would I punish you? You saved us." He looked at Yuan. "Even though I'm not really sure what you saved us _from."_

"I simply saw the girl in your custody," she replied, looking down at Gesea.

Gesea stepped backward quickly. "I'm not in anybody's custody. Who are you? Stay away."

"It _is_ you," the woman gasped. She knelt down, "You're Gesea. Why are you here? Do you remember me? My name is Kate."

"Wait, you know Gesea?" Lloyd looked from Kate to Gesea. "How is that possible?

"I've gotta agree with the dashing darling," Sheelos nodded. "What gives? The kid's from Sylvarant."

Kate's eyes widened. "Sylvarant? The declining world? How can that be?"

Gesea's timid expression changed to downright terrified when Kate tried to move closer to her. Lloyd stepped in front. "Could you explain a bit more?"

Kate gave him a look of distrust that he still didn't understand but seemed to agree. She moved back from him and Gesea. "Gesea was my teams research sample." A look of terrified realisation washed over Gesea's face.

"Research?" Lloyd asked, beginning to get the feeling he knew where this was heading. "What kind of research?"

"We were to research how to manufacture Cruxis crystals inside the human body. Theoretically, they are no different than exspheres. By allowing them to slowly feed on a human body—"

"Wh…what?!" Lloyd cut her off. "That's the same way that the Desians make exspheres!"

Kate looked surprised at his knowledge and gave him a wary look. He clenched his fist at her. "How can you treat people like that?"

Her surprised expression faded and changed to the same look of distrust she had worn earlier. "I could ask you the same thing. How can you humans look at yourselves and call _us_ freaks?!"

"I'm still not sure what's going on," he admitted. "Can someone explain?"

Gesea and Yuan glanced at one another, while Sheelos sighed and shrugged her shoulders. Colette said nothing of course. Kate looked at Yuan. "I also wanted to apologise. I have seen you before and knew what you were when I saw your strange mana signature. That is how the Pope found out." She looked at Lloyd. "I'm not sure how you managed to be caught in _his_ custody though. I assume he is using you for his own selfish gains in return for keeping your secret and now is acting as though he knows nothing?"

Sheelos snorted at that. "If he was that smart, he would be the whole package." She looked at Yuan. "What's all this about 'what' you are?"

Yuan crossed his arms. "Hmph. Not that it should matter, but Gesea and I are half-elves. As is Kate."

Sheelos' mouth dropped, but Lloyd failed to see what was so shocking. "What does that even mean?"

"It means we have both a human and an elf parent," Gesea answered softly.

"Really?" Lloyd blinked. "I've never heard of the church allowing interspecies Salvatorians before. I thought it was forbidden because it wasn't a part of survival."

"That's because it _is_ forbidden," Gesea mumbled. "It _wasn't_ allowed."

"Huh?" Lloyd scratched his head. "I thought I was getting it, but I don't think I am."

"Use your own head a little Lloyd," Yuan mumbled. "If it wasn't allowed, what is the only other explanation?"

"That... a human and elf bred because.." Lloyd blinked again, barely believing the words that were coming out of his own mouth. "They bred because they wanted to?"

"Exactly," Yuan smiled proudly.

"But that makes no sense," Lloyd said, looking from him to Gesea and to Kate. "Why-"

"-It is exactly _that_ way of thinking- that it makes 'no sense'- that causes those of our race to stay in hiding our whole lives," Kate cut him off, crossing her arms disapprovingly. "Those of us that are discovered spend our lives in fear of execution to protect the Churches way of life and are the pawns of the Church of Martel." She gestured to the lab around herself. "I myself only leave this laboratory if I am summoned by the Pope. I last left ten years ago." She eyeballed Yuan. "That is when I saw you and realised you were a half-elf. A lot of time passed here and I was left alone. Then I remembered you and asked to see the Pope." She bowed her head to him. "But I just couldn't watch them capture you as well."

"Your apologies are not necessary," Yuan replied. "Please tell us more about this experiment." He looked at Lloyd. "Is that alright with you Lloyd?"

Still confused, Lloyd nodded. "It doesn't matter to me whether you're full or half elves. I actually think it sounds cool. But right now we need to know more about the research."

Gesea gave him the first real smile he had seen in days and he felt somehow..warmer after seeing it. He wasn't sure what he'd said to make her smile like that, but he made a mental note to try and remember to do it more often.

"R..right," Kate replied. "Gesea was part of the experiment we called the Angelus Project."

"I knew it," Lloyd mumbled. "My mum was also involved in the project."

"Your mother?" Kate looked concerned. Gesea's earlier smile faded.

Lloyd nodded. "Do you know anything about her? I heard her subject name was A012."

Kate thought about it for a few seconds but shook her head. "I'm sorry. I was only involved with the experiment on Gesea and her younger sister. I know nothing of any other subjects or their subject numbers." She looked at Gesea. "I must say, I am very surprised at your improvements since I last saw you. Kraine must have found a way to get the old dwarf to help, despite his involvement with the program."

"There are dwarves in Tethe'alla too?" Lloyd asked hurriedly. It seemed like they might be in luck all of a sudden. He realised after that Kate's earlier sentence held more weight than one.

"So Kraine went through Tethe'alla too," Sheelos stated for the rest of them, putting her hand to her chin in thought.

"Yes, he came to me seeking help for Gesea." Kate looked at Gesea, who flinched and looked away. "The last time I saw you, you were little different to Colette." The scientist gazed at Lloyd. "As you probably know by now, an exsphere itself is nothing special. The last time I saw Gesea, her Cruxis crystal had a special key crest placed on it. The key crest delays the exsphere's parasitic process, which can take place over a few days or up to several decades. It seems this can cause exspheres to mutate into Cruxis crystals."

"Do you mean that Colette could die in a few days if we do not get her help?" Gesea asked, getting a little braver.

"It's possible," Kate replied. "I don't know the nature of her current key crest, but it's likely it is the same type of key crest you had worn once. Her exsphere has evolved into a Cruxis crystal, I can tell you that much just by looking at the colour of it. It may already be too late."

"Then we have to try to save her," Lloyd said, looking at the angel. It didn't seem fair. "Please tell us where this dwarf lives."

Kate looked reluctant. She gazed at Gesea and knelt down to be at her height. "Is it really true that you are friends with these humans?"

Gesea met Kate's eyes for the first time and she drew back a surprised breath. "Col...Lloyd and Sheelos are my friends. We are not under their control."

Kate stood then, looking confused. "It is very unusual, but if you say it, I'll believe you." She turned her head to Lloyd. "To save Colette, you will need to speak to a dwarf named Altessa who lives deep in Gaoracchia Forest."

"Then it's settled, that's where we're headed," Sheelos said, to much the parties surprise. Lloyd grinned and agreed, realising this meant Sheelos would be staying with them a bit longer.

"You should have no trouble leaving now," Kate said, looking at the ladder that led back up to the city. "I think they would have ordered their guards to watch the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge, so as long as you lay low and do not cross for a few days, you should be safe."

"Thanks Kate," Lloyd said, holding his hand out to her once more. She studied it like it was a different life-form at first but eventually reached out and took it. "Keep your friends close, Lloyd."

He smiled and nodded before heading to the ladder.

"Just one last thing," Sheelos said before she followed the group. "By whose order was Gesea's experiment carried out?

"I.. I can't say," Kate replied.

Yuan crossed his arms and shared a glance with Sheelos. "The Pope, then," he stated under his breath.

Kate didn't reply. They left her standing there when they heard Lloyd calling them from the top of the ladder to hurry up.


	25. Fly trapping, star gazing, and hill tripping

To say that Lloyd was surprised when he let out a yawn after they had made their way out of Sybak and met up with the always patient Noishe was an understatement. At first he just yawned like normal, and then he stopped mid-stride and stared. He opened his mouth and tried to force out another yawn. It wasn't easy to do it unnaturally. His eyelids felt heavy too.

Yuan sniggered from the back of the party when he observed Lloyd opening his mouth wide to try and replicate the yawn. "Try not to be so surprised when you're tired. You'll catch flies if you hang your jaw open like that for too much longer."

Lloyd just looked at his former professor. It was always confusing when Yuan made jokes like that. "Oh come on," Sheelos groaned, walking past and rolling her eyes. She turned back to look at Yuan. "Don't be so hard on him, Mr Serious Chosen."

"Come to think of it," Lloyd started, curiously looking between her and Yuan, "Did you know Yuan was really the Chosen, Sheelos?"

"I've also been wondering about that too," Gesea admitted.

Sheelos laughed a little and crossed her arms behind her head. "'Course I did. As an operative for Mizuho, the Chosen and I have exchanged information vital to Tethe'alla on more than one occasion. I just.. didn't think to bring it up, is all."

"You didn't think to bring it up?" Gesea raised one eyebrow. "Seriously?"

"Well you didn't tell me you were a half-elf either," Sheelos defended.

"That's because it was none of your business," Yuan replied for Gesea. Sheelos glared at him and his lip curled up in part amusement. "Come now Miss Assassin; you know the Gaoracchia woods better then everyone here. Is there somewhere safe we can set up camp?"

"O..oh yeah," Sheelos pointed to the forest they could see off in the distance, then changed the direction she pointed slightly to some grassy mountains on her left. "If we go through the forest entrance and use the sorcerers ring on the weeds to the left of the path, we should find a little secluded spot." She headed on ahead carelessly, waving them to follow. "It's my favourite spot. Nobody around. You can do all sorts of things in secluded spots just like that."

Lloyd wasn't sure what she was on about again and decided to stay at the back of the group with Gesea, Colette and Noishe while Yuan stepped past to walk with Sheelos.

"Lloyd?" Gesea asked when Sheelos and Yuan were out of reasonable earshot. "Do you really not mind that I'm a half-elf?"

"Why should I?" he asked. "You're Gesea. You're always going to be Gesea. Well, as long as you don't split into two people like me anyway."

"That is why I like you, Col," Gesea smiled. When Lloyd accidentally sighed at his old nickname, she looked apologetic. "Oh sorry. _Lloyd._ " She gave him a curious look. "Do you feel any different? You look different, but I can't say it is a bad look.." Her voice went softer and she quickly glanced away. "I..I mean, your new name suits you I think, somehow."

"Thanks," he nodded. He thought about telling her then and there how different he actually _did_ feel. The most awkward part of it all was the angel floating silently behind him at all times. A constant symbol of his change and that he had no real way of explaining it to anyone.

A chill crept up his spine suddenly and he whirled around just as a ethereal ghost monster appeared out of nowhere. He drew his sword and held it with both hands. It felt awfully unnatural. Gesea reacted much quicker and summoned her kendaxe and called forth a flurry of fireballs. The monster flew back but didn't seem quite done. Yuan and Sheelos up ahead were fighting what looked like a giant praying mantis. It spat some kind of green goo at them and they dodged out of the way and quickly flanked the enemy.

Lloyd ran into his own battle with his sword gripped tightly. He drew it back and went to strike with a weighted thrust when the monster disappeared into thin air. Moments later, a tingle of cold air hit his back and he turned to see the transparent white ghost monster right in front of him. He went in for the attack again, seeing Gesea's fireballs leaving her body from a short distance away. Before either attack could connect, the ghost monster let out a gut-wrenching low cackle. It disappeared again, this time leaving some gald on the ground where it had -very temporarily- hovered.

Colette floated slightly off of the ground in front of him, her aura glowing pink for a second longer and then fading. It didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened. Lloyd heard clapping and looked to Sheelos and Yuan, who had just finished defeating their praying mantis. "Colette's a pretty good body guard," Sheelos called with a grin as she put away her short sword. "I would really have some trouble if I still needed to assassinate you now." She stuttered, "Which I'm totally not going to do, for the record."

"That's another thing Sheelos," Gesea pointed out. "Why exactly are you joining us again?"

"Oh," Sheelos blinked in realisation. "The Chief wants me to keep an eye on how you're going with the journey. Once I told him what you want to achieve, he seemed pretty chilled with the idea of letting you live."

Lloyd sighed, "I feel so judged right now."

"Me too," Gesea agreed, sighing too. "Now we have two people keeping tabs on us."

"It's typical of Mizuho," Yuan pointed out. "They're probably trying to figure out whether it is better to side with the King or all of us."

"Pretty much," Sheelos agreed as she and Yuan disappeared into the shadows of the forest ahead.

xXx

With some very quick slashes of Yuan's double bladed sword and a few scared whines from Noishe, the group came to a familiar device. As usual, Lloyd felt his sorcerers ring react to the magic it let off. When he pointed the ring ahead of himself, it did just as Sheelos had said. It was like a torch of magic. It was incredibly bright and when he shone it on the ground he could see little bugs on the forest floor scuttling away to the darkness.

"You'll want to be careful with that," Sheelos said. "It only has so much charge and it's night time at the moment."

"What does that mean?" He looked at his ring carefully. It glowed golden at the moment with the magic from the circular humming device in front of him inside it.

"It's probably powered by the sun," Gesea answered.

"Right again, kid," Sheelos said, giving her a thumbs up.

Gesea crossed her arms. "I am not a child."

Lloyd sniggered but didn't dare argue her point. Sheelos and Yuan led them through the forest quickly again and to a flat clearing of land surrounded by mountains and facing out to the sea. As Sheelos had said, there were some thick viny tendrils blocking the path through. All it took was a short burst of light from the ring and the tendrils retreated backward into the brush that surrounded the narrow path they were walking.

xXx

"Dinner's served," Sheelos said. "I hope everyone likes curry."

They had discovered that not only had Sheelos decided to join them, she had also stocked up on a bag of food from her home town. Lloyd didn't recognise most of it, but a lot of it was fresh fruit and vegetables and various meats that she said did not require refrigeration.

When Sheelos passed him his bowl of food, he hesitantly took it. It was a light green coloured broth. He could see a yellow slice of something floating in it. Carefully staking his fork into it, he lifted it out to discover that it was a thin slice of pineapple.

Sheelos looked at him. "Don't like pineapple?" She frowned. "Or maybe you don't have an appetite?"

Lloyd shook his head. "No, it's not that." In fact, he felt like the days he had gone without food had all crept up on him at once. "It's just I didn't realise pineapple was an ingredient in curry."

"It isn't usually," Gesea agreed. She smiled a Lloyd, who had started to shovel the food into his mouth. "Looks like you've definitely got your appetite, but maybe your taste hasn't returned?"

Lloyd looked at his half empty bowl and asked why in-between chews. Gesea grimaced. "I saw Sheelos use bell peppers in there."

"You were watching me cook?" Sheelos asked, sounding offended.

"There are?" Lloyd swallowed his mouthful. "Tastes pretty good." He frowned and set the bowl down, realising this was a good opportunity for discussion. He warmed his hands on the camp fire they had pitched and relished in the warmth for a moment before starting. "I think I'm a bit different than I was before I went to the tower." He petted the chakram holder on the ground near his backpack. "I used to dual wield with a chakram and a sword, but now it just feels awkward."

"Twin swords may feel more your style," Yuan said lightly after swallowing a mouthful of his own curry.

Lloyd looked at his backpack and then at Yuan. "You think so?"

"There was a reason you kept them, right?"

He was talking about the twin swords Lloyd had found at the fire seal. He had sharpened them using a stone Kraine had gotten at the market in Palmacosta. He unzipped his backpack and didn't need to rummage far to find the twin swords and their sheaths. He weighed one in each hand. It felt surprisingly natural, just as Yuan had suggested it might. He looked at the blue haired half-elf uneasily. "How did you know that I had the twin swords in my backpack?" He recalled meeting Yuan specifically _after_ he had taken them out and almost sold them to the weapons vendor.

"I saw them when you opened your backpack numerous times," Yuan replied simply, weaving his spoon around his fingers and waiting for the question to snowball into an avalanche of other questions. It did.

"Why did you come to teach at Iselia if you're the Chosen of Tethe'alla?" Lloyd asked, glad to finally ask his first of many burning questions.

"Should the Chosen of Tethe'alla not be allowed to journey?" Yuan answered his question with another question. Lloyd grinned, remembering his long conversations with the man during his early years at Iselia. Yuan called it 'The Game of Questions.' The aim was to question something until you couldn't any more and then figure out the answers between the lines. The person who couldn't ask the next question lost. He suddenly wished for a piece of paper.

"How did you get to Sylvarant?" Gesea asked before Lloyd could think of a smart question to answer Yuan's question. Her gaze travelled to Sheelos, currently blowing on her spoon. "Did you come on a rheaird? If you did, how did you get one?"

"A rheaird would make things a lot more convenient, wouldn't it?" Yuan replied, grimacing.

Gesea looked confused; she wasn't familiar with the game. Lloyd ate another couple of spoons of his curry. It seemed to taste better and better the further down to the bottom of the bowl he got. Not to mention he finally had victory for the game in sight. "The right question is "What colour was his rheaird?"

"What colour were Colloyd's eyes?" Yuan asked. He sighed and bowed his head the second the question left his mouth.

Lloyd laughed and clapped. Gesea blinked at him in surprise and looked at Yuan, who gave a defeated smile. "You win, Lloyd."

"So you _did_ have a rheaird?" Gesea realised, her eyes widening. "A blue one? How did you get one?"

Yuan's eyes narrowed at her. Lloyd recognised the look. He was ready for rematch. "Are you accusing me of conspiring with the Renegades, Gesea?"

"N..no," the pinkette half-elf replied. "I just.."

Lloyd smirked. "Yuan wins this one."

"Now if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to eating before my meal gets cold." Yuan proceeded to dig into his curry again. Lloyd still had lots of questions to ask but reluctantly agreed. He was starting to feel pretty tired. The last bite of his meal seemed like an effort to finish. He yawned and rested back on the fresh grass underneath him, trying to think of all the things he had formulated in his head to ask during their travels from Meltokio and Sybak. First he wanted to ask Yuan what it was like to be a Chosen in Tethe'alla, but before he could get the words out of his mouth, his eyes drooped shut and he gave into slumber.

* * *

**A short time later..**

* * *

Yuan looked at the sleeping Gesea and then at Lloyd snoring loudly, then back to Sheelos. "How long will they be out for?"

"Only for the night like you asked," Sheelos replied, looking at the sleepers with an agitated expression. "You do realise this is really risky, right? The kid is sharp as a tack."

"I don't need a lecture from you to realise that. I am well aware." Yuan turned to look toward the forest. "With things how they currently stand and with Lloyd's short lived and yet boundless curiosity for new places, it is important they not journey deeper into the Gaoracchia forest anyway."

Sheelos rolled her eyes. "You're doing that thing again."

"What 'thing'?"

"The thing where you use one reason to cover up another." Sheelos gave Yuan an exasperated look when he started to seem disinterested in continuing on in that line of conversation. "Okay, okay. I get it. Let's just hurry and get them to Ozette. I need my beauty sleep." She looked at Colette sitting on the grass, vacantly staring in Yuan's direction. "You can tackle carrying Lloyd, if you dare."

"I'll admit, I hadn't thought of those implications," Yuan said, looking at the angel. "Well, here goes."

* * *

_Lloyd found himself looking up at stars. He pointed to them and laughed, and heard a laugh back. He looked to his right. A woman in a thigh-length pink dress approached. He couldn't see anything except a dark shape above her neckline, but he knew she was his mother._

" _Are you having fun with daddy?" she asked, her voice sweet like honey. Lloyd felt his heart warming at just the sound. He looked down and saw a tall man standing underneath him. He was sitting up on his shoulders. The man must have been his real father. He could only see the shape of his jawline and a strong smile on his lips. In the back of his mind, he noticed something was different than how he'd seen him before. He couldn't place it though._

" _Be careful Lloyd. If you fidget too much you'll fall," his father warned in the voice Lloyd recognised as his own._

_"But the stars!" he exclaimed as though it were an automatic response. His mother giggled and stepped closer to him and his father. He looked down and watched as his mother put one arm around his father and rested her head on him just below where his feet sat._

_"I wish things could stay like this forever my angel," she whispered.  
_

" _Altessa is not far from here. We must travel when Lloyd sleeps," his father said, tapping Lloyd's little leg in a "Did you hear that?" manner. Although his adult mind wanted to respond accordingly, he found himself instead not wanting to and focusing on the stars._

" _Lloyd will be old enough to walk on his own soon," his mother said. "Will we then be able to travel by day?"_

_His father shook his head._ __"He will only be a burden while awake."_ _

_Lloyd giggled when his fathers hair tickled his legs and face. He wanted to be embarrassed at the little squeaky voice coming out of his mouth, but it all felt natural and cosy._

_"He does ask a lot of questions," his mother laughed. "I suppose my genes are the ones to blame for that."_

" _Should I be offended?" his father asked, sounding somewhat teasing._

_The stars in the sky slowly started to disappear and the scenery became blurry. Lloyd felt a strange weightless feeling come over him. Everywhere went dark.._

* * *

He opened his eyes and gazed around himself. The scenery was unfamiliar. He was lying under a white blanket with a wooden roof above his head. Gesea slept in an identical bed on his left and Sheelos on the right. Colette sat in a chair near the door to the right with her usual vacant stare on him and Yuan was nowhere to be seen. A grandfather clock next to a burning fireplace on the left side of the room identified the time to be around seven o'clock. He assumed that meant in the morning since he could see daylight from outside flooding in from a square window opposite him. He wondered if he'd sleep walked for half their journey to the next village at some time in the night or early morning and guiltily realised they might have been in trouble and he'd been too tired to be mentally aware.

He started to recall what he could about his dream. It had been a good dream- something that he hadn't had in what felt like an eternity. He thought about his mothers voice and felt warm inside again. Then his memory of sitting on his fathers shoulders and looking up at the stars kicked in. Looking at the stars was one of the only things he could remember from his time with his family. It was a hazy memory at best but he'd always thanked his dream-state self for remembering more about it than he usually could. Something about his dream bothered him though.

Pulling the bed blankets off of himself, he put his feet on the polished wooden floor at the end of his bed and stood to stretch. As he was examining the twin swords on the floor an arms length away from him and wished he could remember the voice of his father, he paused mid-stretch. _That's_ what it was.

" _Be careful Lloyd,"_ his father had warned. Whenever he'd dreamed of his family before he began the Journey of Regeneration, he recalled his name being Colloyd in them. Yet his father clearly said Lloyd now in them. It seemed strange but he decided to put it down to how Gesea had explained once that dreams were a mirror to his inner self. He supposed that was why the man who he knew was his father in his dreams did not look like an angel with white wings and a halo any more. Remiel was not his father.

He squinted hard, trying to unblock the darkness that surrounded his parents faces in his dreams until the door to the room opened with a short creak and the only person who hadn't been present when he'd awoken stepped in, Noishe trampling in behind him. Yuan faced him and closed the door behind himself. "Oh, you're awake Lloyd." His tone had the slightly sarcastic ring to it that Lloyd remembered most from when he had asked stupid questions during some particularly long Games of Questions.

"Yeah," he nodded and scratched the back of his head, wondering how to start explaining himself. "I guess me not remembering travelling here means you either had to carry me or I sleep walked?"

Yuan grimaced. "You were not light despite your angel wings."

At Yuan's words, Lloyd suddenly remembered the first question he'd wanted to ask the previous night. "What's it like to be the Chosen over here, Yuan?"

"What's it like to be the Chosen in Sylvarant?" Yuan asked.

The Game of Questions was a great way of dodging questions too, if you were good at it. Lloyd groaned at Yuan. "Come on, it's too early for games."

"Hmph," Yuan crossed his arms, "it's a lot of work. I suppose I have no right to complain though."

Before much more could be said, Sheelos let out a louder than necessary yawn and sat up from her bed. "Morning already?"

"I was about to wake you," Yuan said. "We have dawdled for too long as it is. We should head directly to Altessa's house." He looked at Lloyd. "Wake Gesea. I'll wait downstairs for you." He turned from him and left, his cape catching the breeze behind him slightly and almost getting trapped in the door as he closed it. Lloyd watched the door, a bit confused. Yuan seemed different this morning.

He looked at Sheelos, who sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "You can't blame him for not liking being the Chosen. It's probably better you don't keep nagging him for information."

"...Guess you're right," he agreed eventually, feeling a bit defeated and heading over to wake Gesea.

xXx

"You okay Gesea?" Lloyd asked once they were ready to go. Like him, Gesea seemed a bit disorientated about how she'd woken up at what looked like an inn. "I know, weird huh?" He laughed. "We must have both been pretty tired."

"I guess so," she nodded, seeming unsure. She gazed around the inn again but didn't say anything more.

"It's _fine,"_ Sheelos waved a hand about while she still lay on top of her bed, appearing to know what the pinkette half-elf was thinking. "Don't worry kid. You were light as a feather!"

Gesea crossed her arms angrily and glared at her. Apparently Sheelos had been wrong. The assassin flinched and excused herself from the room quickly after that.

"Let's go Lloyd," Gesea said, heading out the door with her arms still crossed over her chest. He agreed, not knowing what to say. Sheelos was hard to understand but he could tell that she usually said things to lighten up the mood, not to actually cause trouble. He picked up his twin swords from their place near the foot of his bed and slipped them in to the loops on each side of his belt. and quickly chased after his friends.

Yuan was leaning against a wall next to a shelf full of decorative barrels and vases when they reached the bottom of a small staircase and stepped into the foyer of the inn. He looked at Sheelos, who approached first and then at the moody Gesea not too far behind her. "Been picking on Gesea again, Miss Assassin?"

Sheelos raised one eyebrow and turned to Gesea. "C'mon, I was just kiddin."

Gesea sighed loudly and looked at Yuan. "Where are we?"

Lloyd nodded. "Sheelos wouldn't say."

"Follow me," Yuan replied, straightening himself from the wall and heading out the front door.

They did as he said and stepped out to breathe in air that smelled of freshly cut lawn and to face a small set of steps that led up to a grassy patch on what looked like an enormous grassy vine. Looking up, Lloyd could see the village that surrounded them was filled with trees and large vines that were stable enough to hold other houses. Some large trees that reached high up into the clouds provided some natural support beams here and there as well as a green coloured shade from the sun. Lloyd's breath caught in his throat. It was like mother nature had learned the basics of woodwork.

Yuan gestured around himself. "This is-"

"-Ozette," Gesea said, cutting Yuan off. Everyone looked at her. She looked just as confused as them as she walked up the steps slowly and looked at her surroundings. "This is Ozette. Kraine told me.. that I.. _we_ were from a village called Ozette. We were abandoned by our mother and... " Without warning she ran from the group. Noishe barked and scampered after her.

"G..Gesea!" Lloyd yelled, climbing the steps that led from the inn and hurrying after her.

The moment he stepped on to the main vine, he almost tripped over. He caught his balance quickly but watched as Colette behind him, who wasn't floating and had her pink wings away for a change, wasn't so lucky. She tripped and fell, all without a sound. The footing was very bumpy and steep and Lloyd felt like he was standing on an angle, but he managed to angle himself correctly to help her up since Yuan and Sheelos seemed reluctant to touch her. Gesea hadn't seemed troubled by the footing at all though and before he could do anything, Lloyd lost sight of her as she dashed through the town and down a long vine to somewhere below them.

"Ozette is an acquired taste," Yuan admitted. "Don't be surprised if you trip more than once while you get used to the-" He stopped when Lloyd started to go ahead again and Colette tripped once more, as soundlessly as the first time.

Lloyd smiled and helped her up again. This time he held his gaze with hers. "It's probably better if I just hold on to you, Colette. You're going to hurt yourself if you keep tripping."

She stared vacantly at him with his old eyes and he tried not to let it show that a shiver crept down his spine every time she did that. He stuttered for a moment before turning away and leading her, Yuan and Sheelos in the pursuit of Gesea.

xXx

After using one of his swords for balance and holding on to Collete's hand, Lloyd reached the bottom of a very steep branch-like slope to see a large wooden house to his right. It sat on a small mound of concrete and was surrounded by a wooden picket fence. In front of the house sat what looked like makeshift grave, and in front of it knelt Gesea. Noishe stood next to her, panting heavily and looking at the woodcutters axe that was tied to a stake with what looked like an inscription on it.

Lloyd cautiously approached, letting go of Colette's hand gently as he did. Yuan and Sheelos watched on from a respectable distance. Gesea looked up at him, her eyes red and puffy. He sat down next to her and waited for her to tell him, though a grave hardly needed an explanation as far as he was concerned. The name on the grave read "Sieg." It sounded male.

"I..I remember now," Gesea said, sadness in her voice. "Daddy was ill. That was why my sister went to work for a noble." She looked at the axe and the stake. "Kraine told me our father went away, but I remember now." She trembled as tears spilled from her eyes. Lloyd wasn't sure what to do. She was crying but she also had a look on her face like she was trying her best to remember something. Gesea continued, "I was cutting wood here. Every day. This forest is where Sacred Wood grows. I was only twelve when it happened-"

"- _Only_ twelve?" Lloyd asked, sure he'd heard her wrong.

"A man came and told me he could make me stronger so I could chop more wood to sell to Meltokio." Gesea suddenly gasped and looked at Lloyd with such seriousness that he flinched back slightly. "Lloyd! It was that man we saw by the fountain in Meltokio!"

"Him?" Lloyd couldn't help it. He was struggling to remember what man she was talking about. Eventually the image of the man with the spiky blue hair and monocle came to mind.

"I didn't realise daddy had died. I remember now. Kraine came into my house one day when I was tending to daddy... I went to fight him but he told me that he was my brother. Then the next minute he was digging a grave and telling me it wasn't my fault. I could not even answer him or thank him for anything." She held her head. "Is this why he didn't want me to come back to Ozette? So I didn't remember how long I left daddy to rot in his death bed before burying him?" Fresh tears fell from her eyes.

Lloyd clenched one fist and reached to Gesea's head with the other hand. "It's okay Gesea. Kraine was right." He petted her head. "You weren't to blame. I promise we'll find out who is behind the research subjects of the Angelus Project. For you, your sister and my mum. Even for Kraine."

Gesea wiped her tears away, sniffed and nodded. "Thanks Lloyd. I am okay now." She got up from her spot on the ground and gave Noishe a scratch behind the ears before turning to the rest of the group. "Let's head to Altessa's house and hope he can help us make a Rune Crest for Colette like he did for me."

"Are you certain you are prepared?" Yuan asked. "Meeting Altessa again may stir more dormant memories."

Gesea's eyes fell to her feet.

"Of course she's ready," Sheelos chimed in. Everyone looked at her. She glanced down at Gesea. "The little chick already said she wanted to go to Altessa's, so that's what we're gonna do." She started walking ahead. Gesea followed, a smile creeping up on her lips even as she raised one eyebrow at the former-assassin.


	26. 26: A not-so-chosen fate

Lloyd followed Sheelos out of Ozette and into what felt like a different region. The trees that had surrounded them in the quintescent village became less and less common until they emerged fully from the forest and faced an enormous range of grassy rolling hills. He could see a signature dwarven house carved into the mountainside where the grass separated and the yellowish tint of the sandy soil under their feet could be more prominently seen. He hurried along toward it, falling in pace with Sheelos.

"How did you know where to go, Sheelos?" he asked. The group had grown quiet on their way out of Ozette and in-between the "don't bother me, I'm thinking" faces of Gesea and Yuan, and the usual silence Colette provided, he was starting to feel pretty lonely. Sheelos, being Sheelos, was the only one talking as though she were taking them on a guided tour of what she called the "Boondocks".

"I'm so glad you asked, darling!" she cried with a wink at him. "But I can't tell you!"

Lloyd raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"If I told you, then it'd reveal things!" the red head replied, putting one hand on her hip.

"Does it have to do with your home town? Mizuho?" Gesea asked. "You said Mizuho was a village in hiding."

Sheelos' mouth dropped open. "You're too smart for your own good, you know that?"

Lloyd grinned at Gesea and she grinned back. He looked at Sheelos expectantly and she sighed. "Fine. I travel around this area to get to my village."

"Where _is_ your village?" Lloyd asked.

Sheelos scoffed. "If I told everyone where my village was, we wouldn't be doing a very good job at hiding, would we?" When Lloyd looked incredibly down at her response, she felt a bit sorry for him. "I guess I can tell you what it _looks_ like though."

"You can!?" Lloyd's eyes sparkled with interest.

She couldn't help but laugh at his enthusiasm. "All you need to know is that it's a village where all the houses are made of gold."

"Wow really!?" Lloyd imagined it. "It'd be hard to look at in the sun."

"That's why we're a village of ninjas," Sheelos explained. "We move at night so that we don't hurt our eyes from the sparkling gold."

"Wow!" Lloyd voiced again. Next to him, Gesea slapped her hand to her head. He looked from her expression and to Sheelos. "Wait. Were you lying to me Sheelos?"

"Why would I lie to you, darling?" she asked innocently. "Men like you are called 'Samurai' in my village, and girls like Colette and Gesea are 'Maiko'."

"Wow," Lloyd cooed once again for the third time in a minute. "I'm a Samurai?" He looked at Gesea. "You're a Maiko! That sounds really cute."

Gesea's features turned almost as red as Sheelos' hair suddenly at his comment. He laughed and put one arm over her while using the other to give her a noogie. "L-Lloyd!" she exclaimed through laughs, trying to escape.

"We're here," Yuan interrupted as they stepped foot onto a small cobble path that led to the door of the dwarven hut.

Lloyd raced down the path and was first to the door. He was about to knock when he thought better of it and looked at Gesea, busy putting her hair back the right way after he'd messed it up. "Are you sure you're ready?"

"Yes," she answered shortly.

"Alright then." He rapped on the door three times and listened for movement inside. He could hear footsteps, but they weren't as easy to hear as he wanted them to be. He was about to knock again when the door creaked open ajar and a green haired girl wearing a plastic dog-eared hat answered.

" **Who is it**?" she asked.

"Excuse us," he started, a bit lost for words temporarily. The girl sounded so strange and emotionless. "We've heard that there is a dwarf living here. Is there any chance we could see him?"

The girl didn't even blink or look like she was thinking. " **You desire a meeting with Master Altessa. Please come inside."**

She opened the door up fully. Lloyd instructed Noishe to stay before trampling inside, the party following his lead. The moment he glanced around the area, a homesick bubble formed in his stomach. Low chairs stood against the wall in front of a stone fireplace and a low table sat in the middle of the living area. Some glowing lanterns hovering above the table lit the room up. The whole place smelled of the earth, wood and stone. He loved it instantly. Yuan nudged him to keep walking and to follow the girl and his friends down a slight hill to the left side of the house and toward what he immediately recognised as a drafting room.

Several tables with books, paper, protractors, rulers and pencils strewn on them stood against sturdy looking pillars on the right and the main wall of the house on the left. Lloyd could see the hanging lanterns of the living room through the gap in the pillars. The drafting room brought back memories of the Noishe figurine he had made and been working on for Gesea, and he had the sudden insatiable urge to finish the project. It passed quickly at the realisation that he had given the figurine to Kraine when he had thought the Professor was his friend. He shook the thoughts out of his head and focused on the dwarven man that had his back turned to them at present.

Even turned around, he could tell that Altessa had a long beard. His whiskers reached past the shape of his head and pointed upward. He turned around and Lloyd smiled. Not only did the dwarf have a beard he knew his dad would probably talk about for months, he also had large bushy eyebrows. He was older than his dad- how much by, he didn't know- but it was obvious just by looking at the wrinkles and frown lines on his balding forehead.

Altessa looked over them all, his bushy eyebrows slowly furrowing into a hard frown as he did. Gesea frowned back at him. Lloyd wondered curiously if she was remembering something else. "Who are all these people Tabatha?" Altessa asked bitterly, looking pointedly at the green haired girl, Tabatha. He clearly wasn't pleased to see them.

Lloyd couldn't help the amusement he knew was probably plastered on his face. Altessa's attitude reminded him of his dad and his dislike for the unexpected company of anyone that wasn't him or Noishe. He stepped forward when he realised Tabatha didn't even know their names to introduce them. "My name is Lloyd. We've come in regards to our friend Colette. We heard about you from Kate in Sybak and that you helped our friend Gesea." He stepped out of the way and pointed to Colette, and then to the pinkette half-elf. She stuttered, having suddenly been put in the limelight.

Altessa looked stunned as his eyes fell on Gesea, but the look quickly faded and he abruptly turned away from them. "..Leave!"

"What?" Lloyd blinked.

"I want nothing more to do with Cruxis!" Altessa growled angrily. "Get out of here!"

"But-"

" **Please follow me,"** Tabatha instructed, mechanically ushering them out of the drafting room and back to the lounge area.

"What was that about?" Lloyd questioned, trying to look past some pillars and downward from where he was standing to see the dwarf.

" **I apologise,"** Tabatha said, her face straight. **"Master does not wish to get involved with the operations of Cruxis any longer."**

"Why?" Gesea asked, sounding snappy. "Doesn't he care if Colette dies?"

" **It is not that."** The doll-like woman shook her head defiantly. **"Master lost everything to Cruxis and almost his life. I am afraid that if your request is for him to make a Rune Crest, you will need to find another dwarf."**

"Another dwarf?" Lloyd shook his head. "We don't have time. Colette will die if we don't do something!"

" **Before finding another dwarf, you must first find inhibitor ore,"** Tabatha continued, as though she hadn't even heard him.

"Aren't you listening Tabatha?" Gesea asked, starting to sound as frantic as Lloyd felt on the inside. He remembered the words of Kate. If she was right, Colette's days were numbered- at best. He didn't want to know what would happen if she became consumed by her Cruxis Crystal and turned into a monster. He didn't know if he could fight her and end another life. He _had_ to save her.

"Where is the inhibitor ore located?" he asked, trying to remain hopeful.

" **It is mined in the mountain range that extends between Altamira and the Ymir Forest,"** Tabatha recalled.

Lloyd looked at Yuan and Sheelos to translate what that meant in relation to their current location. Sheelos was the first to react. "It's across the sea." She tapped her foot in thought. "Even if I had some contacts in Meltokio that might make it possible to travel over the sea, there's no way we can cross the Grand Tethe'alla bridge the way things are at the moment."

Lloyd looked at Colette. "We have to try."

"No, Lloyd," Yuan said firmly. "Do you wish for us to all be captured and executed by the Papal Knights? Because that is exactly what will happen if we rush across the bridge while they are all still on guard."

"Colette will die if we don't!" he reasoned. "Dwarven vow number two-"

"-Never abandon someone in need," came Altessa's voice as he finished the vow for him. The group turned their heads to see him hobbling up from his drafting space using a gnarled walking stick. He looked at Lloyd once he reached the top. "You were raised by a dwarf?"

Lloyd nodded and turned to face him properly. "My dad's a dwarf. Dirk, from the Iselia woods in Sylvarant."

"Lloyd!" Sheelos exclaimed in horror at him. The twin-swordsman gaped, realising that he had probably just revealed a little too much to the dwarf. He hesitantly looked back at Altessa and noticed he didn't seem surprised by it at all though.

"You are travellers from Sylvarant?" He looked over all of them again. "I see. I had long wondered if this day would come. Is the Chosen of Mana among you?"

"You're looking at him," Sheelos grimaced, poking Lloyd playfully. He stuttered as Altessa's eyes bore into him further at that. "And yet the girl, Colette, is suffering the effects of the parasite?"

"It's a long story," Lloyd replied. He hoped he didn't have to explain what that meant. He still wasn't exactly sure himself.

"Hm.." Altessa stroked his beard. "Son of Dirk, Lloyd was it? Come with me." He turned and hobbled away back down to his drafting space. Gesea and the rest of the group went to follow, but Altessa stopped suddenly and grunted " _only_ Lloyd."

Lloyd gave his friends an apologetic look joining Altessa down in the drafting room and following him through a low door at the back. A workshop full of hammers, tongs, various vices, an anvil and a coal pit forge greeted him. He gaped. It was the most beautiful room he had seen in his whole life... or it would have been, save for the disappointed feeling he got when he looked closer at some of the hand tools. They looked like they hadn't been used for some time and were covered in cobwebs and dust.

"Do you like it, boy?" Altessa asked, standing beside him. He nodded enthusiastically, trying to hide his mixed disappointment and curiosity as to why the dwarf didn't create any more. He clearly had a great love for it, as his dad proclaimed most dwarves did. Altessa crossed his arms. "What are ye' waitin' for? The Key Crest ain't goin' ta make itself."

Lloyd couldn't hide his startled reaction at the familiar dwarven accent he had grown up with and tried his best not to imitate. Altessa laughed heartily at him. "The secret to smithing is relaxation. I wanted to test whether hearing the accent would help. I don't usually speak it because young Tabatha does not understand me if I do."

"The Key Crest won't make itself?" Lloyd repeated. "Does that mean you'll help me save Colette?"

Altessa turned from him and walked to the forge. He pressed a button on the side of it and the fire inside roared to life. " _Save_ may be too strong of a word. Delay may be better. Delay for long enough that you can find the inhibitor ore and seek the help of your father to make her a Rune Crest."

"Okay," he agreed. Delay was better than nothing. He still wondered why he had to ask his dad to create a Rune Crest instead of Altessa, but he didn't want to ask and risk changing the dwarf's mood. "Tell me what I need to do."

xXx

Some time later, Lloyd wiped a bead of sweat from his brow and put the smithing hammer down to admire his handiwork. He lifted the chain and dangled the pendant in front of his eyes. It was circular with a hole carved out in the middle to accommodate for the Cruxis Crystal. When around her neck, it would sit around the gem in theory just as a normal Key Crest would. Altessa had allowed him to use an old Key Crest from a large trunk of scrap materials, and he had added to it to turn it into its current state.

Just as he was imagining his dad telling him that the detail in the necklace was lacking and the craftsmanship basic at best, Altessa grumbled from behind him. "It is lacking in detail, basic at best. However, it should serve its purpose." He turned his back to him and hobbled out of the workshop. Lloyd followed and watched as his friends stood up from their chairs when they saw them coming. He dangled the pendant to show them all what he had done before approaching Colette. "Hi Colette. I made you a present. I hope this helps you." He unclasped it and put it around her neck. _"It'd be great to finally meet the real you."_

After attaching the circular Key Crest necklace to the Cruxis Crystal that sat on her neck, then adapting the chain length for the perfect fit, he stepped back and waited with his friends for a response. "…Colette? Can you hear me?" he asked after a few seconds of nothing.

The angel girl didn't show any response. Lloyd looked over his work again. He wasn't sure what he had been expecting it to do, but he'd been hoping something different would happen. "How is it?" Gesea asked.

"It doesn't look like it's working," he replied disappointedly.

"It appears that we may yet run out of time," Yuan said. The odd grin on his face didn't suit the mood in the room at all. Lloyd went to scold him but was interrupted when the loud rapping of fists on metal rang through the house from the front door.

"This is the Papal Knights. Under orders of the Pope, please allow us to search your premises."

Everyone froze. Yuan cursed under his breath. "Somebody must have recognised us from Meltokio or Sybak while we were in Ozette."

Altessa grumbled something under his breath and lifted himself from the chair he had just seated down on. "Follow me."  
He led them down, albeit frustratingly slowly as far as Yuan was concerned, through the drafting room and into his workshop. Beyond a thick layer of cobwebs and dust, another door stood in the wall. Lloyd hadn't noticed it while he'd been working. Altessa pulled it open with a grunt, revealing a dark and narrow passageway. "Well? Don't just stand there," the dwarf muttered. "Hurry up and go!"

"Right," Lloyd agreed. "Thanks Uncle Altessa! I'll see you again someday." He ran into the passageway, Colette, Gesea and Yuan right behind him. Sheelos hesitated for a second when she saw a spider weaving a web in one corner but quickly ran in when Altessa looked like he was going to close the door regardless of what she did. The dwarf pushed it shut after Sheelos and turned to Tabatha.

" **Shall I let the Papal Knights in, Master?"** she asked.

He nodded. "If we don't, they will break my door again."

 **"As you wish Master."** The girl left him to go and welcome their 'guests'.

Altessa turned back to the passage door. "Hmm. Raised by a dwarf near Iselia, but not a dwarf yourself? Consider this my apology to you Lloyd, for not being able to save your mother."

xXx

Lloyd pushed a trapdoor upward and climbed out, squinting hard until his eyes adjusted to the light. The area outside was a short way away from Altessa's house, close to the entrance of the forest that led to Ozette. Noishe gave a soft bark and ran to him from out behind a group of trees. Colette caught her boot on a stone as she lifted herself out of the passage and tripped. Lloyd caught her quickly, having been very aware of the stone himself thanks to the fact that he would have usually wound up tripping on it himself. Gesea giggled at the sight as she helped herself out of the tunnel. "Colette sure seems clumsy without her wings."

Lloyd agreed and looked at the blonde. _"Is that something unique to you, Colette?"_ He thought about how he'd been much clumsier before the tower. He felt different and had changed. The twin swords at his sides felt right despite the fact that he was yet to actually use them together, unlike the dual weapons he had always preferred. The chakram he had used was now safely stored away in his backpack. _"I wonder.."_

"Earth to Lloyd?" Gesea called, waving her hand in front of him. He blinked and looked at her, realising he'd been spacing out. Sheelos and Yuan had left the tunnel and were waiting up further ahead, looking at them as though to ask "what are you doing?!"

"Heh, sorry," he apologised and started running with her to their friends. He looked back behind himself as he left the hills and Altessa's house behind. A group of Papal Knights were standing outside the house and the door was open, showing that some of them must have already been let inside. When his shoes started crunching on thick beds of leaves, he decided to make sure he kept his eyes in front of himself. Colette had drawn her pink wings again and started hovering above the leaves, and he was sort of relieved that he wouldn't have to watch her as well to make sure she didn't trip.

"Where are we going?" he asked after a short time, looking between Sheelos and Yuan and hoping one of them had an answer.

When they looked at one another and then back ahead, saying nothing, he started to worry. "We're going somewhere, right?"

"It will be perilous wherever we go," Yuan stated. "Perhaps Gesea's house in Ozette?"

"No!" Sheelos gasped at him. "Y'know, you can be pretty cruel sometimes Yuan."

"Well if you have a suggestion, let's hear it," he snapped back at her. He whirled around an instant later and summoned his butterfly blade. Before Lloyd could even unsheathe his swords at Yuan's unsaid warning, the half-elf had left his spot. A flash of auburn, white and blue fell from the trees above and the clash of steel for steel rang out through the forest. Lloyd stared at the sight, not quite able to believe his eyes.

Yuan kept his ground and grinned at his assailant as he quickly jumped away. "What's wrong Kraine? You usually put up more of a fight than that." He laughed mockingly under his breath when Kraine said nothing and just trained his eyes on him. "I see. You haven't come here to fight. How does Yggdrasill feel about that?"

Kraine said nothing and moved his gaze to Gesea, who was staring at him. "Gesea. You went to Ozette?"

She nodded slowly, still speechless as she looked at her brother. Lloyd couldn't blame her. Kraine looked completely different now. Instead of his robes, he had donned a white and blue tunic suit with about a million golden buckles criss-crossing everywhere. It wasn't a stretch of the imagination to imagine him with wings in clothes like that.

" _Still.."_ He clenched his fist and stepped in front of Gesea. He didn't dare go too close; Yuan was already glaring at him to stay back while he stood in front of Colette. "Prof... uh, Kraine! The others have told me, but I want to hear it from you. Are you really our enemy?"

"I should think that is obvious," Kraine replied nonchalantly. He slid his sword back into its sheath. "Regardless of which, I did not come here to fight you. I only wish to speak with Gesea."

"You've gotta be joking!" Sheelos spluttered, readying her dagger as she glared at the seraphim. "Do you think we'd forget the part where you betrayed us, turned into an angel, and threatened to kill us?"

"Cruxis only wants the Chosen to complete the regeneration ritual," Kraine explained simply. "If you hadn't interfered, things would not have turned out that way and Sylvarant would have been saved." He looked at Lloyd. "Things however got a little more complicated, as you are no doubt now aware."

"Do you know what happened to me?" Lloyd asked, realising suddenly his desperation for some answers.

Kraine didn't answer, instead turning his head to gaze somewhere off toward the path leading to Ozette. Yuan also looked. "Damn. We stayed here too long!" He cursed something under his breath.

Lloyd started to hear the crunch of running footsteps, lots of them. He first saw the gleaming white and moss gree of their outfits, and then their spears, axes, and swords. Papal Knights emerged from the brush from all directions and toward them. The clearing where they stood became crowded. Lloyd drew his swords, Gesea did the same by summoning her kendaxe. Lloyd looked at Yuan, who was focused on observing the situation that was worsening every second. A knight wearing bronze armour and what looked like various badges of honour on his shoulders cantered out in front of the pack of Papal Knights on a white spotted black stallion.

"Go," Kraine said suddenly, redrawing his sword.

"What?" Lloyd blinked.

"I will not allow them to pass. _Go."_ Kraine put extra emphasis into his words this time, as though his meaning hadn't been clear the first time. Lloyd still couldn't believe it.

Sheelos backed away closer to the rest of the group and looked at Yuan. "We're going to have to go to Mizuho."

Yuan looked stunned. "But-"

"I know," Sheelos said, "but if we stay here we're going to get captured. We'll be safe in Mizuho. The Papal Knights wouldn't dare to enter without the proper paperwork, even if they found us."

Yuan still looked like he wanted to disagree with the idea but Lloyd spoke up, nodding at Sheelos. "We can't do anything to help if we get captured here. Please take us to Mizuho, Sheelos."

"Anything for you, my dashing darling!" Sheelos replied, turning on her feet and hightailing it through some trees to the slight southeast of where they were standing. Lloyd looked at Gesea, who nodded. He put his hand in hers and they ran past Yuan and Kraine to where Sheelos was waiting for them to hurry and follow, Colette darting close behind and Noishe bringing up the rear.

"Shouldn't you also be going?" Kraine asked, glancing at Yuan as the Papal Knights charged at them and kicking the first one that got close enough away into a line of others that had been following the exact same path. Yuan did the same with the first knight in his radius, while simultaneously summoning lightning to his butterfly blade and throwing it near the stallion knight that had started its charge. It bucked and sent its rider flying and the blade boomeranged back to Yuan. "Hmph," he grumbled, catching it and standing back to back with Kraine to wait for the next assault. "Even _you_ can't fight all of them on your own."

In perfectly timed unison, they both swept their blades around in wide arcs as the next wave of knights came into radius.  
"Suzuet ste'!" Kraine barked when they resumed their back to back stance. Understanding his words, Yuan looked past the oncoming wave of Papal Knights and into the distance to see some had backed off and were trying to go around the battle field. He charged away from Kraine, and the Seraph from him.

xXx

"Should I cover my eyes when we get there Sheelos?" Lloyd asked as he and Gesea raced after her. Gesea was starting to look out of breath. He hoped they would be there soon.

"No need," Sheelos replied, sounding somewhat sullen. "We're here."

She pulled apart a tall bush to reveal... a village. It wasn't golden at all. _Different,_ yes, but not golden. Gesea let out a breathless laugh at him when he slumped his shoulders in disappointment. "Come on Lloyd! You didn't _really_ believe Mizuho was a golden village, did you?"

Before he could answer, a man wearing a garb that covered almost his whole body and only left a slit for his eyes and nose approached. "Sheelos! What is the meaning of this? How could you bring outsiders to the village?!"

Sheelos bowed her head slightly. "I'm prepared to accept my punishment. We were fleeing capture from the Papal Knights, Orochi. Let me go speak to the Vice-Chief. I've brought the Sylvaranti here."

"The Papal.." Orochi crossed his arms. "Just what have you been getting yourself involved in?" He looked at Lloyd, who couldn't stop himself grinning at him. Despite meeting Sheelos, he felt like he was meeting a _real_ ninja for the first time. "You are from Sylvarant, the dying world?"

Lloyd nodded. "It sounds a lot worse when you put it like that though."

Orochi looked back at Sheelos. "Very well. Come with me to see the Chief, Chosen. Your friends will have to wait outside however."

Lloyd stopped grinning at Orochi and turned his attention to Sheelos. She gave him an awkward smile. "Uh.. Surprise?"


	27. Boats, battle banter and bathroom smells

"I can't believe Sheelos is the Chosen of Tethe'alla.." Gesea said as she leaned up against the wall of the Vice-Chief's house.

Lloyd nodded, having been in thought about that since Sheelos had left them. "Looks like Yuan has some explaining to do, again."

"Do you suppose they had a reason for lying to us?" Gesea asked. Lloyd looked at her and she continued. "I mean, if Yuan knew Sheelos was really the Chosen but was pretending to be the Chosen himself, there has to be a good explanation for it, right?" She looked down and kicked her feet on the moist sandy ground that formed most of the path around the village.

"You're thinking about Professor Kraine again," Lloyd noticed. When Gesea flinched slightly and her expression saddened, he kind of wished he hadn't been so observant. He copied her and kicked his shins against the dirt while looking to the bridge ahead and to the entrance of the village. Yuan hadn't followed them. He'd probably stayed behind to hold off the Papal Knights. "We don't really know what they were doing yet."

Gesea mumbled in half-hearted agreement.

Lloyd went back to gazing around the village. Mizuho, despite not being made of gold, was still interesting and mystical. Women walked around in long robes with giant belts decorated with even more enormous bows at the back and had their hair done up with large pins that reminded him of tent picks. The men fell into two categories. Some walked around in a male version of the female robes, except without the belts and bows around their waists. Instead they had pants that flared out as they got lower to their ankles. Their robes were darker grey-blues or red-browns, while the women's were colourful pinks, yellows and purples. Other men wore the same types of garb as Orochi, the ninja that had greeted them at the front gate earlier.

As though his own thoughts had summoned him, Orochi stepped out of the house behind them through its strange wooden windowed door. "Vice-Chief Tiga has expressed his interest in meeting you. Please follow me."

Telling Noishe to stay, Lloyd turned and looked at Gesea in confusion when he realised the ninja was leading them away from the door and around the side of the house. She shrugged and followed, he did the same. Colette followed absently as always, her angel wings away again.

"The entrance to the Chief's dwelling is filled with traps that anyone inexperienced in the Igaguri style of Ninjutsu would set off," Orochi eventually explained after turning to see their perplexed expressions. He knocked three times on a part of the wall and Lloyd let out a yelp when he found himself being swept away from his spot and into the building he'd been facing only a second ago.

Once his head stop spinning, Lloyd saw a simple hallway with creamy white walls, a couple of clay urns and some odd looking weapons surrounded him. Orocho pulled open two sliding screens directly in front of them to reveal the familiar red-haired Sheelos sitting on a cushion across the table from a black haired man wearing stark white robes with yellow and black trimmings. He must have been Tiga. Lloyd temporarily wondered whether all people in the village dressed according to their name meanings until Tiga looked at him. "Visitors from Sylvarant. Please, join us."

Gesea bowed her head respectfully and glared at Lloyd to do the same. He obeyed and walked with her to the side of the table Sheelos was sitting. He dropped down next to her, and Gesea next to him. The red haired apparently-the-real-Chosen flashed an odd smile at him when their eyes met. Smiling back, he waited for her smile to grow into a grin and for her to mention him and "dashing darling" in the same sentence. His expectations weren't met though and he found himself awkwardly scratching the back of his head while Tiga gazed at him with fierce but kind eyes from across the table.

"I'm Lloyd," he introduced, possibly a little too quickly. He looked at his best friend. "And this is Gesea." He turned his head slightly. "Behind me is Colette. I'm not sure if Sheelos has told you our situation yet?" He was sure he saw Sheelos flinch and gave her a questioning look. She didn't look him in the eye, instead concentrating on the mug of steaming green tea on the table in front of herself. He felt the stare of Tiga on him and slowly gazed back at the Vice-Chief.

"You will address Sheelos as the Chosen in this village," Tiga said seriously, but not angrily. "Nothing more or less."  
He gazed at Sheelos and she met his eyes with confidence and something else Lloyd couldn't place. "The Chosen had to give you her true name for the purpose of keeping her real identity a secret in Sylvarant, but I would ask that you not utter it too loudly outside of this room." He looked at Orochi. Lloyd smiled at seeing a ninja flinch, but he couldn't blame him. Tiga's eyes were pretty much pinning him to the wall. "Those that do use her name are _usually_ punished."

He lifted the teapot that sat in the middle of the table and offered them a cup of tea. Lloyd took the small cup and held it with the tips of his fingers. Gesea did the same and swiftly put hers down on the table. She gazed at Lloyd as he sipped his, looking confused. He didn't understand why and waited for Tiga to say more.

"As Chief Igaguri is ill, I will speak on his behalf," the man explained. He briefly glanced over to a small squared off area behind a brown mesh curtain. "People of Sylvarant, what do you plan to do in Tethe'alla, the land of your enemies?"

"I plan to find a way for both worlds to live in harmony with each other," Lloyd answered.

Tiga chuckled, but not in a condescending way. "You are an idealist. The worlds of Tethe'alla and Sylvarant flourish only by victimizing one another. So long as that structure remains the same, anything you say is mere sophistry."

"That's why I'm going to change that structure." The red-clad twin swordsman stood from his spot and almost slopped his tea over himself. Gesea panicked and ducked out of the way when she saw how much the cup was wobbling. He continued on, despite the fact that he hadn't yet fully thought through what he was saying. "If the world was made by Yggdrasil, we should be able to change it as well!"

The next part of his thoughts felt like a well rehearsed line. It was the question that had been playing on repeat in his mind since his experience in the Tower of Salvation. "There needs to be a way to stop the Desians and Cruxis from continuing what they're doing."

"Yggdrasil? Cruxis?" Tiga asked, looking at Sheelos. Lloyd realised with a degree of surprise that she hadn't yet told him about the organisation of angels. He opened his mouth to explain on her behalf but found himself interrupted by a loud rumbling sound and the floor underneath him shuddering. The doors Orochi had closed behind them when they'd entered the living room of the house slid open and they all saw the familiar face of a blue-haired half-elf.

Yuan waved casually at them before casting a glance on Orochi and Tiga. "Cruxis is just another organisation on the Sylvarant side of the world that have been working against the Renegades and alongside the Desians." It seemed like he'd been able to hear their conversation. Lloyd wondered why he was lying though. He looked at Sheelos.

 _"Just go along with it,"_ she mouthed, while Tiga had his head turned.

"Yuan the Cerberus," Tiga said, standing to regard him. "It is a relief to know that you are safe."

"Your Chosen did not make that an easy task," Yuan replied with his usual smirk.

Tiga looked remorseful. "I apologise for the burden she has placed on you."

Yuan shook his head. "It is not a problem. My ancestors have all been guardians of the Chosen for Mizuho. It is only natural for me to continue the trend." He looked pointedly at Lloyd as he said that. Lloyd sincerely hoped that wasn't _all_ he'd be able to get out of Yuan without resorting to a Game of Questions.

"Cerberus, what do you think of the words of the Sylvaranti?" Tiga asked. "Your opinion is vital. Lloyd speaks just like the Hero Mithos. He was also a sublime idealist."

Yuan looked at Lloyd. "Although Mithos the Hero and Lloyd do share some traits, it is easy to see that he is not Mithos."

Lloyd wondered why the ex-professor said that with such a serious face but decided it wasn't the right time to delve. "That's right," he said in agreement. "I'm going to save Sylvarant and Tethe'alla my way, with the help of my friends." He smiled down at Gesea. She smiled back nervously.

Tiga gave him a puzzled look and the room remained quiet for a time. Eventually the Vice-Chief stroked his chin and spoke. "I see. This is why the Chosen and the Cerberus are committed your cause. Your words have the power to move and guide people. Well then, we shall search alongside you and do what we can to assist you in cleaving this new path."

Sheelos opened her mouth in a surprised gape. "Do you mean?"

"The Cerberus has spoken highly on the matter," Tiga said. "We will use our information network to aid Lloyd to ensure the highest chance of success." The words spoken from his mouth when he looked at Sheelos seemed hardened somehow to Lloyd. He stopped wondering why when Tiga looked at him again. "In return for our help, the people of Mizuho will wish to move to Sylvarant when the path to prosperity is clear."

"M..move to Sylvarant?!" Lloyd's head spun. "But I don't really have the right to decide if you're allowed to do that."

"Neither does anyone else," Sheelos pointed out. "It might as well be you, Lloyd."

"The Chosen speaks correctly. All we need is for you to aid us in our move," Tiga confirmed.

Lloyd looked at Gesea for her thoughts. "It doesn't seem like a bad decision," she replied. "But it is important to hurry up and make it so that we can continue with our search on what needs to be done to accomplish our task."

Lloyd looked at Colette, but got silence. He briefly glanced at Sheelos and Yuan but decided they would be agreeing with Tiga on the matter anyway. He turned to Tiga and did his best to portray his confidence, despite how unsure he still felt about everything. "Okay then, it's settled. We're going to look for a way to change the two worlds. Let's work together."

"Then I hereby order the Chosen and the Cerberus to continue to accompany you on your journey. Not only as observers this time, but as representatives." He looked at Yuan. "I have no doubt that your continued efforts will make us proud." He turned from Yuan to Sheelos. "I can tell what you're thinking, Chosen."

Sheelos didn't look surprised. Lloyd guessed she had known the Vice-Chief for a long time. In a lot of ways, Mizuho reminded him of Iselia- a small community where everyone knew each other. "Are the people of Mizuho sure they want to turn the Royals and the Church against them?" Sheelos asked, voicing what Tiga apparently knew.

"It is not as though we are given a choice in the matter," Tiga replied. Sheelos recoiled when his expression on her hardened again. "You failed to kill Sylvarant's Chosen." He gestured to Colette. "The people of Mizuho now face persecution for our failure under oath from the Tethe'alla Royal Family and the Church of Martel, regardless of the situation we choose. You said you were chased here by the Pope's Papal Knights. It is only a matter of time."

Lloyd looked at Sheelos again. Tiga's words about wanting to move Mizuho to Sylvarant suddenly made more sense. "You never said anything about that."

"I didn't figure it'd matter," Sheelos replied, her voice hollow. "Not like it'd change anything. I've placed myself on the losing side this time."

"Then we'll just have to make our side the winning side," Lloyd reassured confidently. There _had_ to be a way. There was more going on in the operations of Cruxis than they knew about. If only they could figure out _what._ He looked at Tiga, hoping he had an explanation.

It was Yuan that spoke up, however. "The logical thing to do would be to get the Rheairds working once again so that travel becomes possible between Sylvarant and Tethe'alla."

Tiga agreed and looked at Sheelos. "Cerberus is correct. For the rheairds to function again, they will likely need to be charged with mana."

"That's where the summon spirit Volt comes in, right?" Gesea asked. She looked at Yuan. "I remember you saying about Volt when we first crashed our Rheairds. Do you know where that summon spirit is located?"

"Volts temple is located across the sea," Tiga answered for Yuan. "People of our village have been there once before..." He trailed off when Sheelos abruptly stood, joining Lloyd in making the room look untidy. Sheelos opened her mouth, stuttered for a second and then stopped. She bowed her head and excused herself from the room without so much as another word. The floor rumbled as the secret door twisted around and allowed her to leave the house.

"You'll have to excuse the Chosen," Tiga said, stealing another glance at the curtained off corner of the room. "This is a somewhat sensitive issue for her. The Chosen failed to form a pact with Volt once before when we first joined forces with the Renegades. That is the reason why the Chief is in a coma."

Lloyd looked to his right to the small hallway adjacent to them. "What happened?"

Tiga went to reply when Yuan spoke up over him. "That is something only the Chosen has the right to tell. Let us be respectful of her." His voice came out in a scowl as he looked at the Vice-Chief. Once again, Lloyd couldn't help but feel like he was only getting half the story. Yuan turned his back to Tiga and his head toward Lloyd. "We know our next mission. Let's find the Chosen and find a way to get to Volt."

"I agree," Gesea nodded. "I feel bad for Shee-the Chosen. Let's make sure she is okay, okay Lloyd?"

He agreed and followed her to the exit, bidding goodbye to Tiga for the time being.

"Lloyd," Yuan called to him. He stopped following Gesea and turned to blue haired ex-professor. He felt the cool air of Mizuho briefly wafting in from behind when the secret passage opened for her to leave. Behind Yuan he could see Orochi closing the partition between the hall and the living room to give Tiga more privacy. Elaborating on his call for him to pause, Yuan reached under his cloak for something. He brought it out and opened his hand to reveal it. Lloyd gaped at what he saw. It was the painted Noishe figurine that he had given to Kraine for safe keeping. He took it and looked at the bluenette questioningly.

Yuan gave him a cynical smile. "I didn't get it back for you. Don't get the wrong impression. That was all Kraine."

"Thanks," he replied habitually, confused now. Somewhere in the deepest reaches of his mind, he'd been hoping that Kraine would come back to them and explain himself. He hoped he would explain why he was an angel of Cruxis to begin with, and why he was content to let the worlds suffer. It didn't seem like something the Professor he had known would do. He realised he'd been standing still in thought for too long when he was slightly winded by the spinning wall of the house and found himself looking at the impatient faces of Sheelos and Gesea, and hearing the indignant woof of Noishe.

"Sh..Chos..Shee.." he stuttered, looking Sheelos in the eye and quickly slipping the Noishe figurine into his trouser pocket so Gesea didn't see. He thought he would have had to traipse around the village to find her crying somewhere. She stood there looking as quirky as ever though and with a giant mischievous grin on her face.

"It's okay Lloyd. I just needed some air." She laughed and pointed to the entrance of Mizuho, and then to the sky. "If we leave now, we can travel across the Grand Tethe'alla bridge during nightfall. We're less likely to be spotted then." She looked at Colette. "As long as Colette keeps her wings away."

"..." Colette responded, to nobody's surprise.

"Is this to meet with your contacts in Meltokio?" Gesea asked. She looked worried. "Going past the bridge is one thing, but what about avoiding being seen in Meltokio. This doesn't seem like a very good idea."

Lloyd had to agree with her.

"Don't worry, the Chosen has a plan," Yuan grimaced. Sheelos grimaced back knowingly. "Let's handle one thing at a time anyway." She ventured closer to Lloyd. "Let's get out of here so you can all stop calling me _that."_

xXx

Lloyd was surprised at how far Sheelos and Yuan had travelled through the Gaoracchia forest to get to Ozette with him and Gesea sleeping the previous night. It took some time to find their way back to the clearing where they had met Kraine and he and Yuan had fought off the Papal Knights. As they walked through it and around the outskirts of Ozette, Lloyd observed the tell-tale signs of battle. There were some bald patches on the ground from where people had fallen down, gashes and scrapes on large stones and rocks from missed sword strikes, and the occasionally glittering chink of stray chain mail links that had either been cut off or fallen off during battle.

After that, he used his sorcerers ring under Yuan and Sheelos's guidance to destroy plants that grew in their way. The occasional monster approached them from around the corner, but Lloyd found himself unable to even draw his swords before they were wiped out and they were on their way again. If it wasn't Colette protecting him from danger, it was Yuan. Between them, Lloyd was starting to wonder whether he should give up fighting all together and just daydream about his next big project instead. The boat would be awesome. He needed to start drawing some plans up for it. Unfortunately it was impossible for him to draw designs while keeping up with his friends, so he turned his attention to getting some actual answers out of the 'Cerberus' and the _real_ Chosen of Tethe'alla.

"There's one thing I don't get," he started and set his gaze on Yuan, who had been surprisingly quiet since their discussion in the village with Tiga. "Why did Mizuho send the Chosen of Mana to assassinate me?" He looked at Sheelos and she glanced away. Yuan looked uncomfortable with the question too. Lloyd only got more curious. "You're meant to protect her, right Yuan? Letting the Chosen be sent to another world doesn't sound very protective."

"Lloyd," Yuan said, looking over him sternly. "You-"

"-Because," Sheelos interrupted softly, "I begged them to send me. I asked the Chief to send me when we first had contact with the Renegades and agreed to their plan. Then the Chief became.. ill.. and I then pleaded with Tiga. I was accepted right away after that and began training for the day that Pietro would send word to Tethe'alla."

"Pietro?" Gesea asked. She knitted her eyebrows for a few seconds, recalling the name. "That was the name of the man in Hima that was sick." She looked sad. "We never did get a chance to help him get better."

"Pietro is fine," Sheelos smiled. "He contacted Mizuho only a few days ago to tell them how things were going. They didn't tell me how he recovered though."

Lloyd was curious but he had more important questions to fry. "Why did you wanna kill us.. kill _me_.. so badly?"

That sounded weird. He wished he could take the slip of the tongue back. Nobody pulled him up on it though and Sheelos fell quiet at his question again. He looked at Yuan, but the bluenette had a look of pure refusal on his face as he walked with his eyes peeled on the surroundings as though they were in danger.

Sheelos let out a heavy sigh. "I was the most expendable assassin in Mizuho, regardless of being the Chosen. Yuan "the Cerberus" more than proved himself capable of protecting me anyway. At the time it was a win-win for me too." Her eyes flashed over Lloyd with regret.

"Killing Col meant that you wouldn't need to become an angel.." Gesea muttered, beating Lloyd to the punch at getting her meaning. The pinkette's expression grew dark and pained and an awkward silence came over the group. All they could hear was the crunch of leaves and grass under their feet and the sound of Noishe panting for a time. When Sheelos was the first to snap from boredom and repetitive noise, she put one arm around Yuan and the other around Lloyd. Lloyd flinched and tentatively watched Colette while the assassin-chosen laughed forcefully. "That's all in the past now! Like you said darling Lloyd, let's look for a better future!"

"R..right," he stuttered in agreement.

Sheelos released him from her grip and dashed on ahead of them. "C'mon! Let's try and get through the Grand Tethe'alla bridge. It's starting to get dark now."

xXx

The bridge was lit by small lamp posts along the way, but Sheelos was adept at keeping to the shadows. Yuan seemed to be a natural at it as well. Lloyd couldn't help but watch in awe as the image he'd once had of a simple elven teacher that had taught him what it meant to be a Chosen as well as a person evolved right in front of his very eyes. Sheelos would hide behind a big bridge truss, then quickly dart to another one. Yuan followed her example and waved for Gesea and Noishe to come after him. Lloyd was last on the pecking order. He waited with his hand in Colette's for the signal. When Gesea waved, he made a mad dash for the next truss, the wind off of the water below styling his hair for him as he went.

They eventually came to the part of the bridge where the Papal Knights stood. They didn't appear to be paying any particular attention to their surroundings though. The young person in the cat costume they'd seen on their way to Sybak was playing a game with several other young children. He turned his back to them and they tried to get as close as they could before he turned around. Lloyd watched while he waited for the signal to move again. Red light, Green light, it was called. The children in Iselia used to play that game all the time. He'd played one recess with them but had been disqualified from playing any more when he won three times in a row and had been accused of using his "dormant angel abilities."

He almost missed the signal to run that time, only being pulled out of his memories by a small tug on the hand from Colette. He ran to the next truss and looked at the angel girl quizzically. _"Do you know what's going on around you, Colette?"_

They continued past the Papal knights and eventually made it. They hid in the shadows off to the side of the bridge to regroup. Gesea unzipped her backpack and brought out a jacket for heavy wind and rain while Sheelos looked on at her enviously as she rubbed her hands together. Lloyd gave them questioning looks and then looked at Yuan, who shrugged. "I suppose the girls feel the cold a little more." He looked at Colette and stuttered. "Our non-angel girls anyway."

Once Gesea was snug as a bug in a rug, they headed for the Tethe'allan capital in the darkness of the night. It was a short trek and the monsters once again posed little threat. Lloyd started to make a game out of how long it took for them to destroy them and started thinking of catch phrases to say at the end of their battles. His favourite one was "Did everyone see me?" Only because it was followed by sarcastic "Yeah, you did great Lloyd!" responses from the rest of the group before they all laughed together.

The banter quickly stopped when they got close to Meltokio though. Sheelos put her fingers to her lips to hush them and led them all past the Papal Knights on guard duty. The gate into Meltokio was closed, probably to stop them. The assassin-Chosen led them around the side wall of the city and to a wide sewer grate. The sound of trickling water could be heard from nearby. Lloyd did a double take when Sheelos started to turn sideways to slip inside through the bars.

"What is this place, Sheelos?" Gesea asked, holding her nose. It wasn't like she needed to ask though. The smell wafting through the gaps was pretty funky.

"I told you I had a secret way to get into Meltokio, didn't I?" Sheelos queried. "The waste water from the city comes through here. From here you can get just about anywhere in the city, given enough time." She looked at Yuan. "The "Chosen" uses this route fairly often to escape the city harpies and I use it to get to the Elemental Research Laboratory."

Lloyd grinned and slipped through the bars after her, Colette right behind him. "That's a pretty good way of sneaking in Sheelos. Is this another one of those special spots?" He looked around himself at the sewer system. It smelled but it didn't look dirty.

"Special spots?"

"Yeah, like your other spot in the Gaoracchia forest?"

"Oh!" Sheelos scoffed a laugh. "No darling. It's just a means from A to B this time."

Gesea and Yuan shared a glance before starting after them. Realising that he was too big to fit through the bars, Noishe let out a soft whine and dropped to his stomach to wait for their return.


	28. The things wings can do

"It's.. it's..."

"Huge!" Lloyd finished for Gesea as they stared wide-eyed at the thing in front of them. One minute he'd been excited at seeing a new device-thing for the sorcerers ring and the next they were all facing off against a giant rat that had been earlier squeaking around their shoes and making Gesea squeamish.

"Does anyone have any cheese?" Sheelos asked.

When nobody raised a hand with cheese enclosed, Sheelos sighed. "Well, I guess there was no harm in asking. Now for plan B."

"You had a plan A?" Lloyd asked her incredulously, still with one eye on the enormous rodent.

"Of course I did, darling!" she grinned. "Now, pay attention to my plan B. _Run!_ "

The rat uttered a squeak so loud and comparable to nails on a blackboard that it almost burst five pairs of eardrums at once. Nobody questioned Sheelos' order. They'd go deaf before they destroyed it. They followed the redhead in an erratic run across the shiny cobblestone sewer floor to the bright blue tile on the floor Lloyd had seen earlier before using the ring device. The minute her shoes touched the outer edges of the tile, she grew larger and larger until she looked like a giant. Lloyd found himself staring again at the unreal situation with Gesea right by his side, despite the barbaric squeak of the rat getting closer and closer.

Yuan was the next to make the transformation and looked down at them all. "Well?" he roared. "What are you waiting for?"

Lloyd cringed and stepped onto the platform. He thought he'd feel strange as he turned back to his regular height but he almost blinked and missed it. He stepped off of the platform and watched the ant-sized Gesea run onto it. She turned back to normal and heaved a sigh of relief. Lloyd looked back to the once mammoth rat and watched it run with a high pitched squeak away from them.

"Well, that was interesting," Yuan deadpanned. "Let's just focus on getting through here." He looked at Lloyd accusingly and the boy let out a low laugh and apology. He sighed, once again aware of a striking similarity between him and _him_. To ensure there wasn't any further distraction, he decided to lead the group.

Sheelos pulled up beside him. "I figured we'd just head for the sewer drain near the items shop?"

He agreed, having had the same thought. It would be the simplest way to get close to the Elemental Research Laboratory. At least that's where he assumed the Chosen was planning on going. Heading for the steep stone staircase that led to the higher levels of the sewer, he got to a spider web and scowled to himself for forgetting it wasn't going to be that simple.

"Yo darling, hurry up!" Sheelos called back to Lloyd while looking at the web at her feet disdainfully. Yuan couldn't blame her. Every time they went across the webs in this place they were left feeling like children who had eaten candy and not washed their hands right away.

He waited for Lloyd to catch up. "We'll need to become small again. When we do, make haste across the middle thread of the web and don't stop until you get to the blue tile just over there." He pointed at the glowing blue square on the corner of the small platform connected to the stairs that led upward before reaching to his neck and undoing the black cape he had draped around him.

Without it covering Yuan's body, Lloyd couldn't help but notice his colourful choice of armour. A mixture of blue, red and gold. It seemed pretty regal. He would have been more surprised had he not known Yuan wasn't all he'd seemed to be at first though. "Gotcha," he said, ignoring the chill that crept up his spine from remembering Kraine's words of distrust toward Yuan. He squeezed the sorcerers ring on his finger and it let out a large wave of mana into the air.

The world got much bigger and they were all once again left with the impeding terror of sewer monsters thinking they were after dinner desserts if they didn't hurry. On that thought, Yuan led the bunch with Sheelos right behind. Lloyd watched them raise their legs high with each step and place them down gently to the web, only to pull them up again and make a loud ripping noise like velcro. The web had looked flimsy from his regular height but it now looked like thick wool.

Gesea watched closely from next to him, nodding to herself as though taking mental notes. When the time came and Yuan and Sheelos were safely on the other side and back to their giant forms, she was the first of the Sylvaranti to take the plunge. At first she wobbled from side to side under the slight buckling of the stringy silk, but she soon got used to it and before long reached the circular middle of the orbed web. With a few more confident steps, she was off of it and joining Sheelos and Yuan in the land of giant comrades.

Lloyd went to step on to the webbing and follow her example when a thought hit him. He didn't _need_ to walk over it. With a grin to himself at his smarts, he summoned his wings and unfurled them from his back. He stretched them slowly and flapped a few times to loosen them up. Once they felt good, he flapped them toward the ground until he hovered just above it and flew across to the group. The wind in his hair felt good though and he started to laugh happily. He flapped his wings harder and soared up the staircase in a wide arc and then down to his friends again, hovering in mid-air around them like a persistent fly. Seeing Colette hadn't joined them in the land of giants, he spun around to see how she was going. She was only just starting to make the trek across the web. She wobbled back and forth, making Lloyd realise too late what was about to happen. He dove for her but arrived a second too late. The blonde fell face first into the spider web soundlessly.

"Colette!" He dropped down onto the web and helped her up. As she stood with his help though, some of the webbing lifted with her. Without much warning, the footing underneath them both gave way and they found themselves hovering precariously over the sewerage stream, entangled in sticky webbing. "Lloyd!" he heard Gesea's giant voice boom.

"It's okay!" he called as he flapped his wings while he held onto Colette. Her wings had sprouted but similarly to his own, they were caught in the web. He stubbornly flapped harder, only to feel the grip of the web get tighter around his body. Just when he started to hear a concerning pitter-patter from a hole in the wall just below them, a large hand reached down and the shadow of Yuan enveloped them. The half-elf gripped the two of them tightly and pulled them out of danger, web and all.

While Yuan carried them over past the worried gazes of Sheelos and Gesea, Lloyd couldn't help but notice the cold metal feeling against his neck. He hadn't noticed before, but Yuan wore a gold ring on his Salvatorian finger. It was pretty worn looking but he managed to see a Y and M engraved on it before Yuan set him and Colette down on the blue tile to grow back to their normal sizes. The Y must have stood for Yuan. He curiously wondered who M was.

"Are you okay Lloyd?" Gesea asked, approaching with a concerned look on her face.

He pulled a long piece of web off of himself and shook his hand frantically back and forth in the air to get it to unstick. "Yeah." He turned to Colette. She was sitting blankly and still covered in the webbing. Sighing, he knelt down to help her. She didn't even blink when he put his hand on her face and pulled multiple strands of her hair accidentally to remove the web. "Maybe you should keep your wings out in future, Colette."

She blinked once and he gaped at her. "Did... did you just _hear_ me, Colette?"

The angel girl blinked again and Lloyd couldn't contain his excitement. "Guys! Colette is starting to feel better!"

"Really?" Gesea leaned down and smiled at Colette. "Can you hear me, Colette?"

".." Colette didn't so much as blink or twitch at her words. Gesea tried again by waving her hand in front of her eyes. Nothing happened.

Lloyd frowned in confusion. "But she was just doing it a second ago." He stood from his spot and watched as she copied him.

Yuan cast an eye over them. "Let's continue on."

Sheelos agreed. "The sooner we can get across the ocean, the sooner we can help Colette."

Lloyd nodded and curiously followed her up the steps just ahead. She hadn't said anything else about Volt yet to them. Thinking of how he and Yuan played the Game of Questions, he decided to try a back-door approach to the conversation. "Speaking of travelling across the water," he started. Sheelos flinched, and for a scary moment Lloyd thought his hidden agenda had been discovered right away. When she didn't say anything or try to change the subject, he continued hesitantly. "Why hasn't Undine challenged you to another battle yet?"

The Chosen-Assassin reached the top of the staircase first and closed her eyes, looking to be thinking. Wondering what she was doing curiously as he also reached the top, he watched her. She didn't do anything for more than ten seconds except close her eyes and he was about to ask why when she abruptly forced a finger to his lips and squinted her eyes harder.

Gesea and Yuan reached the top of the stairs and watched her curiously as well. Eventually she opened her eyes and removed her silencing digit from Lloyd. "What were you doing?" he asked, the moment he could.

Sheelos held her head like she had a headache. "Undine said something about repenting for my failed pact, and until I repent I cannot challenge her to a proper battle."

"Re-pent?" Lloyd blinked. "Like, pay her back?"

"I guess so." She looked unsure herself for a moment before she gave him a wide grin. "Oh well. We'll manage it when we have to." She walked ahead of them across the platform and around a few corners, past some water drainage pipes.

"I'm not sure I like the sounds of that," Lloyd replied unsurely, following quickly. They passed a staircase leading downward where another rat squeaked and ran around in circles to come to a staircase that spanned two levels and led to another higher floor above them.

"Even if you don't, that's what has happened," Yuan replied in a matter-of-factly tone. He let out a sigh after. "This is the first time I've heard of a summon spirit being bitter about delayed pact-making though."

Lloyd wasn't sure what to say and instead surveyed their surroundings. On their current level, in the shadow of the staircase, was a door. If he craned his head enough from where he was standing, he could see another door of the same kind on the wall connected with the floor above them. The door on the floor they stood on was currently closed. Sheelos glared at it with her hands on her hips. "Jeez. Looks like they closed _everything_ to try and stop us this time."

"How are we meant to get through?" Gesea asked. "Does that mean we came all this way for nought?"

"Of course not," Yuan replied. "I would have stopped us long before now if that was the case."

Sheelos agreed with Yuan and looked at Lloyd. "Normally we'd have to do a lot of heavy moving around with trash to get through here, but seeing as we have a resident angel..." She sprinted to the edge of their current floor and pointed downward. Lloyd followed her finger to see she was pointing at a round brown wheel protruding from the wall. "You don't mind using those sapphire wings of yours to help us out, do you darling Lloyd?"

"I guess not," he agreed with a shrug, unfurling the wings he hadn't bothered to put away and swooping down to it. The wheel was stiff at first but once it gained a little momentum it was easy to turn. Lloyd turned it until it couldn't turn any more and heard the rumble of stone on stone as the door above slid open and into a small gap so that they could pass. He flew back up and entered with the rest of the group. Yuan, the last to follow, stopped in the underpass of the door and turned back to survey his surroundings for a few seconds. With a mutter to himself, he re-attached his cloak and turned to catch up with the children.

xxx

After using his wings again in the next room to save them time using what Sheelos called a "trash compactor" (whatever that was) from up on the higher floor, the group walked through another door to face a short passage surrounded by foul smelling water. Vermin galore went about their mousey business and ran from hole to hole along the back wall where streams of recycled water flowed out of spouts and created a musty green coloured waterfall. From where they all stood and gazed around the room, there was no clearly cut path across the water to the next platform. A passage connected by a short descent of stairs to their left led them downward but to a dead end. It was only when Sheelos called them to follow her down the stairs and to the sewerage waterfall that Lloyd noticed the small ledge protruding from the wall.

"You know what to do," Sheelos said, looking at him with a grin. Putting his wings away for good, he nodded and pressed the ring on his finger again to turn them all tiny. This time, he held onto Colette as they edged along the wall and only let go when they were clear of the water.

"Finally!" Sheelos exclaimed once they stepped on a blue tile and turned back to normal size. "We're on the home stretch!" She ran ahead of them. Lloyd grinned and went to follow when he saw Gesea stop mid-step and gasped. Yuan did the same, his eyes narrowing. Sheelos whirled around as well. Caught in the middle of a shocked stare triangle, Lloyd started to feel uncomfortable.

"We've been waiting for you, travelers from Sylvarant," called a hoarse male voice. The group all trained their eyes upward to see three men all with clubs for weapons. Two looked like twins and the other had a head of black hair. Aside from that, they were pretty non-descript and wore tattered clothes with holes in the knees. They jumped down from the platform above to them. Lloyd was ready for them though, drawing his swords and springing into action.

"Lloyd," Yuan called. " _Don't_ kill them. We just need to knock them out." Instead of drawing his double-edged butterfly blade, he just pulled his short sword from its sheath and pointed it at them.

The brutes charged at them, swinging their clubs wildly. Lloyd ducked underneath an attack aimed for his head and used the pommel of his right-hand sword to knock his assailant on the back of the head. He fell to the floor, unconscious instantly. The other two made the mistake of going for Gesea and Yuan and were knocked away before they even got within point blank distance.

With all three men unconscious before Colette got involved, Lloyd heaved a sigh of relief. Sheelos, Gesea and Yuan didn't seem as relieved though.

"There is still da-" Gesea was cut off suddenly when another brute jumped down from a hiding spot above and straight onto her. He had a pocket knife this time and quickly brandished it close to her neck.

"Which one of you is the Chosen of Sylvarant?" the man asked. He had dark spots under his eyes, a shaved head and an odour Lloyd could smell past the usual smell of the sewer. "The Pope promised to lighten our sentences if we got rid of her. Hand her over or the little girl dies!"

Sheelos crossed her arms. "So the day _has_ finally come where the Pope reveals his hand."

Lloyd took a step toward Gesea but the look in the brute's eyes worsened. He had no doubt he would use the knife if any of them tried to get any closer. They were all frozen in place. The brute looked at each of them, his knife hand shaking violently while he sat on top of Gesea. Then suddenly with a bloody yelp, the man slumped forward to reveal a short sword with an intricately decorated hilt sticking out from his back. A flash of white, blue and gold flew from the level above them and moved quickly to Sheelos.

With a powerful downward slam, she was on the ground and under the foot of none other than Kraine. "Don't move…If you move, the Chosen dies. Understand?" He gazed at them coldly until his eyes fell on Gesea again as she slipped out from under the dead convict. She looked shaken but unhurt. "Gesea, are you alright?"

Gesea watched her brother with mounting confusion flashing in her eyes, but nodded. Yuan muttered something that sounded like "Ye eva'e" under his breath. Kraine scowled and hoped the younger ears present didn't understand what that meant. He made sure to give Yuan his best glare.

"Heh," Sheelos laughed underneath him. "So you knew I was the Chosen the whole time? I should have guessed. You're _w_ _ay_ more than just a pretty face."

"You should have considered yourself lucky that revealing you was not in the best interest of Cruxis," Kraine replied, sounding tired.

Yuan stepped forward unhesitatingly. "You think we'd believe you would kill a Chosen? Please Kraine, don't insult us."

Kraine gripped the pommel of the longsword on his belt and glared at him. "Having returned to Tethe'alla after a time, I learned you were posing as the Chosen. I find that.. interesting... to say the least, Yuan."

"Can't we have this discussion _without_ your foot in my back?" Sheelos asked, grumbling angrily and squirming. "You're obviously not here to kill us this time or take Colette."

"There will be a time not so distant from now, where that will be different," Kraine replied. He lifted his foot from Sheelos and she slipped out to run for cover behind Lloyd and Yuan. She held them at their shoulders and heaved a loud sigh of relief. "For now however, I only want to talk with Gesea," Kraine finished. Lloyd clenched his fists around his still drawn swords. Kraine looked at him and lowered his gaze to the swords. "You have changed your fighting style. You lack proper training but it seems to suit your physique now."

"Aarghh!" Lloyd couldn't take it anymore and let out the bellow as he charged at his former teacher and friend. Gesea called for him to stop but he couldn't listen this time. Kraine drew his sword and met his first swipe with ease; holding his ground and looking him square in the eyes calmly with the one eye that wasn't covered by his auburn hair. They matched strength for strength initially, but Lloyd knew he couldn't keep it up without breaking the thin blade he was using. He brought the blade in his other hand around from behind and swiped at him, jumping in the air and turning as he did to give his force a little more velocity. Kraine met the attack with a forceful swipe of his own and sent him flying back.

Thinking fast, Lloyd used the force to propel himself at his opponent again, alternating his swords in a succession of quick strikes at Kraine as he did so. Still the seraphim caught his blows with ease. "Back down," he warned as they sparred, the rest of the group watching with unsure expressions on what exactly they should be doing.

"Why would I?!" Lloyd spluttered, clashing steel with him again, his swords together against Kraine's longsword. It was a much fairer chance he could overpower him this time.

"I don't want to hurt you," Kraine replied.

It was a reply so soft that Lloyd almost thought he hadn't heard it. A strange feeling came over him and he found himself staring at the angel traitor for a few seconds and almost letting his guard down. Before he could get an easy swipe in if he wanted to, Lloyd jumped backward to stand closer with his friends. Kraine regarded him carefully until he was satisfied that he wasn't going to attack out of the blue again and slid his sword back into its sheath.

"You owe us some answers!" Lloyd cried, his voice echoing through the sewer. Kraine turned his back to them and summoned his blue seraph wings. Lloyd gaped. Although by now it would have been stupid even for him to question whether or not Kraine was on their side, the sight of the wings protruding from his Professors back still surprised him.

"I am doing what I must to atone for my sins," Kraine spoke solemnly, turning his head so he could see them all staring at the light show coming from his back. "The path Lord Yggdrasil wishes to follow is the only way. The revival of Martel will bring peace to the world at long last. As for 'owing' you _answers_ , I think not. However, I do owe an apology to you and Gesea."

Lloyd clutched his swords tightly, unsure what to say. Kraine raised one leg slightly. Lloyd knew the pose surprisingly well. It was perfect for take off. He stuttered even more for something to say. "Forgive me Gesea," Kraine said, looking at her. He then settled on Lloyd. "Don't die, Lloyd."

With those final cryptic words he was off; flying over to the other side of the room and through the door they had come through.

"Where's _my_ apology?" Sheelos sniffed as she gestured to the front of her dirtied robes. She turned around and tried to see her back. Lloyd would have laughed at the giant brown footprint present now if he wasn't already half absent in his own world. _"Don't die Lloyd? What's that even supposed to mean?!"_ He felt like hitting himself hard in the face with his sword sheath. Before he could follow himself up on the desire, Yuan's hand rested itself on his shoulder. "Let's head into Meltokio now."

"R..right," he agreed. There was no point in dwelling on it. He looked at Sheelos, still grumbling to herself in a high pitched annoyed tone about apologies. "Lead the way, oh great Chosen one."

Sheelos gave him a dirty look and he swiftly took it back. They turned the last corner of the sewer underground and climbed the staircase to the upper level they had continuously been attacked from. A short distance further, they finally clambered up the ladder that led to a sewer lid and opened to the business district of Meltokio.


	29. Pride, prejudice and spiteful dogs

After getting used to the musty smell of the sewer, the usually stuffy Meltokio air seemed like something made by the heavens. Being the first out of the sewer, Lloyd looked up at the stars while he waited for his friends to emerge. They were pretty difficult to see thanks to the street lamps glowing all over the place, but he thought he could make out the shape of Orion's Belt if he squinted. Of course, he could see a sword and a shield if he squinted as well. Big cities weren't great for star gazing; even in Sylvarant where the air and atmosphere felt lighter somehow.

Yuan emerged from the sewer last and quickly moved the lid to its original position before they moved on. Following Sheelos through the shadows and avoiding the arcs of light the street lamps created as though city guards would magically appear if they so much as set one foot inside the area, they passed a weapon shop called Belteon and stopped in the shadows of a civilian house. Sheelos slipped around in the shadows of nearby trees to get better looks of the main road that led to all the other various levels and factions of the city. When she sent Yuan the universal hand symbol for "OK!", he led the charge out of hiding.

The main area near the gates was well lit and they had no choice but to be out in the open for everyone to see. His heart hammering so hard in his chest that he could hear it in his ears, Lloyd guiltily realised he was enjoying the danger until they passed the street corner that the Sancta Cassius Inn sat on and ran under a bridge through a set of open double gates.

A small house that looked like a mini version of Castle Tethe'alla loomed ahead, complete with blue triangular roofs and painted blue stained glass windows. Sheelos headed up to it and reached for the door handles without even hesitating a little. Lloyd couldn't help but be a little mesmerised by the otherworldly glow it gave off under the faint light from the street lamps just outside the gate. Meltokio was interesting! If they weren't trying to stay away from everything and every _one_ , he would have liked to have looked at the stonework and architecture of the city more. After a few more seconds of being awestruck, he followed his friends inside the building, a bit ashamed at his reluctance.

"Welcome to the Elemental Research Laboratory," Sheelos said proudly, looking at the room fondly. A bare looking lobby surrounded them with nothing much to look at except some gaudy looking designs on the far wall and a wooden desk with a pretty dead looking pot plant sitting on it to their right.

"What is this place, Sheelos?" Gesea asked. She looked uncomfortable and interested in equal measures.

"Oh." Sheelos seemed to realise the reason for her contempt, even though Lloyd didn't quite get it. "This is where I was sent to study my summoning artes. It's also the place where..." She trailed off, the excitement in her voice suddenly gone. "It's where a friend of mine was born."

"A friend?" Lloyd felt well and truly puzzled then.

"C'mon," Sheelos urged, an excited bounce in her step again and ignoring his follow up question. "Let me take you to see my friends." She was about to jump the railing on the left hand side of the lobby to take a shortcut down some stairs when she abruptly paused and turned, an odd smile on her face. "Okay, okay. Ya got me Kuchinawa. Well done."

A ball of smoke magically appeared right in front of her. Lloyd startled back until it faded and showed a man with a typical red Mizuho ninja outfit but with the added bonus of some spiked armour around his arms, a visor, and a little chainmail on his chest. "I hadn't expected to find you here, Sheelos," the ninja -Kuchinawa- said, looking at Sheelos up and down for a second and probably noticing how dirty her clothes were. Lloyd smelled himself out of curiosity and almost choked.

"Right back at ya," Sheelos laughed. "Why are you here?"

"I'm on a top-secret mission. What about you?" He cast his eyes from her to the rest of their swarvy group of adventurers. When he saw Yuan, his eyes went wide with recognition. "C..Cerberus! I uh..I mean Chosen!" Yuan grimaced and nodded in greeting.

"It's okay," Sheelos said, her voice lowering to an almost-whisper. "They all know who I really am."

Kuchinawa turned his head to her, looking shocked. "They do?"

"It's a long story," Lloyd laughed. "Are you one of Sheelos' friends?"

"Sheelos and I grew up together," Kuchinawa explained. Lloyd nodded and wondered what it would be like to grow up with a friend like that. He had only known Gesea for a few years, but he considered her his best friend. He wondered if being friends for so long like Kuchinawa and Sheelos blurred the relationship into something more like siblings.

Yuan sighed softly. "Lloyd, pay attention."

Lloyd realised he had missed part of the conversation. Sheelos and Kuchinawa were now heading downstairs. He quickly followed and immediately felt the temperature rise and the weight of the air get thicker. He was immediately faced with a laboratory similar to the one they had been in when they had met with Kate and learned about the Angelus Project. Various liquids bubbled in containers over burners on a table set in the middle of the small room. A large rock circled around inside a sphere shaped container connected to a pipe that ran the length of the table, making a comforting spinning noise that helped to lessen the silence in the room caused by their presence. Three pairs of eyes belonging to pointed elven faces watched the group descend the stairs.

"Sheelos!" An elven woman with chestnut hair parted to one side said as she waved and approached the red head with long brown hair parted on one side said. Sheelos waved casually at her, but the smile on her face was genuinely happy. The elf woman's eyes transferred from her to Yuan and all three flinched back. "It's the-"

"-It's the Chosen!" one of the two elven men standing in the corner behind the spinning rock finished, taking his glasses off and giving them a wipe. Yuan waved casually in greeting.

Sheelos crossed her arms. "Don't believe everything you hear about the Chosen."

The elves glanced at each other for a second before nodding in agreement. Sheelos looked over the various decanters on the table. "We've come because we need your help."

xXx

"I see," the elven woman -Fiona- said once they had explained their story as best they could. Lloyd kept his mouth shut for most of it, letting Sheelos and Yuan take the reigns. The elves didn't know anything about Sheelos' true identity so anything regarding Sheelos as the Chosen was off limits. They did however eventually explain that half of them were from Sylvarant and that Colette was the Chosen, despite Lloyd's inner feelings about that statement. He was still an angel, but so was she. They had been connected somehow once and now they weren't. He held his head in frustration suddenly and received worried looks from the group.

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it," he said with a sigh.

Yuan sighed too and gave him a long look. "Don't you know 'it's nothing' is universal language for 'it's something?'"

Gesea nodded. "Yuan's right Lloyd."

Lloyd lulled his head. " _Gesea,_ you always agree with Yuan!"

"N-no I don't!" she denied, her hands going to her hips.

He shrugged it off and looked at the elves. They didn't know the full details of what had happened at the Tower of Salvation (and neither did they, really). "Anyway, can you help us?"

Sheelos nodded. "Yeah. I was wondering how you're going with the Elemental Cargo experiments."

"Elemen what?" Lloyd asked, blinking at the strange name.

"Elemental Cargo, typically called E.C," Gesea spoke up. She had a little booklet in her hands with a shiny blue cover. E.C was printed on the front in glittery cold colours. "It's a compact transport vehicle controlled by.." She gulped and Lloyd knew straight away by that reaction what was coming. It was the same as at the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge. "By Exspheres," Gesea finally continued. "Its maximum load weight is 1400 kilograms and maximum speed is more than three times faster than an upgraded Exsphere-equipped carriage."

She flipped the page she was on. "It says here that they are currently used primarily by shipping companies for delivery of goods. The Lezareno company has shares in it." She gave Sheelos a sour look. "Were you considering that we become packages, Sheelos?"

"What's wrong with packages?" Sheelos giggled a little. "They can be really good things sometimes!" She raised her eyebrows up and down. Lloyd tilted his head, confused as Gesea went bright red at her statement.

Fiona rolled her eyes and nudged Sheelos. "Here I was thinking that you'd finally grown out of your raging hormone stage."

Sheelos crossed her arms and grimaced. "I'll have you know I never went through that stage. It's just a way of life." She nodded to herself. "All handsome men in the world are just waiting to be seen and appreciated!"

"Just wait until you're twenty-one," the green haired elven man -Zayd- standing close by said to her. "Then you'll have to settle down with a Salvatorian for nine months!" He looked at Fiona, who glanced down and wiggled the gold ring on her Salvatorian finger.

Sheelos gaped at Fiona. "I didn't know you two had agreed to be Salvatorians!"

Lloyd glanced at the elven womans stomach and noticed for the first time a small bump. Fiona and Zayd shared a glance, smiled at each other, and quickly looked away again.

"W..well," Zayd stuttered. "We talked about it and since we work together it is only natural. The Church of Martel agreed, obviously."

"Obviously!" Fiona laughed. "Then when the baby is born it'll make things easier to manage too."

Lloyd smiled. "You guys sound like good friends. It's good to see Salvatorian's that are close like that." It made him homesick for Iselia.

"Anyway," Kuchinawa said, clearing his throat and looking at the other elven man in the room. His name was Ralph. "Is it possible to use E.C to transport people?"

"I don't see why not," Ralph replied. "It might be a bit bumpy though. If you had the use of Undine, it would be easier and be like surfing."

"Ah, gimme a break," Sheelos replied. "It's not like I _wanted_ to neglect a summon spirit."

Kuchinawa started to leave first. "I know where the E.C's are located. You should leave before it gets light."

"Will it really be safe to travel in the sea at night?" Gesea asked.

"Not really," Yuan replied truthfully. "But I can use some light magic to make it a little easier once we get away from Meltokio and the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge."

Gesea looked a bit more comfortable with that idea and proceeded up the stairs of the lab, looking back and waving with a somewhat timid smile on her face to the three elves. Lloyd, Colette and Yuan left next, leaving Sheelos standing there.

She waited for them to disappear upstairs out of earshot before she turned to Fiona and Zayd. "Don't worry," she whispered. "I won't tell tell the Church. I'm actually just happy you're happy."

Two sets of eyes widened at her and the third belonging to Ralph turned to her as he jolted around from the bottles of different ingredients set in the cabinet he had been sifting through. She was filled with the satisfaction of being right but tried her best to remain calm. The elves looked pretty panicked all of a sudden. Not that she could blame them. "Just be careful at the moment. The Pope has his radar out for half-elves more now than ever."

"H..half-elf?" Fiona stuttered. "W..what's that?"

"C'mon," Sheelos groaned, putting one hand on her hips. "You guys don't have to pretend. I know about them now."

The elves didn't meet her eyes. She realised with a bit of frustration that she was going to have to do more than that to reassure them. "It's still really confusing how you guys exist but.." She bit her lip and tried to erase the images of red snow from her mind. Like always, she saw her mothers face and her bleeding lips moving to _those_ words before the memory faded.

"Sh-Sheelos!" Fiona gasped. "You're biting your lip too hard."

Sheelos blinked out of her memory to feel the trickle of blood going down her chin. She quickly wiped it away and licked her lips. "I was just going to say that it's confusing, but there's nothing fundamentally wrong with wanting to be in your loving relationship."

Before they could say anything else to her, she quickly slipped away and up the stairs to join the rest of the group. Kuchinawa was giving them the low down on how the E.C worked.

"What do you mean it _fits_ in this thing?" Lloyd asked, holding up the small package Kuchinawa had given him and waving it around. It looked just like any old fabric pouch. He raised an eyebrow at Kuchinawa suspiciously. "Sheelos put you up to this, didn't she."

"Excuse me?" Kuchinawa asked, offended.

"They don't have wing packs in Sylvarant," Sheelos laughed, not having seen a natural expression like that on Kuchinawa for a long time. "They're just a bunch of country bumpkins over there."

"Hey!" Gesea complained.

"Gee, sorry," Lloyd added after mimicking her words exactly.

She took a quick couple of steps back. Though she hadn't yet felt the temper of Gesea physically, she didn't want to. "H..hey," she stuttered. "I meant that in the nicest, most affectionate of ways!" She flitted over to Lloyd, hoping her best smile would soften him up a bit. "You know I could never think badly of _you_ darling! Your simple-mindedness is what makes you so _endearing!"_

Even if she was exaggerating to him, it _was_ partly true and was one of the many reasons she had found herself unable to follow through on her sworn orders. Sylvarant _was_ like stepping back in time, but a part of her secretly liked that. Mizuho was secluded from the rest of the world anyway and in many ways it'd seemed like a home away from home.

"I'll meet you at the dock just before the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge at midnight," Kuchinawa said. "Don't be late."

"Hey wait Ku-" Sheelos didn't even get to finish her sentence. Kuchinawa did his signature trick of dropping a good old fashioned smoke bomb to the floor and 'disappearing'. Even she had to admit his trick was pretty believable. She only just managed to see the front door close shut quietly as it was. It was no wonder the untrained eye thought ninja's could disappear and reappear like magic.

"Wow," Lloyd cooed, studying the spot Kuchinawa had stood with his pair of said untrained eyes. Gesea looked equally as mystified despite her intelligence.

"Shall we be off?" Yuan asked, standing next to Sheelos. She gave a short nod and started out of the door with him. The other three would follow eventually.

xxx

Lloyd discovered three things during their trek through the Meltokio sewers; the first being the men that they had knocked unconscious earlier were nowhere to be seen. Yuan warned them to stay on alert but Lloyd didn't really feel all that threatened. Secondly, the man that Kraine had quite literally back-stabbed was now lying on the ground in a more relaxed pose rather than the face-first way he had initially died. His eyelids had been shut and his hands were folded across his chest. Thirdly, they discovered that the short dagger that Kraine had used on him was no longer sticking in his back thanks to Yuan shifting the body to the side out of what seemed like pure curiosity. Looking closer at the wound, it was easy to see the man had died instantly. Kraine didn't just have good aim, he had spectacular precision. Gesea, though her voice sounded reluctant, explained that a slight miscalculation of the trajectory of the dagger would have meant a very slow and painful death. Lloyd wondered who had taught him to fight but doubted he would get many answers from the horses mouth.

After meeting with the ever excitable Noishe and Lloyd needing to scramble out from under the dogs giant paws with some coaxing from Yuan, they set out for the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge. The few monsters that got brave enough to approach didn't stand a chance. Lloyd didn't even bother to draw his swords. Yuan was too fast for everything. He supposed the half-elf had learned to fight from his experience in protecting the Chosen.

Kuchinawa greeted them just above the artificial beach where they had all earlier regrouped after their escapade. "This is the E.C," the ninja explained, gesturing to the enormous boat sitting on the water that looked like a cross between a rheaird and raft.

Lloyd stared at it, brought out the 'wing pack' he had been given earlier to look at it, and then turned his gaze on it again. Unable to contain his curiosity, he spoke up. "How do I use _that_ with _this_?" He dangled the wing pack in front of himself so that everyone could see what he was talking about.

"Why don't you open it and see," Kuchinawa said. "I told you this earlier."

Ignoring the frustrated ninja's tone, Lloyd did as he said and opened it.

"Now go touch the E.C with it," Kuchinawa explained, reluctance in his voice. Lloyd did as he said and jumped back when the Elemental Cargo disappeared like magic as the wing pack touched it.

"Now release the string," Sheelos said, grinning at how surprised the Sylvarant portion of the group were at the basic technology. Lloyd obeyed and gasped loudly in amazement when the ship/raft came flying out of the tiny thing and sat on the water. He repeated the action twice more, still in awe. Gesea shook her head in embarrassment. Despite her actions though, she looked almost as curious and amazed as the red-clad boy who was currently laughing to himself about all the huge things he could carry with him with the wing-pack now.

"I hate to be a party pooper, but it only carries technology that's made using Ex-spheres," Sheelos said. She really did hate it. Lloyd didn't seem too phased though and had already moved on to saying that they should get in. For once, Kuchinawa seemed satisfied with the words out of his mouth. "You should get going before we all get discovered and executed."

Thanking him, Lloyd, Colette and Gesea seated themselves in the E.C cargo bay, now dubbed the seating area. Noishe stood on the edge of the dock, putting one leg out to attempt to think about getting on but then hesitating and quickly setting it back on the ground.

"C'mon Noishe!" Lloyd called. Gesea joined in trying to get the "dog" to join them. Together they started to do all manner of silly things. It was only a matter of time before they started using baby voices, Sheelos thought with an inward cringe.

"Sheelos," Kuchinawa called before she and Yuan went to leave to get in. He caught her hand and placed something in it before doing his usual disappearing act.

Sheelos frowned and looked down at what he had placed in her hand. It was a small emerald green coloured paper crane tied to a string. Words in the secret language of Mizuho were printed in small letters along the wings. She turned closer to her face and in the direction of the moonlight to read them. "May you find what you are most deserving of in the near future."

They were...slightly odd words to read, but the colour and style meant good luck. She pocketed it and cut in front of Yuan to get into the E.C before all the good seats were taken.

Yuan sighed and glanced at Noishe. "Some things never change. I should have gotten in first."

Noishe whined in response.

Yuan raised an eyebrow at him. "You think I'd let you, a _dog,_ take the helm of the E.C?" He walked past the green and white fluffball and couldn't contain his grin. He could practically feel the dirty look he was getting. "Besides," he mumbled as he lowered himself off of the side of the low jetty to their vehicle, "your tail makes you much more suited for rear end duties."

Noishe barked indignantly at him, clearly insulted. It would have probably sent him deaf if he hadn't ducked and scrambled for the spot at the front of their transport. The E.C wobbled again for a short time when Noishe finally gained the courage to step on. Gesea and Lloyd congratulated him with all manner of "good boy!"

Not even stopping for a pat, the dog trampled over the group and laid in the small crevice beside Yuan at the front near the steering panel. Yuan allowed himself to chuckle under his breath when Noishe looked at him with an open-mouthed pant. The children's calls for him to get into the E.C had nothing to do with his decision. It was pure honest-to-goodness _spite._

Pressing the go button on the E.C and allowing the motor to slowly roar to life, he set one hand on the dogs neck and gently scratched, momentarily lost in thought until Sheelos impatiently yelled his name for them to hurry up and go before they sunk. He moved the throttle on the E.C slowly, hoping that it drove like his rheaird. Unfortunately it was a _little_ more sensitive. The group let out varied yells, curses and howls as they sped away from the dock and through the sea away from the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge.


	30. The pain of penance

After Yuan got the hang of it, the E.C wasn't that difficult to steer. It was frustratingly, abhorredly and _mind numbingly_ slow however _._ Once it'd reached its top speed, it felt like they were drifting through the ocean at a snails pace. Once they were a safe distance away from the Grand Tethe'alla bridge, Yuan made good on his promise to Gesea and summoned a dull torchlight spell.

"Which direction do we need to go?" Gesea asked, looking at Sheelos.

"Oh, right! Gimme a sec." Sheelos reached into her garb and felt around for a minute until she found and brought out a folded piece of parchment. Unfolding it and holding it toward the torchlight, Lloyd saw it was a map. Instead of seeing the familiar continents and areas that made up Sylvarant though, he saw only a few semi-familiar patches. He recognised the Gaoracchia Forest that led to Ozette and Altessa's house; Sybak, the research city; and the Grand Tethe'alla bridge that led to Meltokio and the Fooji mountains.

Sheelos placed her finger on the mapped sea area just to the south of the bridge. "That's around abouts where we are." She traced her fingers further south and then to the east where she stopped at the most southern corner of the continent. Mountain symbols ran their way along the middle of the continent from one end to the other. She tapped her finger there. "We should be able to enter the Toize Valley Mine from this side of the mountains to search for the ore for Colette's Rune Crest." Her hand started to shake and she took a deep breath and traced it all the way to the north. "Then we can go here. To..to Volt's temple."

Lloyd looked at her and felt like slapping himself. She and Yuan had managed to distract him from his question about Volt earlier in the sewer when he had started by asking about Undine. Since they likely had time to sit around and be bored until they got to the next region, now seemed like as good of a chance as any. "Sheelos, about V-ooof!"  
He stopped when he felt the cold slosh of water against his back. Everyone in the E.C scrambled up to their knees as a wave crashed against it. Another wave crashed from the other side, drenching Sheelos and pushing her into Gesea by its pure force alone.

"What's going on?" Gesea asked, righting her. "I didn't think the water would be this rough."

"You're right," Yuan agreed. "It shouldn't be. Something's definitely wrong here." Another rolling wave crashed and drenched the party.

"I don't think this was a very good idea," Gesea motioned, squeezing water from her pink hair. "We chose a bad night to get away."

Even though she said that, Lloyd was sure that she knew they hadn't been left with much of a choice. They couldn't go back to Meltokio or Sybak. The next closest option was Mizuho or Ozette. Just as he was considering suggesting the possibility of beaching the E.C on the south-eastern continent and hoping that it didn't get damaged in the rocks, Sheelos let out a gasp. Gesea did the same. Yuan cursed something and Noishe whined loudly. Only Colette remained as silent and emotionless as always. Lloyd whirled around to greet the reason for the commotion. An enormous wave three times the size of the ones that had been battering them around so far was coming right for them, gaining height as it ripped closer.

"Yuan!" he called. "Can't you steer this thing any faster?"

"If I could, I would!" the Cerberus snapped at him. Lloyd could see his hand on the throttle and that it had already been pulled as far to the right as they could probably go without being tipped into the ocean. The wave would be on them in a second. He briefly looked at Gesea before he closed his eyes and waited for impact. She was muttering something to herself. Right when he thought the wave would hit them, he heard "Get them!" and then a kind of fizzling sound.

Sheelos cheered Gesea's name happily and he opened his eyes to see a shining white wave hovering over them. "Whoah!" He looked at Gesea. "Did you just freeze a wave!?"

"I..it was nothing," she replied modestly.

He laughed and noogied her hair. "That's so cool. How did you learn to do all this stuff anyway?"

"I _studied,"_ she answered back with a teasing grin on her lips, covering her head to stop his assault. "You should try it some time Lloyd."

"I know, I know," he admitted, letting out a sigh and then piping up when he came to another realisation. "We're learning so much on this trip though! We're learning about a whole new world. That's gotta count for something, right?" He looked at Yuan, hoping to get a confirmation. He was steering them slowly around the elven-made iceberg though and even if he had heard him, he looked too busy to answer.

Another wave chopped over the edge of the E.C just as they made their way clear of the frozen wave sculpture and Noishe let out another whine of complaint. As water filled it, the E.C uttered a low rumble from somewhere beneath their seats. Yuan looked back at them. "I don't think we're going to have much luck going this way for much longer. The current's changed direction and we're being pushed back faster than we can move."

Lloyd pivoted around and studied the area behind them. Yuan was right. The Fooji mountains were much more visible than they'd been just a little earlier. He could even make out the faint outline of what looked like a House of Salvation along the shoreline. "What can we do?" he asked. Sheelos pulled out the map to Tethe'alla again. Water fell from it as she unfolded it, but it didn't look too harmed. Lloyd let his mind wander a bit at the curious thought that some of the first pirates and sailors must have come up with the idea of making maps water resistant since they relied on them so heavily.

Sheelos dragged him out of his day/night dream by speaking as she squiggled her fingers through a winding crevice between the region that housed Ozette, Mizuho and Sybak, and the new one they hadn't visited yet. The path led out to another block of ocean for a short time before it circled a smaller island which housed another city. It was sort of hard to make out the small lettering on the map in the dim light, but he thought he could read the word 'Altamira'. The name rung a bell and he remembered Tabatha quoting it when she had been mentioning where they needed to go in order to help Colette. The name of the town was also apparently the name of the continent.

"Wouldn't that be a bit dangerous to go through?" Gesea asked. She cocked her head to their left and squinted to try and see where the opening between the regions sat.

"I don't think we're going to have much choice!" Yuan said, sounding panicked all of a sudden. He pressed a few buttons on the control panel frantically and a small hatch opened up behind his seat. "Grab the oars!" he ordered, jumping out of his seat and pulling one out through the gap. Lloyd didn't dare question the bark in his voice and was the first to lean forward to get a grip on one of the oars inside. He leaned slightly forward as he did to try and see what had gotten the usually calm and collected half-elf in a tizz.

The water current had picked up and just ahead had started to circle around itself. The roar of waves loudened the further they got pulled in. He tossed an oar to Gesea and Sheelos and quickly stuck his own into the water. At first it seemed like they weren't moving anywhere, but when Gesea started making larger strokes with her oar, the E.C began to budge away from the whirlpools. "Don't stop until we get to the pass," Yuan said in-between methodical strokes of his own.

xxx

The Tethe'alla Tower of Salvation loomed in the distance to their left, well and truly above the tallest tip of a grassy mountain range. Lloyd couldn't take his eyes off of it. Memories of the pain he'd felt when Remiel betrayed them and the blank, uncaring feeling for the world he'd experienced soon after that point came flooding back. After some struggling, they'd won their upstream battle and gained enough force to let Yuan drop his ore and take the controls again. With Yuan's torchlight on their side, they had found the gap between the two continents and were now working on weaving through. The stretch of water between the two continents was larger than the map showed, so Lloyd had been able to get bored of travel and trail into his own mind.

Thinking about the tower spurred some irresistible questions and he turned to Sheelos. The red head smiled coyly at him until he asked his first question of the series he'd had planned for Yuan. "Who knows that you're actually the Chosen?" he asked. He looked at Yuan. "Yuan was pretending to be the Chosen in Castle Tethe'alla too."

"I guess you could say you guys are of the privileged few," Sheelos answered. "Only the King himself knows Yuan's role as Cerberus and my true identity. All other figures, including the Pope, believe that he is actually the Chosen."

"So why are you in hiding Sheelos?" Gesea asked. She looked at Lloyd. "When Col was the Chosen-"

"I still _am,"_ Lloyd butted in. "Remember? I have wings and everything."

Gesea bit her lip and bowed her head in apology to him. "Sorry. It's just since we've been telling everyone Colette's Sylvarant's Chosen, it sort of feels like it's the truth."

"You get so used to living a lie that you start to believe it," Yuan reiterated. "Sounds pretty familiar."

"So is that what's it's like to be the Cerberus?" Lloyd asked. Yuan didn't answer though, instead deciding to concentrate on making sure they didn't beach the elemental cargo into the sand to their right or the rock pools to their left.

"Yuan's ancestors have always protected the Chosen of Tethe'alla," Sheelos explained. "All throughout history his family have found the Chosen when they've been born in various parts of the world. One way or another, Mizuho has always housed the _real_ Chosen and celebrated the Cerberus."

"Hey, that sounds kind of like Iselia," Lloyd thought aloud in realisation. It was impossible not to see the similarities. "Even though the Chosen of Regeneration are usually born in other places, they usually find their way to Iselia where they're visited by an angel and told they're the Chosen." He squinted and tried to remember the angel that had visited him when he'd been a toddler. It was just as impossible as trying to remember the faces or names of his parents.

"Except now we know that it was all for some grand plan Cruxis has to resurrect the Goddess Martel," Sheelos muttered, clenching her fist. "All us Chosen's have been all this time are pawns in some twisted plan."

"We have to stop them," Lloyd agreed. He looked at Colette. "First we have to start with what we _can_ do. We can get the inhibitor ore to help Colette and then get Volt so we can power the rheairds."

"What will we do after that?" Gesea asked.

"I don't know," he answered truthfully. "I just kinda figured if we stay positive it'll all come together eventually."

The hull of the E.C made the concerning low groaning sound again. Lloyd sprung into high alert mode and looked around. Sheelos, Yuan and Gesea did the same. The bottom of the ship vibrated more and more for some reason.

"Watch out!" Sheelos exclaimed suddenly. Lloyd only had time to turn his head before a large wave crashed into them from behind. It filled the E.C water until it reached the top, soaking the group once again. He helped Gesea up. She had been knocked flat by the tyrannical wave and was spluttering and coughing water. When he was sure she was alright, he looked at the still and unblinking Colette.

"Uh guys..." Sheelos coughed. "I think I may have worked out why this is happening to us!"

Lloyd, Gesea and Yuan adjusted their gazes to the stern to see a familiar blue woman with purple tattoos. One look at the signature flowing purple hair and legs that connected into a curved tail was all they needed to determine the summon spirit Undine was paying them a visit. She floated above the water and looked at Sheelos with an intimidating stare. Lloyd went to open his mouth to address her when the spirit pointed behind them and disappeared in a flurry of colourful bubbles. As she did, Lloyd noticed that the E.C had stopped moving completely.

"Gesea!"

The group whipped their heads back to the front at Yuan's cry and saw a concerning sight. Tornadoes made of water slowly drifted up from the sea, circling higher and higher to the sky. The E.C groaned louder and sunk downward as the giant water disasters grew to enormous volumes and heights, all circling closer and closer to them as they did. Yuan's aura glowed a bright blue-white until he yelled "freeze lancer!"

An enormous line of magic appeared above their transportation for a second. Yuan waved his hand through the air in a slicing motion and the magic followed his movement straight into the closest water tornado. It froze from the bottom up but stopped freezing halfway up its length. The remaining water lost its strength and fell apart back down to the sea below. As soon as he had finished casting, Yuan started again.

Lloyd heard Gesea doing the same and looked at Sheelos. The Chosen of Tethe'alla looked horrified when he caught her gaze. "Is this because you didn't finish what you started with Undine?" he questioned loudly over the noise of the water. Judging by her wide-eyed reaction, he realised he was right. He bowed his head in understanding and looked back at the two half-elves doing their best to protect the E.C. He didn't dare say anything to either of them and break their concentration. If they couldn't freeze all of the tornadoes, they would pretty much be toast. Soggy toast.

A sudden coldness flew past him from Gesea. He turned his head and jolted back when he saw one of the giant wave tornadoes centimetres from the E.C. It froze from the magic Gesea shot and sent a torrent of still water from the top raining down on the party. She eyed Yuan immediately after finishing. "How are we going to get through?"

"There's only one way," Yuan replied. He closed his eyes and his aura glowed a bright orange. Noishe next to him suddenly barked loudly, breaking his concentration. The floor of the E.C rumbled more fiercely than it had ever previously and they found themselves rising up into the air inside a water tornado that had formed under them. Lloyd quickly grabbed the hand of Colette. Her pink wings emerged from her back but she didn't seem to know what was happening. With his other hand he gripped the side of the E.C, Gesea and Sheelos doing the same.

"Hold on!" Yuan exclaimed the second before they were finally thrown free of the whirling vortex and straight over a set of six tornado icicles.

Lloyd closed his eyes and waited for the drop, somewhat glad that they hadn't eaten in a while. The E.C didn't fall very far until it was caught by another swirling water tornado and they were sent circling straight up to the top and flying again. The screams of his friends filled the air as the E.C flew upward, circled a little and then tipped toward the northern tip of the new continent. Lloyd held onto Colette and the E.C with all his might, unsure what would happen if he summoned his wings and flew to safety. Gravity kicked in quickly and the E.C turned bottom up. During their quick descent to the land, he saw a forest of trees and a moat of water. When they drew closer he realised what was going to happen.  
"Deep breaths!" he yelled. The crystal clear blue water below drew closer and closer. At the last possible minute, he took a deep gasp of air and held it, waiting for impact.

It was painful, but nothing like what he'd felt in the Tower of Salvation. He hesitantly opened his eyes as he let go of the beyond-repair E.C, knowing that they'd be dragged under further if he didn't. His eyes didn't burn thankfully, meaning they'd been lucky enough to land in fresh water. He looked at Colette. She was still holding on to him. For a gut wrenching moment, he thought she hadn't heard him order everyone to take a breath; but when he saw that her cheeks looked a bit puffier than normal, he almost let out his own breath.

" _Okay Colette,"_ he thought, squeezing her hand tightly and kicking his legs to push them out from the downward suction of the E.C. _"You have to help me swim. I can't do it with just me."_

He felt a faint squeeze of the hand from her and again almost let out his deteriorating breath. _"I need to act quickly."_

With a quick glance downward, he saw Yuan. Everything looked in slow motion. He looked up and saw Gesea and Sheelos paddling and the legs of Noishe already at the surface. Flapping one arm around and kicking his legs, he started to swim upward. At first it seemed like he and Colette were making progress until he noticed that the E.C hadn't fallen past them yet and they were now close to being side by side with the swimming Yuan. His chest was starting to hurt, but it was nothing compared to other pain he was starting to experience in his back.

A shoot of sudden sharp pain from the small of his back to the tips of his shoulder blades made him cry out. The last of his breath left him and he quickly inhaled water. He scrambled and tried to push past the pain in his body to push himself up for air, but it was like he was stuck in a bubble and his efforts to swim weren't doing anything. Looking down, he stared in horror at Yuan. The half-elf had his eyes closed and had stopped moving. _"Professor Yuan!"_

The ex-professors name was the last coherent thing his brain could apparently muster before the urge to close his eyes overcame him. Getting out of the water seemed impossible. In the darkness he vaguely felt something tightening around his shoulders but nothing made sense. Everything felt vague. He blanked out and the world of gurgling water silenced.

xxx

"He still probably has water in his lungs!" a female voice yelled. She didn't sound like she was very close. "Do you know C.P.R?"

"I... I.." a tiny, freaked out voice trembled. "Of course I do. I just.."

"Then do it, for Martel's sake!" The girl barking the orders was Sheelos.

"R..Right," Gesea agreed.

Lloyd felt hands on his chest as his mind winked back into reality. He wanted to open his eyes and say something but his thoughts didn't seem like they wanted to connect to his actions just yet.

"1..2...3...4.."

 _"That's right. I couldn't swim."_ He thought about the strange pain he'd felt when he'd been trying. _"Are Colette and Yuan-"_ His mind went a different kind of blank when he felt someone part his lips and put theirs against his. Air entered his mouth and he suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to cough. He jolted up and opened his eyes autonomously before coughing water out onto some sand and looking up at very relieved looking Gesea. "L..Lloyd!" she exclaimed. "Are you okay?" She patted him on the back for a few seconds.

He nodded dizzily and heard the sounds of coughing from Yuan off in the distance. He immediately scanned the dark area for Colette. His eye caught on her glowing pink angel wings. She didn't look harmed; just stood there with the usual blank look in her eyes in-between their split party. He turned back to Gesea when he realised he'd forgotten to thank her. "You saved me, Gesea!"

She shook her hands in front of herself. "I just did what anyone would have done!"

Lloyd sniffed a little. His nose felt strange; like he had a sore throat in his nose. Other than that though, he felt normal. He stood from his spot in the sand and surveyed the area again, this time with a focus on the environment. As he'd seen while they'd been falling, there was a forest surrounded by a circle of water straight ahead. They were pretty far off target from memory. The sound of boots on sand came close and Yuan, Sheelos and Noishe joined Gesea and he, bringing a faint hovering light spell that Yuan had summoned again with them.

"You okay, my dashing darling?" the Tethe'allan Chosen asked, leaning down. "How many fingers am I holding up?" She showed him three digits.

"Three," he answered quickly.

"Wrong!" she lied. "I think I need to make sure you don't have any more water in those lungs of yours!" She said, her lips curling into a cat-like grin as she reached for him. He swiftly dodged her clutches and watched her put her hands on her hips in detest. "Unfair. I think if Gesea gets a chance with your lips, I should as well!" She nodded to herself, confident in her reasoning. "It's only fair. You don't know what you're missing until you try it with the premium grade!"

At Sheelos' statement, Gesea turned an appropriate shade of scarlet.

"Premium grade?" Lloyd felt bewildered. "There are different grades of lips?"

Yuan glared at Sheelos and she laughed. "What? I'm just saying! Gesea made the first move, so it's only natural that I try to checkmate!"

"W..what!?" Gesea shrieked, clenching one fist at Sheelos. "I did not make a 'move' on Lloyd!"

"I've gotta agree with Gesea," Lloyd nodded. "She saved my life." He touched his lips and an amusing thought came to mind. "I guess this means we're each others first kiss though!"

Gesea covered her face in embarrassment. "Don't say that Lloyd! That is _very_ embarrassing!"

"No it isn't!" he laughed. "I'm glad it was my best friend rather than a Salvatorian I barely know."  
The moment the words left his mouth, he got to thinking about the fact that if he'd end up going back to Iselia, he'd inevitably meet his Salvatorian. Pre-Tower of Salvation, when he'd resigned himself to death, he hadn't given it a lot of thought. He'd always figured it was just a formality since the majority of Chosen's in history had gone on the Journey of Regeneration in their teens.

Nodding at hearing Yuan's suggestion of locating themselves amongst his thoughts, he stood under the magic light with the rest of the party and looked at Sheelos' map of Tethe'alla once again. He watched her trace her fingers around the continent they were now on for a few seconds before slipping back into his thoughts about his destiny.

As the Chosen, he was expected to reproduce with a specific bloodline. It was harder for the Church to determine the appropriate mate with the right bloodline for him because his parentage was unknown. He'd always partly hoped that they wouldn't find someone for him, but was also partly glad when the news that they had found a bloodline closest to his own came. The needles they'd poked him with to take more of his blood to be used in tests around the world had left him with a definite distaste for doctors, to say the least. Of course, all those test and worries might have also been for nothing too. There was no way he would go back to Iselia if they didn't accept Gesea back too.

"So where do we need to go from here?" he asked the group. When he was met with raised eyebrows, he figured he hadn't been paying enough attention.

"Basically, we're in for a _long_ walk," Gesea answered, eventually taking pity on him.

"We'll need to set up camp for the evening," Yuan said. "It won't do us any good to break ankles or legs with unstable footing everywhere."

The party agreed; Lloyd mostly because he was feeling extremely tired and hungry after their ordeal. He dropped his pack and started to prepare the camp site along with the others.

* * *

**A short time later..**

* * *

Sheelos looked over the snoring Lloyd and Gesea. The moment their heads had hit the pillows (AKA Noishe's back and belly), they were out like lights. She glanced off to the small gathering of rocks where Yuan had wandered off to while she poked at the fire underneath the pot of soup she'd prepared. Deciding the dinner was fine to be left bubbling on its own, she stood from her spot and decided it was _time._

"Yuan," she called as she approached. It wasn't surprising at all to see the blue haired half-elf fiddling with the ring on his Salvatorian finger and gazing at the starry night sky when she peered over the shortest of the trio of rocks at him. "Yu-an," she said again in syllables when he didn't answer.

The sly man flinched and looked up at her. "Sorry. You were calling me?"

"It's not like you to be lost in thought," she joked, raising her eyebrows up and down. "I've only ever seen you do that when you're troubled. That doesn't happen often since you know _everything_ before it happens."

"You're imagining things, Chosen," Yuan replied. "If I'd known we'd break the E.C and Undine would test us in the life threatening way that she did, I would never have allowed us to get in the water."

Sheelos slapped him softly over the head, messing his perfectly pruned hair up. "Call me Chosen again and you'll feel the wrath of a woman scorned. Got me?"

"Right, right. I apologise. Now, you must have come here for some other reason than to jest."

"Of course." Sheelos gave him a concerned look. "I want to know why you can't swim."

"I would think that would be obvious," Yuan countered with a smirk.

Sheelos peered closer at his eyes and expression. "You're doing the question dodge thing again. It won't work on me." She shook one finger in disapproval. "I know too much, remember?"

The gears moving around in the brain behind Yuan's green eyes showed a small sign of defeat from him and she thought she'd won a skirmish until he opened his mouth. "Oh I see. You want an explanation," he replied.

She rolled her eyes at him and groaned. _As if_ he hadn't realised what she was driving at already! His attitude sometimes drove her to think of all the horrible ways she could punish him- and not in the good way either. The thought that she was stuck with him popping up in various ways for pretty much the rest of her life if she continued to be the Chosen was pretty annoying too.

"I suppose I just never learned," Yuan answered simply after a bit.

Sheelos watched him for another few seconds before sitting back against the rocks beside him and heaving a sigh. "Fine, have it your way. Y'know, you're lucky the others don't know you well enough to know all the times you spurt lies out of that cunning mouth of yours."

"I think I should be offended," Yuan quipped. "There is a difference between lying and stretching the truth, for the record."

"Not to Lloyd and Gesea there isn't," Sheelos responded. "You'll hurt them too eventually if you keep them in the dark for much longer."

Yuan (as usual) didn't answer right away and frowned in thought. "Too?" he asked eventually, his voice no more than a low mutter. Sheelos stood from her spot and looked down at the bluenette. "I'm going back. Don't sit here too long. The bugs are biting."

With that, she left him to go tend to the pot that would boil over any second. Yuan stayed seated where he was, thinking over all that she had said. More importantly, he thought about what she _hadn't_ said. He'd misjudged her intelligence before and promised himself he wouldn't do it a second time. With a reluctant sigh, he realised he had done just that.


	31. Not of the garden variety

"Undine! I demand a pact with you!"

Lloyd blinked his eyes open at the sound of Sheelos yelling and had to shield them from the glare of a rising sun. Gesea shifted from her spot against Noishe next to him and wiped some sleep dust out of her eyes.

"What's going on?" She looked at Yuan, who looked the most awake out of them.

"Why don't you go and see for yourself?" he said, pointing to a rocky area near the sea that faced the grassy hills and Tower of Salvation of the other continent. "But don't get too close," he added.

Lloyd and Gesea shrugged at each other and stood from their spot, both taking quick stretches and running to where Sheelos could be heard making sounds that sounded like she was fighting. As they ran, they watched her somersault backward and make a few different poses with her hands. White cards appeared out of nowhere around her and a light coloured barrier summoned itself.

They both skidded to a halt when they heard a familiar underwater-sounding female voice yell "Spread!" and saw a massive wave of water rise from the sand around Sheelos. She stood perfectly still. The water stretched around the barrier she had erected and flew into the air before it disappeared in the same way Lloyd had seen Gesea's magic vanish.

Sheelos briefly looked in their direction and then back at the space they couldn't see behind the rocks. The mystery of her assailant didn't last though when Undine charged directly at her with one of her arms becoming a long pointed sword. Sheelos caught her assault by drawing her short sword and clashing with her. She overpowered Undine and somersaulted over her.

"We have to help-"

"-Didn't you listen to what I said?" Yuan interrupted Lloyd, moving from behind to stand next to him and Gesea. "Undine already made it clear that Sheelos is to fight her on her own as a part of the bargain of using her."

Lloyd strained to remember.

"You were wounded at the time. I wouldn't blame you if you don't remember," Yuan reasoned. He observed the battle with interest. "We are likely to feel the wrath of Undine once again if we do not allow the pact to be made under her conditions." His eyes widened only slightly when Undine got a hit on Sheelos and sent her crashing with a skid into the sand. A cloud of the small yellow granules smoked the area and they lost sight of her. Lloyd bit his lip and averted his gaze. Yuan was right, but he didn't have to be happy about it. He clenched his fists around the hilts of his swords.

Undine chased Sheelos around the rocks and sand. The others probably hadn't noticed it, but she had. Undine was getting slower at using her 'Spread' magic and she was able to accurately time her barriers to avoid the brunt of the attack. With that said, she knew she couldn't afford to be overconfident. Undine took another dive through the air at her, slashing her sword-arm. Deciding she wasn't going to let the summon spirit push her into the sand again, she quickly took the correct paper out of her garb and ducked under Undine's arm. With only a fraction of a second before she was severely injured to pull it off, she pushed the seal onto the summon spirit. "Pyre seal!"

Undine gasped loudly and flew backward into the jagged rocks. She made to get up but quivered and remained where she was. Sheelos stared, unable to believe it was over. Something didn't seem right about being able to knock Undine down so easily. "Splendid," the summon spirit said, slowly getting back up and hovering toward her.

Sheelos kept on guard, wondering if this was some kind of trick. She jumped out of her skin and fumbled with her dagger when she heard Undine's voice in her head. _"Now, swear your vow. Upon what vow do you form our pact?"_

Still unbelieving that the fight was over, Sheelos stayed guarded while searching her memory banks for the well rehearsed line she'd thought through since their first encounter with the summon spirit of water. "There are people at this very moment that are suffering with the way this world has been created and governed. I vow to save them."

Undine didn't respond right away. Instead she just gazed blankly. Sheelos felt like clicking a finger in front of her when it started to get awkward. "Understood," Undine answered finally. "I pledge my power to you, Sheelos." Her form disappeared into the colourful rainbow bubbles again, leaving only a blue egg-shaped gem in her wake. It dropped to the sand with a light thud and Sheelos leaned to pick it up. _"I entrust my aquamarine heart to you as a symbol of my trust,"_ she heard Undine say in her head again and dropped the stone back to the sand. Feeling her ears grow hot with embarrassment as Lloyd, Gesea, Colette and Yuan approached, she picked it up again and prepared herself for the voice. Nothing happened and she only barely managed to resist the urge to roll her eyes.

"Wow Sheelos!" Lloyd clapped. "You did it!" Gesea clapped in regards as well and Yuan nodded.

"The great Sheelos Wilderbayashi even has the ladies falling at her feet!" Sheelos gloated.

Rather than the raised eyebrow reactions she had expected, Lloyd's mouth formed into a surprised circle. "So summon spirits can be a boy or a girl?"

She felt sweat on the back on her neck. "I.. I suppose so." She hadn't really thought too much about it though. Undine had a female voice and looked feminine, so she'd just assumed it was the case.

"In any case, we are all awake now," Yuan said finally, taking some of the heat off of her in the well practised way they'd done for so many years. "We should start to traverse the mountain side."

Lloyd cheered with glee. "We're finally going to go to the mine to help Colette!" He looked at Colette. "Did you hear that Colette?"

She stared blankly as always. "..."

xxx

At first he'd been excited at the scenery, but as time wore by, the red-clad twin swordsman slowly expressed his distaste for the same thing all the time more and more. Yuan remained neutral to it despite his blooming aggravation. Gesea on the other hand had grown so painfully aware at the repetitive conversation that by the time late afternoon came, she called for them to set up camp so that they could get some rest. Lloyd's unrest seemed to be the main reason for it, but a part of Yuan did wonder whether they were pushing her young body a bit hard.

He agreed to her suggestion, glad to stop grinding his teeth to remind himself to be patient. They were three quarters of the way around the mountainside to get to the mine now and a place like the one they were currently situated offered protection from monsters and from the wind that carried off the sea.

Once they were seated by a crackling camp fire and Sheelos began heating the soup leftovers from the previous night, it was conversation time again. Lloyd curiously watched Gesea bounce a ball connected to a string around with the non-lethal side of her kendaxe while occasionally looked at Sheelos' meal and asking what ingredients she put in it. Eventually he moved onto pointing the differences of the stars and constellations out to Colette. She didn't respond much, but he'd noticed a few subtle indications that she was actually listening to things he said. She'd blinked when he mentioned that her wings were pretty sparkly in comparison to his, and again when he spoke about changing the world. Just the simple opening and shutting of her eyes was enough for him to know that she wanted the same thing.

After a while of comfortable silence between himself and Colette, he turned his gaze on the ex-professor-half-elf. Yuan had a green book sitting open at a page in his lap, but had his arms crossed over it while he fiddled with the gold ring on his finger and looked up at the sky. Curiosity sparking when he remembered the engraved letters he'd seen on it, he opened his mouth to start questioning. The thought of Kraine and his harsh reaction to the same question came to mind. Of course, he'd probably lied about even having a child in accordance with the W.S.P. With that in mind, he forgot his previous issue and opened his mouth again. "Yuan?"

"What is it Lloyd?" Yuan responded, closing the book as he turned slightly to face him as though he'd actually disturbed him reading it.

Lloyd fiddled with his red gloves, deciding to play it safe and form a question in case Yuan had started a game without telling him. "I was just wondering if you could tell me about your Salvatorian?"

Sheelos made an odd sound. Lloyd raised one eyebrow at her. She shook the spoon she was stirring with. "Don't even bother asking. Asking him about his Salvatorian is the same as trying to get blood out of a stone."

Lloyd stuttered. "S..Sorry! I didn't realise it was something so personal. Kraine acted the same way but I thought that was just because he was lying and-"

"-Martel," Yuan answered, cutting him off. Sheelos' eyes widened and she looked at Yuan in disbelief. Yuan continued. "Her name was Martel."

"Just like the Goddess," Gesea lamented.

"Was?" Lloyd tilted his head.

"Lloyd!" Gesea gasped at him, her ping pong ball on the string flying away from her kendaxe and hitting him in the head.

"Ow!" he complained as he rubbed the sore spot. "What's the big deal? All he said was... Oh." He stopped and looked back at the bluenette. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Yuan said, shaking his head. "It happened a long time ago. I suppose I am mostly just holding onto her memory for sentimentality."

"A long time ago?" Lloyd blinked. "How old _are_ you? You don't look much older than Kraine."

"I'm younger than him!" Yuan spluttered uncharacteristically for a second before straightening his back and coughing awkwardly. "Anyway, it is rude of you to ask a half-elf's age, Lloyd."

"Half-elf.." Lloyd looked at Gesea. "That's right. You guys are those." His eyes grew wider with curiosity. "Tell me more about them."

"No," Gesea declined very bluntly.

"Huh? Why not?"

The pinkette put down the bowl of soup that Sheelos had handed her and rested her head on her raised knees. She shifted her eyes away from him. "The more you know, the more confused you'll get."

"But I'm confused now," he groaned. "You said a human and an elf willingly have children, and that's how half-elves are born. What causes that?" He darted his head back and forth between Yuan and Gesea. Neither of them said a word. Gesea covered her eyes with her hands.

"Maybe I can answer," Sheelos spoke up as she handed him his bowl.

Lloyd looked at her. "Don't tell me you're a half-elf too!?"

Sheelos snorted and shook her head. "No. Of course not. Do you think I'd be alive now if I was?"

Lloyd knitted his eyebrows. "That's right. Kate said half-elves lived in hiding."

"Right." Sheelos tapped her chin in thought. "I think it must be possible for some people to grow a relationship stronger than a friendship."

"Stronger than a friendship?" Lloyd's eyes widened even more.

"Right. It's hard to explain but I suppose you can think of it in the same way you care for your parents."

"My parents?" Lloyd thought about the two figures in his dreams briefly before forcing himself to think of his dwarven dad. "It's like that?"

"Well not exactly. It's like that but in a way that it's not gross to think about giving them a kiss as a sign of your feelings."

Lloyd's eyes widened and he looked at Gesea. She looked tired as she watched Sheelos give them her example. She put her finished bowl of soup on the ground near the pot and stood. Waving a hand over her mouth, she yawned and stumbled from her spot to go sleep against Noishe.

"Is that really what happens?" he asked her. She didn't respond.

"Leave her be," Yuan said in-between slurps of his own soup. "We should turn in for the night also so that we can get to the mine and find the inhibitor ore tomorrow."

"Right." He nodded and started to tuck into his own soup, peering at Sheelos during gulps. Her eyes were starting to droop as she ate until it looked like she was going to fall asleep into the bowl. She only just managed to put it aside before she curled up in a ball and pulled herself into her sleeping bag. Lloyd ate his food absently after that. Gesea was right. Finding out about a relationship that equated to more than a child in accordance to the W.S.P _was_ more confusing then finding out that people bred because they wanted to. The Salvatorians in Iselia were great friends but he'd never imagined any of them producing any more children than they would have be obligated to.

"Lloyd."

Lloyd blinked groggily and lulled his head to look at Yuan in time to see him reach over and take the bowl out of his hands. "I think you're getting sleepy too. You'd best-" He stopped when Lloyd fell backward and on to the sleeping bag behind himself with a snore. A small smile tugged at his lips as he watched and as he looked over the rest of the group. His gaze stopped on Noishe and he stood to wander over to him. Noishe regarded him with a concerned look in his eyes and shifted a bit. He seemed to realise Gesea would slip to the ground and hit her head if he got up and stopped.

Yuan closed his eyes and reached a hand out to his head. "Look after them for me, alright old friend?"

* * *

**The next morning...**

* * *

Something smelled good. Lloyd opened his eyes and wiped the sleep dust out of them to see Yuan frying something in a small pan over a newly lit camp fire. He hadn't smelled it in a while and the smell of it made him smile. "I thought this would wake all of you up," Yuan joked, a smile in his voice even though Lloyd couldn't see his face. Lloyd looked around to see the rest of the group rising from their sleeping spots.

They quickly ate and packed their things before heading off around the mountain side and past a small forested area to where they could see a sign looming. It said "Toize Valley Mine".

Sheelos peered inside without going in. "Do you think it'd have ghosts?"

"Possibly," Yuan replied with a grimace.

Sheelos suddenly looked concerned and Gesea laughed. "Are you scared of ghosts Sheelos?"

"N..no," she stuttered, shaking her hands back and forth wildly before giving Yuan a bit of a glare. "Yuan's probably talking about ghosts of the monster variety, anyway."

Yuan stalked in, grinning like the devil. Sheelos stomped after him, enraged for some reason. Lloyd hung back with Gesea. She looked just as confused as he felt. "Did something happen?"

"I don't know," he replied, puzzled. All morning as they'd been travelling, Sheelos and Yuan had been acting strangely toward each other. It seemed like Yuan was being his usual mysterious self and it was agitating Sheelos more than normal. He was about to say something else to Gesea when the ninja-Chosen herself emerged from the darkness of the mine and grabbed his hand. "C'mon darling! The mine isn't going to come to us." She dragged him inside until he let go and followed, Gesea and Colette at his tail. Noishe let out a yawn and dropped to his stomach to wait for them and get some morning sun on his fur while he was at it.

The inside of the mine smelled dusty. Gesea coughed a little as they examined their surroundings. It wasn't what Lloyd had been expecting, that was for sure. The entrance path had mostly collapsed into a dark hole on their right, leaving just a narrow path with a couple of tipped over wooden carts and a steel railway track that led off through a boarded up wall. A short distance ahead, the entrance led into a larger room.

The rocky terrain had moss growing in from the walls up until it hit a small patterned path in the middle. In the center of the pattern was a raised star shape and a pedestal with a round and glowing blue ball circling at the top. A set of steel doors behind the pedestal stood open, some charred lines that looked like the remains of an explosion decorating the brick walls on either side of it. Steel poles jutted out from the brick walls in several areas and connected to strange spiked ornaments. Each of the ornaments had a round indent in its middle and a circular object made of a different material protruding from it.

"Uh... guys?" Gesea asked, sounding alarmed. "Those things on the wall look like bombs!"

She was right. Lloyd quickly stepped up to one and examined it. "Are you crazy!?" Sheelos asked, stalking up behind him.

"Just a sec." Lloyd laid a hand on the material and ran his finger around the edges where it sat inside the indent and found an area he could grip. Slowly and steadily, he pulled it from the wall. A red and blue cable came out along with it but no sparks flew and there was no resistance. "It's not connected," he explained, turning to the group. Everyone let out the breaths he hadn't realised they'd been holding.

"Looks like we can just go through the door here then," Sheelos said, strolling through to the adjoining room. "Seems pretty convenient. Let's go get that whatchamacallit."

Yuan followed her next, calling "Inhibitor Ore," on the way through.

Xxx

The next room was huge. The top path where they were standing split off into two roads. One was currenly blocked by an enormous boulder and the other led to where Lloyd could see a wooden platform careening back and forth along a small white wire between their ledge and a ledge at the other side.

"Tethe'alla is amazing," Lloyd couldn't help but say as he followed Yuan's directive at heading toward it. As they stood and waited for the platform to reach them again, Lloyd looked between Sheelos and Yuan. Sheelos was standing with her back to him, tapping her foot impatiently. The platform whizzed up to them and they stepped onto it first. It carried them across to the other side of the platform, uttering a low electronic buzz as it went. They stepped off and turned to each other. Lloyd put his hand in Colette's and stepped onto the small square moving platform with Gesea. "This is it Colette!" he grinned at her as he held on to the rail the platform was connected to. "The next step in helping you become normal again!"

They reached Sheelos and Yuan's position and headed on past a hanging lantern glowing with light, through another obviously man-made door, and into what looked like a dug out tunnel. Stepping past a large amount of debris that looked like it belonged to a large boulder of some description to face another room with many levels, Lloyd saw their current level in the mine was filled with small craters. He stared at what he saw in one of them. A green one-eyed monster flapped around on its one clawed foot. Yuan stopped him from moving closer, pointing to a spot a bit further on where a bunch of boulders sat. He picked up a small part of the boulder debris at their feet and threw it in the direction he'd pointed.

A moment later, some loud grinding noises sounded. Lloyd watched with equal surprise and amusement as one of the smaller circular rocks lifted itself off of the ground. Five stubby attachments moved around underneath it as it scuttled toward some of the larger rocks. Touching the rocks, they started grunting as well. The small little rock leapt onto one of the bigger ones and the bigger ones connected with some other smaller and bigger ones.

"Natural Golem Formation," Gesea said from behind the still staring Lloyd. He glanced back at her for a small moment before his attention wavered back to the cool sight. She continued anyway. "N.G.F is the natural process of Golem monsters creating themselves based on the area around them and the threat level of the assailant that wishes to fight them." She quickly clapped her hands and made her kendaxe appear when she saw how enormous the monster had gotten. "It has sensed us as a very tough threat, and so it has made itself much bigger and formidable."

Lloyd grinned and drew his swords. "C'mon! Let's go show it what we're made of."

"No, Lloyd," Yuan sighed. "The point of showing you was to make sure we didn't go there. We won't stand a chance against these enemies with the armour we're wearing. We will need to find a way to island hop to Altamira after this. They have some of the best gear in Tethe'alla. Then we can find a way some kind of sea transport."

"Maybe you can get Undine to help us, Sheelos?" Gesea suggested.

Sheelos bobbed her head in agreement. "Beats being stuck here for much longer. I don't think I can take much more of Lloyd's boredom once he gets sick of new places we visit."

"I'm not that bad, am I?" Lloyd asked Gesea.

The pink haired kendaxe user cleared her throat and said nothing, opting to follow Yuan as he hugged the left hand wall and made his way past several of the craters. Lloyd turned to Sheelos, hoping for an explanation. She petted his back, keeping an eye on Colette as she did. "Don't worry darling! You can't help it. It IS boring."

Lloyd followed her to the wall and shimmied around with the rest of the group in a loop until they reached an area with another platform. It was steel instead of wooden this time and raised and lowered itself from the floor below to their height through a semi-enclosed shaft. He wanted to step onto it to explore what might be on the lower level but felt disappointed yet again when Yuan traversed straight past it.

"Ahahaha!" laughed a voice through the mine. They all froze.

Lloyd listened when the laugh sounded again. His stomach dropped when he recognised it this time. He unfurled his wings on instinct and flew down to the lower ground. He found Kraine kneeling in a corner, examining a bunch of white shards all over the floor and holding what looked like a pair of chakrams in his hands. The weapons had four sharp pink claw-like spikes and a strange green moss growing out from the middle where webbing met what looked like some kind of monster eye. He jumped when he saw it blink and caught the Seraph's attention.

"Kraine!" he growled, tightening his hands around the hilts of his swords in preparation. "What are you doing here?"

"I was observing the mine," he explained light-heartedly while he examined the chakram still in his hands. "I had no idea the Naploosa Bakura held such an interesting relic in its body. I would have destroyed it much sooner, had I known." He mumbled something Lloyd couldn't make out and then "Thank whoever saved me the trouble."

"Lloyd!" Gesea yelled. He heard the footsteps of his friends on the rocky ground but didn't turn his head away from Kraine. Gesea stopped by his side and looked at her brother silently.

His expression changed from the curious one at the thing he held in his hands as he looked at her. "Gesea. This mine is dangerous." He looked at Lloyd. "You shouldn't be in here without good reason."

"We _have_ good reason," Lloyd retorted. "We're going to save Colette!"

Kraine's eyes narrowed as he scanned the angel girl behind the group. "Saving Colette will only bring more disaster upon the world. Is that truly what you wish?"

"Don't lie to us Kraine!" Gesea argued, finding her voice against her brother finally. "How could saving Colette affect the world? She's useless to the Desians and Cruxis with her soul back!"

"Yes, do tell us," Yuan added, crossing his arms.

Kraine didn't say anything else, only summoned his sapphire seraph wings and flapped back to the top level. He vanished from sight and the group stood around in silence for a few seconds until Yuan headed for the elevating platform. Lloyd looked back at Colette as they all crammed into the elevator device. There was no way that saving Colette could do anything bad. He had to convince himself that Kraine was lying to them. _"He's a member of Cruxis!"_ he reminded himself in his head. _"He really is our enemy."_ He almost missed the opportunity to get off the device and would have had to take another trip down and up again if Yuan hadn't been paying attention and tugged him by the scarf to follow.

The path took a couple of sharp corners and then slowly descended past a strange stone tablet embedded between the bedrock. Lloyd curiously leaned down to read the inscription on it. It was in characters he immediately recognised as Kharlian. "It's.. a trap?" he asked, looking at Yuan for confirmation.

Yuan eyeballed it and agreed. "It says 'Plate be a trap', if you want to get technical about it." He pointed to a few symbols Lloyd hadn't seen right away because they'd been covered in dust.

"Well good thing we didn't step on it then!" Sheelos said with a thankful laugh. "Four people trapped in a mine. Sounds like a horror movie premise."

"Let's all take a large step over it," Lloyd said, showing them by example. What he hadn't counted on was Colette not following properly and walking casually over the trap device to him. Everyone gasped and looked around frantically for a few moments until it became obvious that the trap must have been disabled already.

"Maybe Kraine tripped it already," Gesea suggested. "I mean, he _was_ looking at a bunch of shards and stuff directly below here." She walked across and down the hill to point to the lower level. Lloyd agreed, impressed. Yuan sauntered past them to another slope and they quickly followed him and Sheelos down. The sound of rushing water filled their ears and they turned another corner to see a waterfall falling past a wooden bridge. Crossing it quickly and turning a corner, they were met with a dead end.

A disappointingly open treasure chest on the right hand wall and the remains of wooden crates scattered on the floor were the only noteworthy things Lloyd could see. He began to wonder whether following Yuan had been a great idea after all. "Looks like we're going to have to take another route," he said, spinning on his heel. "The ore might be on one of the lower levels." Secretly he hoped to test his mettle against the Golem they'd all seen form earlier, even though Yuan had warned him otherwise. There were four of them and one monster. It didn't seem like too much of a stretch of the imagination to be able to defeat it.

"Don't even bother!" exclaimed an almost comical accent from the roof. The ground rumbled beneath them all. "You came to the right place the first time. _Someone_ must've already taken it I reckon!" The voice sounded somewhere between male and female and a slur of informal and formal language. The concerning sound of rocks falling filled the mine.

Lloyd heard a surprised gasp from Gesea and a couple of variances of "what the?" from Yuan and Sheelos before he whirled around. He wasn't sure what his eye caught first- the giant red bow, the enormous floating mole it was connected to, or the shovel in the moles chubby clawed hand. "Hiya guys!" the creature greeted with a wave and a buck-toothed grin. "I'm Gnome. Nice to meetcha!"


	32. Last resort

"Gnome?" Sheelos recoiled. "As in.. the _Summon Spirit,_ Gnome?"

"Aw shucks. I get all shy when I hear my full name said like that!" Gnome covered his eyes and two bright red patches appeared on the sides of his face near his thick black whiskers.

"But you're supposed to be in the Temple of Earth," Yuan voiced, since Sheelos was shaking her head in disbelief and Lloyd and Gesea had no idea where to start with Gnome's appearance, let alone his presence.

"Would _you_ stay in that musty old place full of the same dirt and everything for more than a few decades at a time?" Gnome asked, floating to the floor and leaning forward toward the half-elf. "Sheesh. You mortals think spirits don't get bored? Let's see _you_ do the same twelve thousand sudoku puzzles more than twice in your lifetime." He didn't even give them a chance to compute the idea of summon spirit sudoku, let alone apologise for offending him. "M'point is I felt like stretching my little shovels." He hovered in mid-air and wiggled the little feet that were almost invisible under the rest of his round body normally.

Sheelos took a deep breath and stepped toward Gnome. The summon spirit comically landed on one foot and pirouetted in a circle before looking at her. "Hmm…so, you're a summoner, huh? Well, look, sorry, but I've already got a pact with Mithos, 'k?"

"Mithos _again?"_ Lloyd's eyes widened at the name.

Gesea nodded. "He must have been amazing."

"Hey Gnome, I'm Sheelos! I ask that thou annulst thy pact with Mithos, and establish a new pact with me."

Gnome twitched his whiskers. "Yer' not as stuffy in the language as the last two but you could still be a _bit_ more relaxed! Bleh!" His eyes made a strange symbol. To Lloyd it looked like XD but turned 90 degrees clockwise.

Sheelos stuttered for a second. "Uh, well…I mean, this is how I was taught to do it. Even _then_ I'm kinda being a bit more informal than Mizuho would probably like."

"Oh _really?"_ Gnome laughed a nasally laugh. "Whatever. All right, show me whatcha got. Eat some dirt!" He pumped his fists in the air and hopped around.

"All of us?" Lloyd asked.

"I believe so," Gesea answered, summoning her kendaxe at the same time Yuan summoned his butterfly blade. Gnome hovered again in the air and floated above them. Lloyd only realised a second before he dropped that it was going to be a body slam. He rolled out of the way and into Colette, who tumbled to the ground. He helped her up, summoned his wings, and drew his swords. If Gnome was going to take to the air, so was he.

"Wind lance!" Yuan chanted. A green lance like the ice one Lloyd had seen him use against the water tornadoes appeared directly above him. He sliced his blade in the direction of the summon spirit and scored a direct hit with the invisibly connected magic before Gnome could turn around.

"Owch!" Gnome exclaimed, his eyes going swirly for a second as he fell to his back. A second later he jumped back up again. "Ok! I'm gonna getcha!" He started doing a strange dance and an orange coloured magical circle appeared underneath him.

Lloyd took to the air and pointed his swords at the summon spirit. "Rising Falcon!" At the same time his attack connected, Gesea finished the attack she'd been conjuring. "Cyclone!" A cyclone of wind grew from the floor and hit Gnome while Gesea turned her kendaxe around to the lethal side and charged into the battle, Sheelos joining her.

"Whoah!" Gnome cried as he spun around in circles and seemed to almost forcefully fly into the back wall of the mine. He recovered quickly and twirled back out into the center of them. Lloyd dodged under Gnome's right claw that spun at him and slashed and thrusted his sword enthusiastically to try and slow him down. It felt so natural; like he'd been fighting that way his whole life. He would have felt guilty about abandoning his chakram training if it didn't feel quite so amazing. During his brief amazement, he forgot about the shovel that accompanied the summon spirit's left handed punch. He managed to jump away but the behind of the shovel caught him on the back.

A spike of pain shot through his body and he found himself dizzily flying to the ground near Colette's feet. While the black spots slowly faded from his eyes, he watched Gesea swing her kendaxe around in a wide arc that created a brief crescent moon after image. "Dual infliction!" Following her attack, Sheeos placed a green card on Gnome and jumped away. "Serpent seal!"

"Owch!" Gnome exclaimed hatefully. "Take this! Ground _dasher!"_

The ground rumbled under their feet. "Lloyd!" Yuan yelled. At his name being called, Lloyd looked down and saw the cracks in the rocky ground were glowing a bright yellow. He quickly flapped into the air again to get a better view of the situation. Sheelos and Gesea were reeling their heads around frantically to try and locate a place to stand that the magic wouldn't hit. Yuan's position seemed the most safe though. He called for them to head to the half-elf-ex-professor-Cerberus and felt a slight breeze off to his side. Colette hovered next to him, her pink wings flapping frantically and her aura glowing a bright pink. Lloyd stared. The aura was expanding every second.

Once Sheelos and Gesea arrived near Yuan's safe position and the magic of "Ground dasher"dissipated, Yuan charged in with his weapon ready. Lloyd kept his eyes on Colette, unsure whether it was a good idea to let her shoot of an explosion with his friends in the way.

"Oh no you don't!" Sheelos growled to Yuan over the rumbles and noises Gnome made, running ahead of the half elf and taking out another paper seal from her garb. "Gnome isn't going down without getting a good beating from me!"

Lloyd stopped his actions briefly, not wanting to anger Sheelos. Gesea, seeming to have the same idea, switched to spellcasting again after a brief glance at him and the growing angel explosion waiting to happen at his side. Sheelos dodged under a swipe from Gnome's shovel and planted a Pyre Seal on his stomach. She yelled its name loudly and Gnome went falling to the ground with a loud thud. The Tethe'allan Chosen-ninja took out another seal and stood ready for more. Lloyd readied his weapons again too and moved into position to do a downward flight stab at Gnome. The summon spirit finally moved again. Just as they were about to all spring into another bout of action, Gnome rolled to the back of the dead end and waved two small white flags in the air. "Okay okay. Ya got me! I'm done!"

"What? We were just getting started!" Sheelos exclaimed, looking very disappointed as she glanced from him to the seal she had in the tips of her fingers. Lloyd trailed his eyes to Colette. The threatening aura of pink had disappeared and she'd floated back to the ground.

"Whatever!" Gnome grumbled while he straightened the gigantic red bow on his head. "Just make your vow already. Five on one? You guys fight dirty, y'know that? Mithos did it by himself!"

"But.." Sheelos still looked incredibly puzzled. She scratched her head frantically and let out an "argh" before stepping up to Gnome again. "There are people at this very moment that are suffering with the way this world has been created and governed. I vow to help create a way in which the two worlds no longer need to sacrifice one another in order to save everyone. Gimme your power, Gnome!"

"A bit long winded, but alright. I'll go ahead and let'cha use my power." With a wave goodbye to all of them, Gnome turned into a bunch of red boulders and blipped out of existence, a red gem dropping to the ground where he had been before. Sheelos picked it up and waited to hear his voice. _"Don't disappoint me like Mithos did, mm'k?"_

 _"You mean Mithos broke his promise?"_ Sheelos stared. _"Guess it really wasn't the hero Mithos."_

She turned to the rest of the group, particularly the down-faced Lloyd. The adrenaline of the battle must have worn off. He obviously remembered what Gnome had said before the start of their battle. "Darling," she started, stepping toward him. Suddenly he clenched his fists and gave her his signature confident smile. "If we can't get the ore here, we're just going to have to find out where else we can get it."

"Or find Kraine," Gesea added, stepping into the wobbly circle they were forming. "He was in here before us, so he must have taken it to stop us from being able to help Colette."

"When you put it that way, it's kinda hard to think anyone else had a much better reason," Sheelos conceded. She looked at Yuan, who bobbed his head of blue hair in agreement as well. "Let's head back around the mountain side and get Undine to carry us through to the Altamira islands," he said, cutting through the circle.

xxx

Lloyd couldn't help the guilt he felt when he looked at Colette. Probably the most difficult thing about not getting the inhibitor ore was the fact that he didn't know whether she was disappointed or not. She hadn't reacted at all since they'd left the mine. He'd been so busy trying to gauge how she felt that he'd completely forgotten about the Golem he'd wanted to fight. As they briefly stood still outside to take pleasure in breathing the fresh air and tamed the excited Noishe, he realised he'd also forgotten that if he'd gotten hit by said potential Golem, Colette would immediately put herself in the line of fire or cause a massive explosion.

They'd probably actually gotten pretty lucky that they'd beaten Gnome when they did, really. A large explosion like the one Colette had created in the Renegade base probably wouldn't have been a great idea in the depths of a mine. He sighed with part relief that he'd managed to not get them in a load more trouble for once and looked at Yuan. A part of him wanted to thank the half-elf for his advice that they not fight, but he kept his mouth shut instead when he saw that he and Sheelos were actually talking again. Whatever had been wrong before and during their time in the mine seemed to have been forgotten since they'd beaten Gnome and left.

Lloyd led the journey back through the mountainside, Noishe and Colette by his side while Gesea hung back with Sheelos and Yuan. Eventually they turned the last rocky corner of the mountains to be able to see the Tower of Salvation again from their continent. From there, it didn't take long to reach the beach and follow it along to the area they'd flown over with the E.C to land in the moat of water next to the forest. Lloyd covered his brows with his hand to block the sun and scanned the water curiously to see if any of the E.C had floated to the top. He couldn't see much though. If it had, someone had already taken it. He curiously wondered if there were any villages hidden around the continent.

"I guess I'll see what Undine can do." Sheelos said from behind. Lloyd walked back to stand with the group to watch Sheelos take a blue gem from her bag and clutch it to her heart. "Undine! I summon you!"

Undine promptly appeared. "What is it, Sheelos?"

Sheelos scratched her head. "Uh.. Is there a way you can help us get across the water. We want to go to Altamira."

"That is but a simple task," Undine answered. She didn't seem to mind. Lloyd watched the lady summon spirits aura glow an icy blue and extend out to all six of them. "For a limited time, you may walk across water as I do. Be warned though, that should your feet touch the land after leaving this beach, you will lose this power. I will not grant it again so easily." She glowered at Sheelos. "You _do_ realise that I am a Summon Spirit? The same age as the first beings that walked the earth?"

"Y..yes," Sheelos nodded. "I wouldn't ask normally but after you-" She cut herself off and covered her mouth, hoping she hadn't said too much to anger Undine again.

"Understood." Undine burst into bubbles after that statement and left them all standing there.

"We should test it out," Sheelos said. The rest of the group nodded and looked at Lloyd. He blinked and startled back from then. "M..me?! Why do I have to be the first one?"

"You _are_ our leader, aren't you Lloyd?" Gesea asked.

Lloyd crossed his arms. "Well yeah but-" He stopped at the expectant looks of all of his friends and slumped his shoulders. There was no way he could say no _now_. He stepped up to the waters edge and reached one foot out to the sea. Since he'd found out that he couldn't swim the day before, he hadn't been exactly eager to try again. To his surprise, even though Undine had clearly explained what would happen, he saw his foot land on top of the water like it was just another piece of land. He put his other foot on and walked a bit further out. Grinning, he got a bit more confident and did a run and jump. "C'mon!" he called. "The water's fine!"

"Very funny Lloyd," Gesea said, eventually following his example with the rest of them.

They passed close to a long beach connected to the continent that housed Mizuho, Sybak and Ozette about half an hour into their aquatic adventure. Showing clearly that he didn't like their mode of travel, Noishe bolted off toward the yellow sand on their left as soon as he realised what it was. It took Lloyd, the extra-strong Gesea _and_ Sheelos to stop him while Yuan seemed to think explaining the situation to Noishe would help more. Either way, the dog calmed down and turned his nose toward the island in the distance. Gesea petted him at the side and he lowered the arch of his back slightly to allow her to saddle herself on him.

"So what's Altamira like?" Lloyd asked Sheelos once they were on their way again. He squinted his eyes to try and get a better view of the town they could see from a distance. He could only mostly see a bunch of white fog and a giant vase shape.

"Why're you asking me?" Sheelos retorted. "It's not like I ever went to the resort town for _fun._ Yuan and I always went wearing ridiculous disguises when we were asked to check up on the status of the missing duke."

"There's a duke?" Gesea blinked and tilted her head. "I remember hearing that Palmacosta was going to make the Governer-General Dorr a duke."

"The duke of Altamira is missing?" Lloyd questioned. "What happened?"

"I dunno," Sheelos answered with a shrug. "It's a pretty famous story though. Duke Regal Bryant- the rich aristocrat that went missing some twenty years ago _without a trace!"_ She accentuated the end of her sentence and then put her hands out in front of herself in quotation marks. "'Nobody' knows what happened to him."

"You say it like there's more to the story," Gesea pointed out.

Yuan snorted and looked away. They all looked at him until Sheelos continued. "Yep. It's a giant conspiracy. They say his servants and employees are all covering for him to protect the Lezareno Company. The most popular rumour is that he killed someone and ran away though."

"That's impossible," Lloyd defended randomly. Gesea, Sheelos and Yuan all raised eyebrows at him. He crossed his arms and nodded to himself. "With a name like Regal, he doesn't sound like a bad guy at all."

" _That's_ your argument, Lloyd?" Gesea asked.

"Sure."

Gesea sighed.

"I dunno," Sheelos chimed in, stalking in the vicinity to put an arm around Lloyd suddenly. "I think our handsome Sylvaranti half-Chosen is on to something. No guy with such a handsome sounding name could _possibly_ be bad! I mean c'mon! _Regal!_ Just hearing it is enough to send shivers down a girls spine." She let go of him and walked off, laughing to herself.

"That's not what I meant at all!" Lloyd muttered to himself, knowing that it'd fall on deaf ears if he said it any louder. "Wait. _Half-Chosen?"_ He sprinted a little to catch up with her.

Sheelos pointed to him and then behind them to Colette. "Well do you have a better idea on what you are? To me it looks like you're _both_ Chosen."

"Huh. I guess I hadn't thought about it like that," he admitted. For some reason, the idea that he and Colette both shared the fate of being a Chosen was comforting. He sped his casual walk into a run when he saw that they were getting pretty close to the shoreline of the Altamira region, leaving his friends behind and calling for him to wait up. He could see the lime green leaves of palm trees and the giant vase-shaped building among patches of colourful beach umbrellas of Altamira, just from a distance.

As he reached the shore, he slowly reached one foot from the ocean to the sand. A strange feeling came over his body when his foot connected with the shore. His one leg on the sand wobbled and he quickly reunited it with his other leg to get back his balance. That one wobbled too and he fell to his knees before he could help it. It was like he was adjusting from sea legs to land legs, even though they hadn't been in a boat.

Sheelos fell next to him and promptly tried to tackle him. He fought her off and turned just in time to stop Colette face-planting the sand during the sea-leg to land-leg change. She fluttered her wings and fell backward until she was standing upright properly. Gaining the feeling in his legs in that instant, Lloyd turned tail and bounded across the beach toward Altamira.

"Wait! Lloyd!" Gesea yelled, giving chase. She cursed her short legs. Her small stature made it easier to hide, but running across sand without feeling like every step was a jump was a feat on its own. She turned to Yuan. "We need to talk about how we're going to go into a city and not get captured."

"Oh." Yuan tilted his head.

She gaped at him. "Do not tell me the thought had not occurred to you yet."

"You misunderstand," Yuan replied. "There's no chance the Papal Knights will give us trouble in Altamira. If Sheelos did it right, they should have no reason to suspect we even had a way to travel by sea."

"Hey!" Sheelos snapped. "What do you mean IF?"

Yuan held up his hands apologetically at her and watched Gesea catch up with Lloyd and Colette ahead. Lloyd started pointing at things he could see from the city to her and she started correcting him on the terminology of some of the words he started using.

xxx

Lloyd and Gesea stopped on the stone green plaque in the towns entrance and stared at what they saw just past the giant "WELCOME TO ALTAMIRA! Enjoy your stay!" sign that loomed above. A giant panda, a crocodile standing on two legs, and a human-shaped cow with a cowbell in its hand stood under a decorative archway that led into the city. The three obviously costumed people waved at them vigorously.

"Do you think they know us?" Lloyd wondered aloud. He glanced past Gesea to Colette and was glad to see that she had her glittery pink wings tucked away.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all," Gesea replied. The two of them took some very quick steps backward when the costumed people came bounding up to them.

"Congratulations!" the crocodile announced in a muffled pirate-like voice. "You're the one millionth guest to Altamira! Please accept these prizes."

Before he could say no, Lloyd found a bunch of tickets in his hand. The trio of costumed people left them soon after. "Wow! We won a prize!" he cheered excitedly as he looked down at the tickets. One said "The Lezareno Hotel Deluxe Suite Package" and the others all said "Lezareno Co. Funland."

"Two seconds into the city and we're already drawing attention to ourselves. Guess I shouldn't really be surprised," Yuan said with a sigh when he and Sheelos caught up after settling Noishe outside.

"No, you shouldn't," Sheelos agreed with a mocking laugh under her breath. "It doesn't suit you."

"C'mon! Let's go check out the city!" Lloyd said as he raced ahead, looking left to right excitedly. To the right of the towns entrance was the large vase-shaped building he'd seen from far away. It was a lot bigger in person and the stairs that led from the ground up to it had been painted red and gold in the center to simulate a red carpet. A boy about his age wearing a white hat and a blue uniform stood at the top of the stairs outside the pink stained glass doors that led into the building, while a blonde woman wearing a red scarf and black swimsuit stood at the base. She caught eye contact with him and smiled with a set of bright white teeth. "Welcome to Altamira, the Seaside Paradise. Enjoy your stay!"

"Th..thanks!" he stuttered. Gesea rested a hand on his back and pushed him to keep walking.

They ventured past a few busy ice-cream stalls in the shade to find an area where the path split off to the left on to a viewing platform and down some steps. The sign right before the descent indicated that it led down to the beach. Lloyd didn't need to go down any further to know it was packed. He could hear the excited screams of children and the chatter of their parents along with the rolling of the sea waves even from where he was standing. "I wonder who we can ask about getting some sea transport?" he wondered to his friends as they ventured along the honeycomb shaped path past a few chattering nobles.

He stopped when he saw another lady resort employee in the same black swimsuit and red scarf. She even had blonde hair. He realised it must have been a wig. The path split off in two directions on either side of the employee, but the path to the right looked a lot shorter. Keeping an eye on both Colette and the dog that sat to the right of the entrance to the path, Lloyd led the group further in.

"Why are we even bothering going this way?" Sheelos complained. "It's not like we're going to magically come across someone who wants to give us a boat."

Lloyd shrugged in response and kept going. The narrow path didn't lead to anything that looked significant and quickly ended at what looked like some kind of memorial stone slab that sat just outside of the shadow of the large vase building to their right. He couldn't see it past an elderly man in a red noble suit though and quickly got bored of waiting. He turned on his heel and directed his friends the way they'd come.

Just as they began to walk, they heard a gasp from behind. "You're..." a slightly muffled voice gasped. They all turned to see the old man staring. He had his eyes fixed on Gesea.

Gesea frowned up at him. "Why is he staring at me Lloyd?"

"I dunno," he replied. "Do you know Gesea?"

The elderly man's eyes widened and a smile showed itself from under the giant moustache that covered most of his chin area. "So it _is_ you." He knelt down and Gesea withdrew herself closer to Yuan and Sheelos. "There's no need to be afraid. Oh, how you do look so much like your sister did when she came to us!"

"S..sis.." Lloyd stuttered, blinking in disbelief at what he'd just heard.

"My..." Gesea seemed to be having just as much trouble as him at getting her thoughts and words together. "My sister?! You know my sister?"

"Why yes," the old man replied, getting himself back up from his knees with a little bit of difficulty. Gesea got a bit braver and stood next to Lloyd, her scared expression looking a bit more puzzled now.

"Your sister talked about you so often!" the old man laughed. "She would always tell Master Bryant and I the most wonderful stories about how you were the most _amazing_ most _talented_ older sister in the whole of Tethe'alla."

"S..she did?" Gesea's eyes widened to twice their size. "I see. This is the place she went to work for the noble."

"But then the noble she worked for must have been..." Sheelos trailed off. Gesea nodded at her, catching her unfinished drift. "She must have worked for Duke Bryant!" She looked back at the old man. "Where is she?"

The old man's expression changed and Lloyd immediately felt his heart sink. He'd seen that look before- on Kraine no less. Gesea shrunk back a bit next to him. "I'm sorry.." the old man apologised. "We don't know where she is. She..." He sighed and reached into a pocket of his waistcoat. With a light groan, he knelt back to Gesea's level and bowed his head as he handed her some kind of plastic blue coloured card. "I apologise. I can say no more."

Gesea looked at the card and then at the old man. "What's your name?"

"George. A pleasure to meet you." He said it so casually as he stood and eyed their surroundings that Lloyd started to feel nervous. "I thank you for asking about the stocks of Lezareno. We're not accepting new brokers currently however. Please read through that _pamphlet_ if you have any questions about what we've discussed." With a short nod to the rest of the party, George cut through the group and headed off across a raised arch in the distance.

"Look at the pamphlet?" Lloyd felt totally confused. "But he just gave you some plastic card thing. Do you think he gave you the wrong thing?"

"No, I'm sure he meant to give me this," Gesea replied firmly as she flipped the card over in her hands.

"Hey! It has writing on that side!" Lloyd exclaimed when he noticed it. He leaned over her to read it. "Lezareno Company- Sky Terrace entrance access."

"Whoah!" Sheelos suddenly shot forward from the back of the group to peer at the plastic. "No way! The old geezer gave you a key card for the Lezareno Co?!"

"Is that important?" Lloyd asked.

"Are you _kidding?"_ Sheelos gaped at him. "Since Duke Bryant went missing, they strictly regulate anyone who goes in and out of that building. We just got a _free pass_ to do as much investigating as we want."

"I don't care about investigating!" Gesea exclaimed suddenly to her. "All I want to know is why he gave me this when we were talking about my sister. Don't you dare say anything else is more important."

Sheelos cringed at the serious glare she was getting from Gesea. "Okay okay. Sorry." She pointed behind herself. "The other direction leads to the Lezareno Company. Let's go before it gets dark."


	33. Where angels respectfully tread

As they crossed the arch on the left wing of Altamira that Sheelos had pointed out, Lloyd couldn't help but wonder where it was. He couldn't see any huge buildings from where he stood while Sheelos and Yuan went ahead and spoke with the lady behind a counter in a little booth just to his right. Given how advanced Tethe'alla was in their technology, he worked himself up for something unbelievable. It _had_ to be some kind of invisible building. He wanted to share his curiosity with Gesea but quickly gave up on the idea when he glanced down and saw her absently flipping the blue card the old man named George had given her around in her hands.

Yuan eventually turned back to them and pointed behind himself. "The attendant said we can go straight through."

"But _where's_ straight through?" Lloyd raised his eyebrows up and down. Yuan gave him a confused look.

"Down there, silly!" Sheelos laughed and answered, seeing their exchange. She pointed over the bannister of the path they were on. Lloyd looked over it to see another resort employee standing next to a weird looking boat. It was painted royal blue with a red and green interior.

Taking a little elevator that reminded him of the ones in the Toize Valley Mine down to the lower level, he got a better look at its structure as they approached the employee. It looked like more of a cart than a boat and he couldn't contain a "wow!" any longer. He shook Gesea at the shoulder and pointed but she only vaguely glanced up, nodded, and retreated back into her own mind as she kept looking at the card.

The employee flashed the badge around his neck at them and smiled. "Hello. Would you like to go to the amusement park?"

"Oh." Lloyd blinked and glanced back up at the upper level. "Did we take a wrong turn?"

"Just flash your card," Sheelos instructed, patting Gesea at the shoulders to get her attention.

The pinkette showed it to the employee. They watched the smile on his face fade and the colour drain from his cheeks. "To the Lezareno Company then," he said dryly. "Hop aboard please."

Feeling like he'd done something wrong, Lloyd stepped onto the cart and sat down in one of the low seats. Gesea stepped in next and sat alongside him. Once they were all aboard, the boat rumbled slightly and they began to _slide_ along the shallow water.

xxx

Gesea gazed at the little indented logo of the Lezareno Company on the front of the blue plastic card in her hands for a while, then flipped it over to the side that read 'Lezareno Company- Sky Terrace entrance access.' She could feel Lloyd's half-gaze on her constantly as their sea-cart embarked on its journey toward the place where she would finally get some answers.

" _Finally getting answers."_

She mulled over that thought. She'd outwardly tried to show the others that it was very important to her and had accidentally snapped at Sheelos. What she hadn't shown them was that she was in fact down-right _terrified._ Asking her brother about their sister had always been an odd topic. Their sister had been one of the first things she had remembered after having the rune crest placed on her Cruxis crystal. She remembered the day her sister had left to go work for a noble. There was no real question that the noble had been Duke Regal Bryant now. She remembered hugging her and not wanting to let go. The rest of it was a bit foggy, but she clearly remembered hearing her sister whisper a few words into her ear right before she let go.

_"It's for the best,"_ she had said. _"For the sake of our family."_

Gesea felt tears in the corners of her eyes as she remembered the sweet sound of her sisters voice and quickly told said tears to vanish before anyone could take too much notice.

"Wow, so _that's_ what we saw from the Toize Valley Mine region the other day!" Lloyd proclaimed, nudging into her and briefly breaking her out of her thoughts.

She followed his pointer and saw the track the sea-cart was following split in two directions. Not too far in the distance, she could see two distinct islands. Lloyd was pointing at a building even larger than the one in Altamira that she'd guessed was a hotel for the tourists at the resort. Tinted windows replaced most of the outer walls and a large set of white gates opened at the front. The water from the sea lapped in through the open gates and up to a moat. She assumed that would be where their trip would end.

She faced the island on the left. A colourful wheel with things that looked like bird cages hanging from the spokes turned around slowly, stopping every so often and making the cages rock back and forth. The amusement park looked like a lot of fun. Her eyes shifted to another strange machine typical of Tethe'alla. From where she was, it looked like a thin wire in some parts but a thick road in other parts. Seats with people raising their arms in the air zoomed its length, slowing on curves and speeding up on straight lines. Lloyd had twisted around to look at it too and begun cooing with excitement.

He seemed almost _too_ excitable.

Even though he was being far too obvious that he was trying to distract her, she found the fact that he must have been feeling at least partially the same way a tad comforting. She turned her attention back to the blue card and flipped it around again. Since finding out that Kraine was a member of Cruxis' 'Four Seraphim', his reasons for some of his lacking explanations made much more sense.

During their time with a travelling caravan run by a man called Novariel and his children, she'd had plenty of time to get to know her brother again and ask him lots of questions about their sister. One of the very first things she'd asked was where they could find her. Their first logical step would be to find the noble she had worked for, after all.

Kraine had explained that he had also left their family to work as a mercenary and that he hadn't known where their sister had gone. He had never quite met her eyes properly when he told her that, and she'd always suspected that he knew more than he was actually willing to say. Even though his explanation had a clear hole in the fact that he knew their sister had ended up in the Angelus Project experiments- meaning he must have had access to someone with knowledge of their sisters whereabouts- she'd always quickly dropped the subject.

He would always try to hide the pain behind his usual mask while they spoke, but when he thought she wasn't paying attention, there were times when he let it slip. The distressed pacing he did outside the caravan in the middle of the night after their conversations was enough to show that badgering him for answers he didn't want to give was not right. She eventually gave up on questioning him further when she found herself constantly riddled with guilt for asking, and instead clung to the hope that he would tell her one day; just like she hoped he would eventually tell her why he was so terrified of deep water.

Neither answer had made itself known until recently. Now she at least knew why he didn't want to tell her about where their sister had been working. She'd been working in a resort town in _Tethe'alla!_

As a member of Cruxis and an underling of Yggdrasil, the man who had apparently created this twisted world, it made sense that Kraine didn't want her to know about Tethe'alla. Remiel, Colloyd's fake father, had also been very clear in stating his distaste for the knowledge Sheelos had shared with them all in the Tower of Mana.

The thought of Kraine in that context alone made her feel a bit uncomfortable though. She might have believed his reasons were one-track-minded more vehemently before reaching Ozette, but after seeing her fathers grave and remembering how her memories had returned when she'd seen it, she _knew_ otherwise. Kraine hadn't misled her just for the means of Cruxis.

A part of her knew she was being a bit naïve; thinking her brother still must have a good heart beating in the strange angel body he inhabited. He had shown her through his actions even as recently as the Toize Valley Mine that he still cared about her. Recently he'd been insisting on speaking with her, and as much as she appreciated Lloyd defending her, a part of her also wished to speak with him. She wondered how it might be possible.

"We're here!"

Sheelos' inappropriate excited tone irritated her enough that she jerked and dropped the plastic card. She picked it up and stood as the sea-cart moored into a foyer with shiny ivory coloured tiles, a front desk, and two doors on either side. A melody of piano music played from somewhere above.

"Welcome to the Lezareno Company," their sea-cart driver said. She inwardly cringed at his fake salesperson tone. "Please watch your step," he instructed.

Gesea watched her step as instructed and rolled her eyes when she caught the gaze of the worker and saw him flash a huge fake smile at her. He didn't react. Once they were all off, he hopped aboard his sea-cart and moved back out to sea again.

"I can't believe we're actually inside," Sheelos said in awe. Gesea felt a bit guilty when the ninja looked at her and recoiled a bit. "I..I mean, let's find someone who knows where we need to go." She trotted off to the main desk where two women stood, wearily watching the group look around. When the women gave her a series of confused looks and appeared to say very little, Gesea stepped up and flashed the blue card at them. Immediately their faces changed to reflect a tinge of shock.

"Swipe that in the elevator," the lady standing to the left instructed. "You've been given access to all floors. The garden is on the roof level."

"Thank you," she said with a respectful bow of her head before turning to Yuan. "What's an elevator?"

She pictured the devices in the Toize Valley mine and took another look around the room. She figured it out before he answered and pointed at the open doors to the left and right of the front desk. The little rooms inside arched around and had a small amount of railing that could be held on to. Above the entrance to the rooms on both sides were a series of little hexagonal shapes. Currently the white hexagonal shapes on both sides were lit up. "It's those. They must move using a propulsion system, right?"

When Yuan looked happy at what she figured out, she felt her heart soar. Not that Kraine hadn't praised her in the past- quite the opposite actually- but just having another older half-elf that wasn't bound to her because she was family by her side made her want to impress him. Lloyd said various other synonyms for 'cool' as they stepped into the little room and as Yuan showed them a control panel and lever on the inside left wall. Next to the lever was another small panel that read "Please swipe card."

Yuan looked at her and she nodded to his invisible question, handing him the card she'd protected like a baby chicken since she'd gotten it. He swiped it in the panel and it made a robotic buzz before reading 'Access Granted'. Lloyd uttered another bunch of synonyms when the control panel they'd all seen first lit up. The panels that had looked dark and greyed out before now were lit with a white light behind them. As the front desk clerk had said, it appeared they had access to the entire building.

"C'mon!" Sheelos said impatiently, tapping her foot. "If I have to listen to this song repeat itself more than once, I'm going to seriously consider the destruction of Sylvarant."

Everyone gave her unimpressed looks and she quickly explained she was joking. Banter aside, Gesea knew she had a good point. She stepped forward past Lloyd and Colette and pushed the little circular button next to the glowing panel that read 'Sky Terrace'. Yuan pulled the lever next to the panels down and some brown criss-crossing doors folded out from one side of the opening of the elevator to the other.

xxx

The sound of waves filled Lloyd's ears when the doors whooshed open again a few seconds later with a polite sounding ding. He could smell the familiar ocean scent that filled most of Altamira, but that wasn't all. As they stepped out on to the roof and saw a well kept garden with a sandy yellow path that led around a decorative fence to another smaller area in the middle, the scent of flower pollen hit them all.

"I know that smell," Gesea said, sounding in awe as she breathed deeply. Lloyd's head shot a bit too fast to look at her. It was the first complete sentence he'd heard her say since they'd gotten the blue card. "We used to have flowers that smelled like that in Ozette!" she explained.

Breaking into a run before anyone could ask for further clarification, Gesea dashed around the decorative fence until she found an archway. She gazed up at the wooden sign on the archway for a second before proceeding inside, her pace slowing to a walk. Gazing at the patches of baby pink flowers that decorated the area past the fence, Lloyd caught up at the archway and looked at the sign himself. It read "Tread with respect."

"N..no.." Gesea cried suddenly from a spot in front of a fountain up ahead.

Seeing her drop to her knees, Lloyd quickly stepped under the arch and rushed to her. She was knelt in front of a headstone, tears streaming from her eyes as she stared at it in pure disbelief. He knelt to her level and put an arm around her quivering body while he read the inscription on the headstone. It was written in cursive inside a border of etched roses.

The moment he saw the last name, he found his worst fears realised.

**In loving memory of Annalicia Combatage.**

**May she forever be loved by angels and smiled upon by the sun.**

Those were some pretty distinct words. Lloyd wasn't sure what to say. His gut felt hollow. It reminded him of the feeling he'd gotten when his dad had told him that his mother had died and that the grave next to the house was his mothers. He'd only been a toddler at the time, but the sense of loss he'd experienced in that moment had never left him. Footsteps padded close behind them as the rest of the group caught up.

"It can't be true!" Gesea shrieked, shaking her head and pounding her hands into the sand around herself. "This can't be real! Annalicia can't be!" She turned to Lloyd and jumped him into an embrace as she wept loudly. "My little sister.. she's.." She choked before she could get the rest of the words out.

Lloyd closed his eyes and rested a hand across her back. "I know." He gazed at Yuan and Sheelos. Yuan nodded and quietly steered the ninja and himself away from them. Colette stayed put, but Lloyd couldn't really do much about that.

He stayed with Gesea until she stopped weeping in his arms and using his shoulder as a tissue. She eventually calmed down enough to be able to stand up again. "Thank you, Lloyd," she mumbled, not able to meet his worried gaze. He could see her own eyes were pretty puffy from crying so much. Still not knowing what else to say, he glanced over the area. Sheelos and Yuan were seated outside the memorial garden on an outdoor setting. Sheelos looked clearly frustrated, her head in her hands.

"I won't ask if you're alright," he said gently to Gesea. "This must have been a shock."

Gesea looked at the headstone again but didn't answer. He stood from where he'd been awkwardly kneeling for some time and let the sand on his red outfit fall to the ground.

"Would it be alright if we rest at the Altamira hotel tonight?" Gesea asked. Her throat sounded pretty dry. "You still have that free ticket we won for the Altamira Hotel deluxe suite. Let's see if we can get into there. It's that huge building at the entrance I think."

He agreed and they slowly walked away from the headstone and past the pink flowers to meet with Sheelos and Yuan. He turned back to take one last look at the area before he ducked his head under the archway and headed for the elevator with the rest of his friends.

xxx

Lloyd found himself pacing around in the deluxe suite after saying goodnight to Sheelos, Gesea and Yuan. Colette was seated at a small desk in the corner of the room, seeming content to just blankly gaze out the large panorama window. He stopped pacing for a second and heaved a sigh. Since seeing Annalicia's grave and comforting Gesea, he'd felt strangely distressed. The grave had brought back memories of his mother and how Kvar had said she had been a part of the Angelus Project as well. The more he thought about it, the more he had the burning desire to understand how it related to the Desians and Cruxis.

"Argh!" he scratched his head frantically. "I'm no good at this deep thinking stuff. I need to ask Gesea about it." A little voice in the back of his head said _"or Kraine,"_ and sudden knock at the door made him slip out of the possibility of further thoughts. He gladly whirled around. "Who is it?"

"It's me," Gesea answered from the other side of the door. "Can we talk for a little while Lloyd?"

He opened the door quickly and let her in to the room. She passed by him and smiled, but didn't give him eye contact. He watched her stroll up to the enormous bed that spanned the entire back of the suite. "Wow!" She jumped onto it and stared out the window. "You can see the sea shimmering with the light of the moon from here." She bounced a bit on the bed. "This bed is so comfortable. It's just like a cloud!"

"I know right?" Lloyd chuckled, pacing over. "It's so huge though, you could put ten of me in it and still have room."

"Those are some horrid problems you have on your hands," Gesea joked back, a grin on her face. She seemed like she was feeling at least a bit better now. Lloyd felt a bit happier looking at her.

"You can stay here too if you want," he offered, sitting next to her. Her face went bright red for a moment and he laughed. "What's with you? I just said there was heaps of room. It's not like we're going to be sleeping right next to one another."

Gesea shook her head frantically. "Never mind. Thanks Lloyd." Her eyes narrowed. "Hold on a second. You won't snore, will you? Please promise me you won't snore."

"That's a bit of a difficult thing to promise," he squeaked. "But I'll promise to try as long as you don't toss and turn all night."

Gesea's smile returned for a moment but she didn't say much else. She turned around on the bed and put her feet over the other side so she could face out to the amazing scenery. He did the same thing and watched the sea lap against the beach below for a short time. "We've come a long way since we lived in Iselia, haven't we," he said eventually.

"It is a whole different world Lloyd," Gesea responded. Her voice cracked and she started laughing. "Literally." Tears started falling from her eyes as she laughed.

"H..hey!" he said, giving her a nudge with his elbow. "I know _that!"_

Gesea leaned forward and rested her hands against the window. "Hey.. Lloyd?"

"What is it?"

"Will you help me look for Duke Bryant?"

Lloyd blinked and stuttered for a second. Gesea side-glanced at him and awaited his answer. He didn't really have to think about it though. He'd already decided the answer when he'd been comforting her in front of Annalicia's grave earlier. "Of course I will Gesea. I think if we can find him, we'll get some answers about your sister."

That wasn't all though. He continued. "We can also hopefully find out more about the Angelus Project." He looked at the exsphere on his hand and found his gaze wandering to Gesea's chest for a second. She had instinctively put her hand where her Cruxis crystal sat as well. They smiled at one another in understanding and turned back to the scenery.

"I think I always suspected it might be true," Gesea said after a bit.

"What do you mean?" Lloyd asked, slightly confused.

Gesea continued, "Annalicia was a part of the Angelus Project after all. I'm one of the lucky ones. I've seen what exspheres do to people like Marble. I guess I've just been clinging on to the hope that I was wrong."

Lloyd sat and patiently waited to make sure she wasn't going to say anything else before he opened his mouth. "Do you think Kraine knew about her passing all along?"

It didn't take the pinkette long to answer. "I think he did," she said decidedly. "But I also think he lied about it to protect me."

"I agree."

Gesea blinked at him in surprise and he continued. "It's hard to explain, but I feel like Kraine has his own reasons for doing what he's been doing. He still cares for you." He fiddled with his gloves but didn't care to voice his other thoughts.

"He still cares about you as well," Gesea pointed out, hitting the nail of his unsaid thoughts right on the head. "He was holding back when he was fighting you in the Meltokio sewers. I'm sure you could tell."

Lloyd clenched his fists. He'd realised it but hadn't been comfortable thinking about it. Whenever he remembered their fight, all he pictured was Kraine telling him that he didn't want to hurt him. It was all just too confusing. One minute he acted like their friend and then the next minute he was their enemy. "We'll figure it out," he decided to say. Gesea had been picking lint off of her tunic until he spoke. She looked up and he continued. "Kraine, Duke Bryant, Cruxis, your sister, the Angelus Project, and even this world. We'll figure it all out."

"I just hope we can do it in your lifetime," Gesea mumbled. She regretted her sentence the moment she'd completed it when Lloyd got the look of insatiable curiosity on his face. She waited for the question reluctantly.

"How _long_ do half-elves live for?"

She suddenly wished to be as quick-witted as Yuan in the face of unwanted question about this topic. "About a thousand years," she answered. Lloyd's eyes looked like they would pop out of his head if they got any bigger. She would have laughed usually if the very thought of her natural lifespan wasn't so lonely.

"I wonder how long angels live for?" he questioned next to the air. It was her turn to get curious. She watched her best friend release his blue angel wings and stretch them. "Sheelos called me a half-Chosen. Sounds kinda right since one of my parents would have _had_ to have been an angel." He lulled his head from side to side in rambling thought. "I'm kinda glad Remiel turned out to be a fake. I wouldn't have wanted wings like his anyway."

"And why is that?" she questioned cautiously.

"Didn't you see them? They were like _real_ wings!" Lloyd flapped his right wing a little and created a nice breeze that made the blanket fly up a little. Gesea held it down. Lloyd continued. "They weren't see-through like mine. Imagine how hard it would be to sleep with those poking constantly into your back." He stopped and shook his head. "Actually, since angels don't sleep, that doesn't really matter. Still, what if you want to lie down and read a book?"

Gesea plucked an eyebrow up at him. "I can see you have thought about this a great deal."

Lloyd nodded proudly and she resisted the urge to slap her forehead. It hadn't been meant as a compliment. He didn't seem done with his train of thought either. "Also Remiel would have had to have cut holes in all his clothes for his wings as well. That would have been a pain. One snip too many and you've ruined your clothes."

Gesea couldn't help it. She laughed at him. "Is this what you were thinking whenever he called you his son?"

"Of course!" Lloyd said in all seriousness. "I've only got seven pairs of these clothes and I suck at sewing."

Gesea laughed again, but deep down Lloyd had struck a chord. She wondered whether he _would_ live longer. She let herself fall back on the cloud-like bed and sighed. Lloyd did the same. She sighed again and he copied her. They fell into hysterics soon after and temporarily forgot the woes of the world.


	34. Unexpected encounters

Lloyd awoke to a loud rapping on the deluxe suite door. He blinked and sleepily gazed at the clock on the wall near the desk he could see Colette still sitting at. Seeing the time, he jolted up in surprise. It was almost midday already!

He yawned and gazed over to the other side of the enormous cloud-like bed to where Gesea was cocooned in her half of the blanket. He smiled to himself as he part crawled and part bounced across the bed to her. They'd stayed up a little bit too late laughing at random things the night before. Topics had included Noishe getting grey hairs and the sea having a plug at the bottom like a bath, among several others that he couldn't even remember how they'd made sense at the time.

Even though he knew Gesea was still hurt, he was glad that he was able to comfort her. He playfully poked her on the forehead and she caught his hand. "Lloyd. What are you doing? Let me sleep."

The rapping on the door of the suite sounded again, this time a bit more frantic than the last. "What are you doing with my dashing darling, kid!?" Sheelos called. Gesea opened her eyes and looked at Lloyd for a moment, then to the door. She turned scarlet. Lloyd laughed and lowered off of the bed to head to the door and let the banshee in before she tore it down with a swift ninja kick.

Sheelos stomped into the middle of the room and gazed around, breathing heavily. "What took you guys so long to answer!? Yuan's downstairs at the moment and threatening the front desk for a key card!" She turned her back to them and looked at Colette. "C'mon. Hurry up!"

After quickly getting changed and making sure they didn't leave anything behind in the suite, Lloyd, Gesea, Colette and Sheelos met with Yuan down at the reception desk. The half-elf wasn't talking with the receptionist though. He was instead facing them as they exited the elevator. Something seemed.. different about him today. Lloyd quirked his head off to one side, examining him as he walked.

"Don't mention the hair," Sheelos whispered on the way past to meet with Yuan first.

" _The hair?"_ Lloyd wondered, his gaze accidentally fixating on it. Now that he looked, he noticed it right away. Yuan's blue hair was pretty unmistakeably silky usually, despite the fact that the half-elf liked to flatten it whenever he was thinking, flick it when he was making a point, or curl it around his fingers whenever he was just sitting and waiting. Regardless of how surprised Lloyd felt at _having noticed_ his ex-professors strange hair habits, he noticed even more that the locks of blue looked a bit less.. pristine.. than normal. Thin bits of blue hair frizzed about his head in several places. It looked like he'd forgotten to brush it this morning.

Sharing a quick confused glance with Gesea, he proceeded to join Sheelos and Yuan in the foyer. Sheelos had her arms crossed and was eyeing Yuan suspiciously. "You know something."

"I know a lot of things," Yuan answered, smirking. He brought out the hand Lloyd hadn't realised he'd been hiding behind his back to show them all an unsealed envelope. "Someone apparently knew that we were in need of a boat."

Lloyd reached out a hand to take it from him when he offered it, but as their fingers touched in the exchange, he felt the jolt of static. He jumped back and dropped the letter to the floor in the confusion and shock. "Owch! Static shock!" His eyes quickly darted to Colette. Her aura wasn't glowing neon pink or anything, thankfully.

Yuan cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "My apologies. The mana in the air is especially thick today. I seem to be having a reaction."

Gesea leaned down and picked the envelope from the floor while Lloyd couldn't help his waver of interest from the letter to Yuan's statement. "H-uh- _Elves_ have reactions to mana in the air?" He closed his eyes and tried to 'sense' it like he'd done that other time in Sylvarant. It was there, but he wasn't sure what to look for exactly.

"In Tethe'alla they do," Yuan responded. "The mana is much stronger here."

Lloyd opened his eyes and went to ask Gesea whether she was experiencing anything strange, but quickly changed his tune again when she handed him the envelope. He lifted the flap to open it and took out a heavy piece of card. Scrawled on the front was a message in decorative cursive. He had to squint at the letters a bit before he could make out what it actually said.

* * *

_You'll find it moored in the harbour._   
_Please use it well and do not speak of this to anyone._

_With my most sincere regards,_

_George Lezareno_

_**Assistant C.E.O  
Lezareno Company.** _

* * *

"No way," Sheelos gaped after he'd finished reading it out to them. "How did the old guy know we needed a boat!?"

"Perhaps we were overheard?" Yuan offered. "He did seem to feel as though he were being watched when he spoke with us yesterday."

"Then we have a boat! Isn't that great?!" Lloyd looked from Gesea to Colette, then to Sheelos and Yuan. They all nodded with varied enthusiasm. He turned to the elevator. "Let's go check out the weapons and armour they have on the second floor before we go."

He sprinted to the device and punched the button to go up. Now they just needed to play the waiting game. The electronic dial next to the triangular up button changed its numbers from two to three, then back to two, then finally it dialled down to the G floor and opened with a ding. A crowd of beach-goers stepped out from it and they all had to hug the rails to avoid being trampled. Once the elevator was empty and the crowd dispersed, the group stuffed themselves in and pushed the button for the second floor.

xxx

Sheelos stood next to Yuan once she'd found the new armour and dagger she wanted and the special shiny paper she could use to fashion some new seals. Lloyd, Gesea and Colette were standing at the weapons stall with a million different choices laid out in front of them for their next weapons, a line of other shoppers waiting patiently in line behind them. "Good thing we've got some cash," she said absently to judge the Cerberus' mood. Yuan shrugged nonchalantly and gazed at nothing while in thought. She sighed and decided to go for broke anyway. "Is that how you got the old guy to give us a boat?"

As expected, Yuan paid attention at her accusation. He thought he was an expert at being subtle, and he usually was, but today he seemed a bit out of sorts. Sheelos intended to take full advantage of it. "There's no _way_ that we just happened to get given a boat," she reasoned. "C'mon! What'd you do?"

Yuan said nothing and bailed, heading for a seat on the leather lounge suite in the middle of the market. It connected to a railing that circled a hole facing directly down to the ground floor below. She stared in disbelief as he gazed at the gaudy painted sky backdrop like it was actually interesting and decided to stalk after him and stand in front of his line of vision, just to be annoying. "If you won't tell me that, then how about telling me about 'reacting' to 'the mana in the air'?"

"Must you be so persistent?" Yuan asked, irritation very clear in his voice once he decided to speak. "How about trusting me a little."

"Trust works both ways Yuan," she quickly pointed out. "Just _where_ did you-"

"Hey Sheelos! Sheelos!"

Sheelos clenched her fists and rolled her eyes at being interrupted at of course the most inconvenient time. The universe seemed to have it out for her. She shot Yuan a _this discussion isn't over_ look and turned to see Lloyd, Gesea and Colette approaching. Lloyd had such an goofy pleased smile on his face that she couldn't help but be curious despite her deep-seeded agitation with the smirking half-elf sitting behind her.

"Watch this," Lloyd instructed once they caught up and stood together. He reached into his backpack and took out two shimmering chakrams. They were golden yellow bladed circles with silvery S shaped handles that went straight through the middle. He held them out toward Colette. Sheelos couldn't help but gape when the usual mute and inanimate blonde angel reached for them. What was more- the static expression on her face curved into a slight smile. Lloyd raised the chakrams in his hands a little higher and Colette's hands raised to try and reach them.

"Lloyd," Gesea warned, "you shouldn't tease Colette like that!"

"I know, I know. I wasn't meaning to." He guiltily lowered his arms and allowed Colette to take the weapons. Once she had them in her hands, she held them in front of her blank eyes. Everyone watched with curiosity until she looked up and let them slide out of her hands to the floor. One fell flat while the other rolled past their feet and toward the items shop. Lloyd knelt to pick the one at his feet up while Gesea ran for the other. She came back shortly and handed to him. Funnily enough, the moment both chakrams were in his hands again, Colette reached out for them.

"Looks like Colette likes chakrams," he said, realising he was only really stating the obvious. He handed them to her again and she rinsed and repeated her earlier action. As he watched her hold them for a third time, he couldn't help but be reminded how he had once felt comfortable using the bladed rings himself. It _had_ to have been because of Colette. Now she wasn't a part of him any more, he had no desire to use dual weapons and instead favoured twin swords. That's how it seemed anyway.

Touching the defensers he'd equipped and following the group to the elevator, he thought about the other differences he'd noticed in himself and seen reflected in Colette. It only made him that much more determined to save her. Frustratingly, the only thing they could do for her was find Kraine and ask for the inhibitor ore that he'd taken from Toize Valley Mine. The only problem was that asking for it would likely lead to blows. All he could think about upon that train of thought was that he wouldn't allow him to hold back again.

xxx

"You what!?" Sheelos asked, staring at Gesea and at Lloyd once they'd confessed to them about their discussion the night before. They were strolling through the field to the harbour just to the Northwest of Altamira. "You _do_ know that Mizuho put a lot of its resources into finding the duke, right? He's gone. Vanished without a trace."

"I reluctantly agree with Little Miss Ninja," Yuan said.

Gesea bowed her head and Lloyd stopped walking. "I still going to find him," he said, tightening his grip on his twin swords. Sheelos went to disagree and make another point but Lloyd kept going. "Gesea deserves to know what happened to Annalicia." He continued walking, having said his piece.

"But what makes you think finding the duke will solve anything?" Sheelos asked. Lloyd opened his mouth but stopped. A was a pretty good question actually.

"Finding him could cause more problems than it would solve, too," Yuan added.

"It is because Duke Bryant cared for my sister enough to erect a memorial," Gesea cut in to explain. "If he knows that she passed away, he must know how it happened."

"Yeah," Lloyd agreed, finally catching her drift. "If Regal knows how it happened, there's a really good chance he can tell us more about the Angelus Project. He might even know more about my mum."

Yuan and Sheelos glanced at one another, then fell quiet in thought. Eventually Yuan spoke up first. "I suppose given the circumstances, it isn't exactly likely that we will hear an explanation from our enemies. I understand your logic."

"But it doesn't change the fact that if he _is_ alive, he doesn't want to be found," Sheelos continued. She knew it was falling on deaf ears though as far as they were concerned. There was only one other thing she could say. "If we want to know more about the Angelus Project, the Pope would be a good choice of target."

"The Pope?" Lloyd glanced from her to Yuan, hoping they'd explain more.

Yuan gave Sheelos an annoyed look and cleared his throat. "We found out from Kate that he is the one whom ordered the experiment of the Angelus Project to begin."

"What!?" Lloyd's eyes shot to the continent to the Northwest of their position. "Then we have to go and confront him!" He tapped his foot and tried to calculate the possibility of making a pit stop there before going to get Volt.

"Lloyd, even _I_ know that isn't a wise move," Gesea said, stopping his thoughts before they could disappoint him any further. "The Pope has power over the Papal Knights and we have been running from them since they found out Yuan and I are half-elves. There's no way we can get into Castle Tethe'alla to confront him, even if we wanted to!"

"Which is why we did not tell you right away," Yuan added in his own defence. "It is because you are so rash to do the right thing that it is sometimes better for you to be kept in the dark."

"Ignorance is knowledge?" Lloyd asked, recalling a conversation with Kraine.

Yuan crossed his arms. "Humph. I hardly need to ask who taught you that analogy, do I? Nevertheless, I suppose it applies to this situation also. Or at least it applied until Sheelos told you about the Pope's involvement."

"I have no idea what you're on about," Sheelos replied. "Ignorance is knowledge doesn't sound like a very good life lesson."

"That's what I said!" Lloyd laughed.

"You're wrong," Gesea defended. "I know my brother is one of Cruxis' Four Seraphim and everything, but he's still actually really, really, _really_ smart. Ignorance is knowledge was a really important part of our survival when we were travelling." She stopped talking abruptly after that and hurried on ahead.

"Hey Gesea, wait!" Lloyd called, giving chase. Colette ran behind, leaving Sheelos and Yuan standing with Noishe.

Sheelos absently scratched the dog behind the ears while she waited for Yuan to explain what on earth 'Ignorance is Knowledge' was. "You don't need to know," he said to her look with his usual cheek. "You already practice it anyway, I'd say." He started off after the other two.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She followed him but he didn't answer.

Soon enough they were standing at the harbour and gaping at what they were seeing. A sail boat with a sky blue hull, equipped with life rings and complete with a cabin and small birds nest welcomed them. The sails flapped in the light breeze as the whole thing rocked gently on the waves.

"It's a real boat!" Lloyd said excitedly. "We can be pirates! Arr!" He stepped onto the boat unhesitatingly and waited for it to stop rattling under his weight before he did what he thought was his best pirate pose. Colette and Gesea clambered over the side of the low dock next and stood next to him, Sheelos following with a leap and a soft landing just to show off. "Thank you, thank you," she said as she bowed and the children clapped.

Yuan bowed his head to look at Noishe and the dog gave him a "well?" look. He gestured his hands to the boat. "You can go first this time."

With the canine equivalent of a shrug, the green and white fluffball jumped onto the boat, his claws scratching around while he did his best to regain his balance. Yuan climbed in after him and caught contact with his black and silver eyes. "Ladies should always go first, anyway."

Noishe whined and lazily lifted a paw to push him down but whined and pulled it back when static fizzled between them, sending the fur on his leg all puffy for a second. Sheelos raised her eyebrows, glancing between the Cerberus and dog. "Well now that Yuan's stopped messing with the fur ball, how are we going to actually drive this thing?"

"We should go and look at the controls," Lloyd declared. "It can't be that hard, right?" He looked hopeful when his gaze fell on Yuan. "I bet you know how to drive a sail boat too, right? It's probably got one of those wheel controls too."

"You'd assume correctly, of course," Yuan said as he reached under his cloak again and brought out the pair of keys he'd taken from the envelope earlier before handing it to Lloyd. "But this boat doesn't have a tiller. I think it's probably powered by something more _Tethe'allan._ "

"Like exspheres..." Gesea mumbled, her voice cold.

"I can only hope not," Yuan replied. "Let's head into the cabin to check it out."

Lloyd, having found his sea legs rather quickly despite being unable to swim, was the first to rest his hand on the doorknob of the cabin. He pulled it open and peered into a well lit room. The entrance led directly into a narrow kitchenette. There was a stove, sink, a kettle, and plenty of other amenities. There were even tea and coffee cannisters sitting inside a rack securely nailed to the wall. Continuing on with his friends packing into the small space behind him, he saw a small lounge suite and a coffee table. A row of wooden bookshelves with locked doors decorated the side back wall.

"This must lead to the bridge," Sheelos said, peering at another blue door with the logo for the Lezareno Company plastered on to it to Lloyd's right. She turned the knob and let the door fly open. Everyone jolted back with surprise when they were immediately met with the figure of a boy not much older looking than Gesea. He jumped back in surprise as well, his hand still in the motion of reaching to open the door from the other direction.

"Who are you, cutie?" Sheelos asked. She tilted her head. "We must have the wrong boat or something."

The boy stepped out of the dark bridge room and into the more well-lit lounge and living area. Lloyd immediately noticed a head of shoulder length blonde hair and a pair of striking blue eyes.

"Hi everyone," the boy greeted, glancing over them all. "No," he said, sounding amused when he stopped on Sheelos, "you don't have the wrong boat. I'm your sea captain."

"A sea captain?" Lloyd felt excited. "You mean you're actually qualified to be out on the sea? How old are you?"

" _Lloyd,_ that's a rude question," Gesea groaned, giving the boy an apologetic look. "Sorry. Our friend sometimes forgets his manners when he gets excited lately."

The boy laughed and shook his head. "It's no problem. To be perfectly honest, I'm still new to the trade and haven't had that much experience just yet."

"Oh!" Lloyd tittered his head and punched his own hands together in thought. "That's okay. Yuan said he knows how to sail these kinds of boats too. Maybe you can learn from one another." He looked at Yuan expectantly. He hadn't said a word yet. He still didn't say much and only looked at the boy. The boy returned his blue gaze on him. "Your name is Yuan?"

Yuan stayed ghostly still, only seeming to manage a slight bob of the head. The group gave him confused looks. Lloyd wanted to joke that he was acting like Kraine, but thought better of it for Gesea's sake.

The boy retracted the hand he'd extended to Yuan. "I'm sorry. It's probably kinda weird that I've heard some of your names and haven't introduced myself yet." He bowed his head for a second and then smiled. "I'm Mithos. It's a pleasure to make all of your acquaintances."

"You've got the same name as Mithos the Hero!" Lloyd pointed out in awe.

"It's a common name," Mithos said, his voice going a bit higher pitched in what must have been embarrassment.

Gesea was first to reciprocate the formal introductions despite Lloyd's interruption. "I..I'm Gesea!" she said, reaching both her hands out to him. "It's nice to meet you, Mithos."

They joined hands and Mithos looked upon her with curiosity and a broad smile. "It's nice to meet you too, Gesea." Letting go of her, he dipped his head in the direction of the exit. "I can hear howling outside."

"Oh, that's Noishe," Lloyd said, starting for the door. As he grew closer, he heard the dog scratching at the door in desperation to get in. "What's wrong Noishe?" he asked without opening the door. "You never want to come inside."

He opened the door a crack and quickly felt Noishe's wet muzzle on his elbow. Without much warning, the door creaked against the dogs weight and Lloyd had no choice but to let him in or otherwise risk a broken door on his hands. With a weirdly happy yap, Noishe bounded through the kitchen, skidded around the corner and-

Lloyd ran to see what had gotten into his pet and gaped when he saw Mithos on the floor, Noishe licking him madly. Mithos was laughing too much and they could only hear bits of "down boy" through the cackles. With Gesea's help, Lloyd pulled his enormous beast of a dog away so that Mithos could stand.

"Thanks," Mithos said, wiping his face to get some of the slobber off. Lloyd cringed, having been at the whim of Noishe many times when he'd returned home after school. Nothing but a shower was going to get rid of that smell. Mithos didn't seem too bothered by it though. He gave Noishe a pat on the head and the dog panted zestfully.

Lloyd knelt to Noishe, amused. "What in the world has gotten into you Noishe? You're normally scared of new people."

"Maybe it's because he can sense Mithos is a half-elf too?" Gesea asked. She quickly covered her mouth when Mithos took several steps back from them, appearing very worried.

Lloyd stood and looked at their sea captain. "Is he? I wouldn't have guessed."

Mithos bit his lip and shook his hands. "No.. I-"

"It's okay," Gesea reassured softly, ambling slowly to him. "Lloyd is different. Colette's quiet but I'm sure she feels the same way. You know Yuan's a half-elf too, and Sheelos is nice as well mostly."

"Hey!" Sheelos snapped in fake annoyance, her hands on her hips. "Gimme a break! I'm an _angel!_ Metaphorically speaking, anyway."

Lloyd and Yuan coughed at the joke and Gesea giggled. "She's actually not so bad. Just don't get too close otherwise she might try to jump on you."

Mithos looked puzzled as he quickly glanced between her and Sheelos. "I..I'll keep that in mind. Thanks Gesea." He pointed his thumb behind himself at the entrance to the bridge. "Care for a tour?"

"Actually, would we be able to start moving while you're at it?" Yuan asked, saying the first thing he'd said since seeing Mithos. He threw him the keys.

"S-sure," Mithos stuttered, fumbling a bit with them when he caught them. The room was quiet for a second as Mithos looked at Yuan, seeming to expect him to bark another order. When he didn't, the short blonde turned to saunter into the next room with Lloyd, Colette and Gesea following.

Sheelos' eyes narrowed at Yuan when he remained where he was, watching the backs of the others. "Jeez Yuan. Why're you being so cold to the kid? Even Noishe likes him!" She tapped her foot for an answer, unimpressed with him.

"Woof!" Noishe yipped in agreement.

"Yes, well, Noishe will like anyone who feeds him tomatoes," Yuan grunted, having enough of the conversation and proceeding to head into the control room to ensure everything went smoothly. Noishe let out a short, argumentative growl after him.


	35. Matters of the heart

"Uh..well, you see.." Lloyd stuttered on his sentence and stopped to eye the rest of the group cautiously. It was a bit difficult to explain why they wanted to go to the Temple of Lightning to themselves, let alone to a young half-elf sea captain whom they barely knew.

Mithos waited for a time for someone else to continue Lloyd's sentence before finally contributing. "I suppose this kind of thing is to be expected of the Chosen who is apparently a traitor to Tethe'alla." He laughed at their surprised looks and smiled sweetly as he turned his gaze to Yuan. "Everyone in Tethe'alla knows who the Chosen is. Surely you're not surprised."

"Not particularly," Yuan muttered.

Lloyd wondered if he was lying or telling the truth. In a lot of ways, he could see some similarities between Yuan and Kraine. He wondered whether that was why they had never seemed to get on. "I guess it is pretty hard to mistake the blue hair."

Mithos nodded. "The Pope's Papal Knights are looking for you. They have posters of all of you up in Ozette, the village that I came from. Seemed pretty serious." He looked at Yuan closely for a second, then turned away and clasped his hands behind his back to face Gesea. "Don't worry though. I'm not going to turn you all in."

"Oh, good," Lloyd said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"You're not?" Gesea asked. "Why?"

"If I believed everything I heard, it'd be hard being a half-elf," Mithos answered simply, his voice lowering at the half-elf word. A smile crept up on Gesea's face as he said that, like she was only just realising again that she'd met another half-elf her own age. Lloyd couldn't help but feel like he wanted to add something to the conversation but couldn't think of a single thing to say.

Eventually Mithos elaborated even further. "I can't turn in two half-elves and a bunch of humans that actually seem to accept them." He looked at Gesea. "Besides, Gesea's the first half-elf friend that I've had that's my own age." He stuttered when Gesea looked surprised. Even in her surprised state, Lloyd could detect a hint of happiness. "Oh, sorry," Mithos apologised. "We've only just met. It's probably a bit soon to call you my friend isn't it."

"N-no!" Gesea shook her head frantically. "I'm honoured you would call me your friend Mithos. Let's be good friends, okay?"

Mithos looked happy at her response as he pressed a few buttons on the control panel and pulled a lever with a shiny red knob. "We're pretty much smooth sailing until we get to the temple now," he explained. "I'm still curious as to why you're going there though."

Mithos was apparently persistent. Lloyd turned his head to look at Sheelos and she rolled her eyes. "Way to be captain obvious darling. _Fine,_ I'll tell him." She crossed her arms and looked at the boy. "I'm a summoner. That's all you need to know." She spun on her heel and headed out of the cramped control room. Lloyd felt bad. He still hadn't really had much of a chance to talk to her about Volt. Whenever it'd been a good opportunity, the subject had always been magically changed by either Sheelos or Yuan.

"Go talk to her," Yuan said, catching his expression as he watched Sheelos leave and sit on the nailed down lounge suite near the large back window. "I'll keep an eye on things here." He cast a look over Gesea and then at Mithos. Gesea looked offended for a second but her expression quickly faded when Mithos tapped her on the shoulder. He started pointing out the different buttons and levers on the control panel. Lloyd watched with curiosity until Yuan cleared his throat and brought him back to what he was supposed to be doing. "Okay okay, I'm going, I'm going." He turned and headed out to the adjacent room.

Sheelos was petting Noishe on the muzzle. The dog had picked up on her distress pretty quickly. It was no surprise though. Noishe had always been sensitive to strong emotions. Taking a seat next to her, Lloyd gazed around the room for a second. Colette was standing and looking at the locked bookshelves as though they interested her. It was so quiet that he could hear the sail boat groaning and the sound of the sails flapping in the wind. "What's wrong Sheelos?" he asked once he got bored of waiting.

"Heh," Sheelos gave a short, humourless laugh and glanced up at the clock bolted to the wall. "Guess I've got no reason to hide the story from you now, huh."

"We heard a little bit of it from Tiga, but not much. Yuan wouldn't tell us either."

Sheelos stole a quick glance at the half-elf that she could see from her spot, still watching Mithos and Gesea like a hawk. "Guess he's still beating himself up about it too."

"Sheelos," Lloyd said seriously, leaning forward toward her. He saw Colette abruptly turn to them out of the corner of his eye. "Tell me what happened with Volt. It was bad, right?"

Sheelos still looked hesitant. She furrowed her brows but eventually nodded. "Yep, it was bad. Like _really_ bad. I failed at making the pact with Volt, obviously." Her knees quivered together even speaking the name of the summon spirit. "I wasn't a good enough summoner. Volt killed so many from the village that day and scarred a lot of others. The Chief is in a coma right now because of it."

"So that's what happened."

"If we go to Volt again, I might even wind up getting all of you killed too," Sheelos continued.

"No you won't," Lloyd responded quickly.

Sheelos felt taken aback. "What? Why?" He sounded so confident in himself. "How do you know that? I already failed once, and almost got us killed by not making a pact with Undine right away as well. You almost drowned!"

Lloyd didn't even look phased by all her negativity. She was stumped even further when he fervently shook his head. "You won't fail Sheelos. You're going to succeed this time. You've made a pact with two other Summon Spirits now. We have Undine and Gnome by our side."

Sheelos sighed and clasped her hands in front of herself. "I want to believe you when you say that darling. I really do. But-"

"-But nothing." Lloyd cut her off. "You're not the old Sheelos. You'll do great today. I guarantee it. If Volt goes berserk again, I'll cut him down myself."

Sheelos smiled a bit, then suddenly burst out in laughter. "Man! I swear! That fervent enthusiasm of yours could melt all the snow in _Flanoir!_ "

"Flanoir?"

Sheelos caught a sparkle in Lloyd's eyes at the mention of a new place. "It's a snow city up north. I'd rather avoid it if we can though. The place doesn't exactly hold great memories for me."

Before Lloyd could ask her to elaborate, she stood from her spot and headed for the back door that led out to the observation deck. Still feeling his gaze on her when she turned the knob to leave, she cocked her head back to look at him. "Thanks Lloyd. I feel a bit better about it now. I'll try my best." Happy at her own parting words, she let herself out.

The refreshing wind rolling off of the sea buffeted into her face and stung her eyes. Pushing back the thoughts of her mother, _those_ words spoken, and the blood that flowed from her lips as she did so, Sheelos reached into the pocket underneath her sash and pulled out her most treasured item. The small golden bell jingled a bit as she dangled it and two other smaller red and blue baubles from the red plaited wool they'd been threaded through in front of her eyes.

"What's happened to me Corrine? I've made all these friends now and suddenly I'm willing to believe I can do good things. This isn't like me at all." She clutched her friends memento against her heart and sighed deeply. "I can't run away anymore. If Lloyd's going to change things, I need to be a part of that. For my sake, and the sake of my parents."

She stayed outside for the rest of their travel and watched the land come into view. A bit surprised and conflicted that nobody had come out to check on her by the time the sail boat stopped at the small land mass, she headed inside to see Mithos coming out of the bridge with Gesea and a grouchy looking Yuan.

"We're here," Mithos declared, looking around the room casually and stopping on her to smile. Uncomfortable that a secret from her village had been told to an almost complete stranger, Sheelos distracted herself away from the boy to look at the ever amusing Lloyd. He was already raring and ready to go. Noishe had already been let out of the room because he'd started to get excited at the prospect of solid land again. If she listened past the chatter and shuffles of everyone getting ready to disembark, she could hear his excited yips. A smile tugged at her lips.

"I-I suppose I'll see you all when you get back then?" Mithos asked, a disappointed expression plastered on his face as he stood in place and scuffed his feet on the shiny wooden sail boat planks.

Yuan nodded in agreement and waved goodbye, heading toward the door. Feeling the gaze of the other two non-blonde angels in the room on his back however, he turned to see one Gesea with a pleading look on her face. "Can't Mithos come with us?"

"No, absolutely not," he denied quickly. "It is too dangerous and we also barely know him."

Mithos shrunk back a bit and looked at Gesea. "It's okay. My job is to stay here and look after your vessel after all."

"But that makes no sense," Gesea argued. "Nobody is going to steal our boat from here. There are no towns nearby and nobody can start the engine without the keys." She looked at Lloyd this time and Yuan feared for the worst. "Please Lloyd. Let Mithos come?"

"Well.." Lloyd seemed surprisingly.. conflicted about it. Yuan couldn't help but show the surprise playing across his face. It didn't last too long though. Soon Lloyd caved at the puppy-dog eyes Gesea had obviously perfected just for him over their years together and gave a reluctant nod. "Sure he can. The more the merrier." He looked over the half-elf boy. "Do you know how to fight, Mithos?"

"Of course I do," Mithos replied, sounding surprised he'd even asked the question for a minute. "I-I mean, yes. I fight with a short sword usually." A soft glow suddenly emanated from his aura and with a bright golden flash, a sword appeared out of another dimension in front of him. He caught it with his right hand.

"Just like Gesea and Yuan!" Lloyd said with a grin. "Is it a half-elf thing?"

"I think it's just a preference," Gesea said. "My brother never did it. When I asked why, he always said to just call him old fashioned."

"I suppose old fashioned does indeed suit him," Yuan muttered with an amused snort.

Mithos disappeared through the other side of the bridge door and into a small walk-in storage area. He came out quickly enough, wearing a small satchel this time. "Let's anchor the boat and head on to land," he said, heading for the door and past Yuan, a happy bounce in his step.

xxx

Yuan sighed.

Sheelos stopped mid-step through the field at his sigh and dropped back from Lloyd and Colette up the front. Gesea and Mithos passed her quickly to start heading through the gap between the hilly terrain and the sea, deep in conversation about paw pads. Eventually Yuan and Noishe caught up to where she stood waiting for them. Both had equally droopy expressions on their faces. She could understand the reason for Noishe's air of discomfort though. Since Gesea had first mentioned paw pads and how she'd always wanted a dog, both children had set their sights on him. He'd retreated to Yuan's custody before he was outnumbered. He was a very smart ball of fluff.

Yuan on the other hand...

She still didn't know what was wrong with him. He had his gaze set on their young sea captain like he was judging every single action he did. Asking him wasn't going to do any good. All she usually got instead of answers were more questions. "Y'know, keep watching the kid and you're gonna trip and fall," she joked. Yuan didn't seem amused. "What? Not even a smirk? Jeez." She crossed her arms and huffed.

"How do you intend to fight Volt?" Yuan asked out of the blue. "You're aware of the misgivings of last time, correct?"

"Of course. You don't have to remind me." Sheelos habitually reached for the bell in the pocket under her obi sash but thought better of bringing it out. "I have you this time, and Lloyd and Gesea. Even Colette and Mithos." At Yuan's annoyed look, she couldn't decide whether to apologise or be offended. "You need to forgive yourself as well," she decided on saying. "Making the pact was my responsibility. It had nothing to do with you."

Yuan didn't respond but she could see the guilt written all over the pretty-boy face he'd worn since they'd first met. She decided to leave it at that for now and turned her attention to the rest of the group. Lloyd had already stopped Colette from tripping several times so far. She hadn't summoned her wings yet to balance herself out when she fell. Good thing too. Sheelos was sure she wasn't alone in the feeling that they didn't really want to have to explain Sylvarant and Colette's condition to their new edition just yet.

Just as she was pondering how much the posters in Ozette had mentioned, Gesea let out an almost comedic girly scream when she stepped into a larger than normal dip in the ground that by some miracle Lloyd and Colette had managed to avoid completely. Like a Casanova waiting to bloom, the blond babe-to-be dropped the short sword he'd been showing her and caught her with both hands around her waist. He chuckled while she was still in his arms as he set her straight. "Are you alright Gesea?"

"Now I am," she answered back with a giggle in her voice.

Out of the corner of her eye, Sheelos noticed Yuan almost imperceptibly squint his eyes at Mithos. Suddenly it all became clear. She couldn't help but gasp in surprise. Everyone in the group turned their heads. Being distracted for that split second, Lloyd allowed Colette to trip straight into another dip in the uneven ground ahead. He scrambled to help her up and Sheelos let out a quiet sigh of relief, getting away with not having to explain to everyone. She just wanted to tease Yuan.

Nudging into him and unable to help her grin, she leaned closer on one of the nudges and whispered "You're jealous of Mithos!" into his ear. She retreated back, her face stinging from the static electricity he was emitting after apparently being 'sensitive' to the mana in the air. Worth it. At her words, Yuan's aura glowed and he quickly emitted the sound barrier he sometimes used around the two of them. He hadn't done it for a while though; not since the group had found out her true identity. "Aha!" she laughed at him. "I'm RIGHT!"

"Chosen, you are mistaken," Yuan grumbled. "Though I can understand that now you know that mutual attraction does exist in the world that you would be eager to see it wherever you look." Sheelos crossed her arms and went to open her mouth when Yuan held up a hand for her to quieten. "I apologise. That was rude of me, given the circumstances."

Sheelos growled under her breath at him. He was an expert at turning the tables. She really shouldn't have expected any less. _"Well two can play at that game."_ She reached an arm out to him and quickly hesitated back. Under the pressure, she thought she made it look like a regular hands on hips expression pretty well. He didn't even raise an eyebrow. "Tell me why you hate Mithos."

"Hate is a very strong word. I am just weary of him."

"Then tell me why you're 'weary' of him," she tried again, determined to stay on the subject. "Tell me this and I'll drop the subject of where you disappeared last night." That got his attention. The satisfaction she got from getting those reactions out of the cynical Cerberus never ceased.

"Fine. If you must know, I promised someone I would protect the two of them."

"Kraine?" Her head swam with more questions, but she knew they were all pointless to ask.

Yuan gave a brief, uncomfortable nod. "An unknown variable such as Mithos makes me uneasy. That is all." He un-summoned the sound barrier and quickened his pace.

Sheelos looked up at the purple temple, teeming with so much electricity that they could hear a fizzling sound like sausages on a barbecue as they closed in on it. "This is it Corrine," she mumbled, closing her eyes and breathing deeply. _"It'll be okay this time. Lloyd promised me. I've gotta remember to trust him."_

xxx

The moment they stepped into the temple, Lloyd felt the hairs on his arms underneath his red outfit standing on end. He heard a stifled laugh from Gesea and turned to stare at her. Her pink hair had grown to about three times its usual size. Mithos' hair was frizzing and expanding as well with every second. "Your hair!" he pointed out, bursting out in laughter.

"Yours and Colette's are doing the same," Gesea replied, the laugh from before still shaking her voice. "It must be to do with the static electricity here."

"Yeah," he agreed, looking past them to Yuan and then behind him a bit further as Sheelos entered the building. He could hear Sheelos' loud laughter from all the way back at the door at seeing them all. She'd obviously known this was going to happen. He waited for the group to catch up before looking around at their surroundings. Ahead on the narrow path that stretched out in front of them, he could see some bright white rods connected to some long pipes that disappeared into the haze of purple smoke below them. The ceiling above them reached at least three stories high.

"Be careful," Sheelos said. "Those white rods emit electricity. You have to throw a smoke bomb at them to see it."

Being the ninja that she was, she pulled out a small round black ball from inside the small satchel on her waist. Narrowing her eyes, she aimed and then threw the ball into the middle of the two sets of white rods. Smoke came out of it and filled the area. Lloyd covered his nose when he started to choke on the smell, but watched as light blue jolts of electricity fizzled on and off between each adjacent white rod, just as Sheelos had described.

"That looks like it would have been quite painful," Gesea pointed out, cringing.

Lloyd nodded and looked at Colette. Her hair was so frizzy and big from the static that he could barely see her blue eyes under her fringe. "Will you be alright Colette?" To his surprise, she nodded her head. "H-hey e-everyone! Did you see that?" His stomach filled with butterflies. They nodded.

"Colette! Can you hear me?" Gesea asked, leaning up and waving a hand in front of her. Colette didn't respond though. Gesea sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "I suppose it was worth a shot."

"Definitely looks like she has her preferences," Sheelos said, wiggling her eyebrows. "Can't say I blame her. Not too many girls can say they wouldn't have a connection with a guy after being in their head. Literally."

Gesea rolled her eyes, Yuan copying her a second later. Mithos just looked confused. The blue haired half-elf coughed an order to follow and stepped ahead toward the lightning rods. He weaved quickly in-between the two and out again when the electricity disappeared for about two seconds each time. He stood on a bright purple tile with a white symbol imprinted on to it and waved for them to hurry up. Sheelos made the journey next. She jumped and somersaulted over the electric bolts instead. Lloyd clapped when she landed on the tile next to Yuan but quickly stopped when Gesea slapped her forehead. He was mostly just happy that Sheelos seemed to be feeling a lot better.

Glancing back and forth between the lightning bolts and Colette, he decided to go next. Colette padded closely by his side and didn't stop until he did in the middle between the two sets of rods. Timing the on and off sequence and knowing they needed to act quickly because the smoke bomb Sheelos had used was beginning to fade, he darted through the last hurdle, Colette copying him almost exactly.

After grinning at his friends, he turned on his heel and waited for Gesea and Mithos to join them. They'd already darted through the first junction and were about to attempt the second one when a sword with red eyes in its pommel floated up from the purple abyss below. He let out a loud cry of "Watch out!" with his friends as the two half-elves took steps to attempt the last hurdle to safety. Lloyd pulled his swords out of their sheaths and summoned his wings, but he wasn't quick enough.

The sword thrusted straight toward their unguarded backs. Mithos and Gesea turned their heads but it was Mithos who took action first. He dove at Gesea and pushed her past the barrier of electricity to the rest of them. Lloyd caught her before she tripped, keeping his eyes on Mithos and watching the half-elf summon his short sword. The aura from the summon didn't fade though. It only got wider as he ducked under a spinning and slicing attack and executed his own against the fiend. With a quick backward step and a somersault, he connected a downward slam on the monster and it disintegrated into nothingness. Everyone's mouths dropped.

The fight didn't end there. Two more swords flew up from the abyss. Mithos spun and ducked as they simultaneously sliced at him from both sides. With a battle yell and swing of his sword, he ended their existence with very little resistance.

The young sea captain turned to the party and gave them an embarrassed smile, his aura's glow gradually fading away. Met with only stunned silence, he quickly set about judging the timing for the electricity again and finally made it to safety. Lloyd only remembered he'd drawn his wings to attempt to help when Mithos looked over him, eyes widening. "Y-you have wings, Lloyd?"

"It's a long story," Lloyd sighed, looking to Yuan for help. The ex-professor delivered. "It is not any of your concern, Mithos. How about we don't ask you how you can kill one enemy, let alone three, without batting an eyelid, and in return have you not ask us about Lloyd's wings."

"Yuan!" Gesea snapped. "Is it so hard to believe that Mithos is stronger than he looks?"

Yuan hardened his gaze on Mithos though, ignoring her completely. The blond half-elf nodded in agreement eventually. "Sure. If that's what you want."

"Good."

With just that one word, Yuan turned his back to the group and started up a steep incline of stairs. "Lloyd, keep your wings out. It looks like Colette brought hers out at the same time as you and it would be wise for her to keep them out in case she falls."

Lloyd turned his head to look at Colette as he started up the stairs behind Yuan. Her pink wings were flapping behind her. They could have just flown to the top but considering where they were, flying into the unknown didn't seem like a great idea. They made their way up the stairs and faced a black device with a big silver button on the front. Yuan didn't stop walking though and continued on straight through the door behind it. Sheelos ran past and entered the room ahead of the rest of the group.

Just by the way she lingered at his side, Yuan knew she was going to ask a question. "How do _you_ know where to go?" she asked on cue, looking around the enormous room.

Yuan grimaced to himself and climbed the staircase that led all the way up to the somewhat small top floor, letting the question hang in the air as he did so. Eventually he knew he was going to have to answer, lest be subjected to more nagging. "I thought we had an agreement," he mouthed after a little consideration.

"But that was-" Sheelos stopped, her eyes widening. "But why?" Her voice lowered. "Why _is_ it so important that we do this quickly? _"_ Other questions about how he'd gotten himself there also swam around her brain. She heard the others clambering up the stairs behind her and closed her mouth. Yuan would have time to answer properly later. There was no way he would say anything with the rest of them around and it wasn't a good idea to keep making him summon silence bubbles before a big fight.

The Cerberus and the Chosen reached the peak of the stairs first and looked at what greeted them. The room wasn't isolated. From where they stood, they could see their friends ascending the stairs, as well as the doorway they'd entered from at the bottom. There was another flight of stairs opposite them that led into a dark room, but also up to their location. They'd passed a similar door on the way up their own side.

Sheelos tried not to show that her breath had been caught in her throat at just the sight of the familiar scenery. The walls behind the familiar raised circular platform poking out from the floor in the middle were decorated with the same symbols of Volt that were all the way through the rest of the temple. Not that they'd looked around much.

"This is it," Yuan said, resting a hand on her shoulder and nodding toward the raised purple circular podium that was used to call Volt to them. All she had to do was touch the button on the pedestal in front and raise the lightning rod. Clasping her hands and trying to manage her already shallow breathing, she approached. The rest of the group reached the top and stood with Yuan to watch her hesitantly reach her hand out. The moment her fingers touched the small round button on the pedestal and it clicked into place, she felt a little jolt of static travel through her fingers. She stepped back quickly, knowing what was coming next. A bolt of lightning shot from the roof above them right down to the now raised white rod. The lightning fizzled loudly and the room filled with a bright light.

When the light faded, all that was left was the spherical ball of nightmare fuel Sheelos recognised. Volt. The outer layer of his body was a clear substance that slowly filled with a mass of purple and white energy toward the core. Bright red almond shaped eyes looked over the group and stopped on the summoner-ninja-Chosen.

"It's finally time," Lloyd said, touching his hands on his swords and nodding confidently at her.

"Right," she agreed. She couldn't bring herself to step forward toward Volt though.

"..." The summon spirit made a buzzing sound. The same buzzing sound that had haunted her nightmares for years. She couldn't help her flinch.

"It's just like before!" she said, shaking her head. "What the hell is he saying to me!?" She turned to them all. Lloyd couldn't believe the terrified expression on her face. She was usually so cool and collected. "We have to get out of here before we're all killed!"

"Hold on," Yuan said before he knew Lloyd would tell her that they wouldn't be running away in his usual show of heroics. "I can understand what he's saying. He's speaking an old elven language that I am familiar with."

"R-really?" Sheelos stared at him for a moment. He grimaced and nodded toward Volt. "He's saying 'I am one who is bound to Mithos. Who are you?"

"Mithos _again?!"_ Lloyd looked from Yuan to Volt. "How would he be able to form pacts with summon spirits in both Sylvarant _and_ Tethe'alla?"

"You're right," Gesea agreed, looking perplexed. "Perhaps he also went back and forth between the worlds using a rheaird."

Yuan hushed them before they could continue the conversation and possibly explain to Mithos. He nodded at Sheelos to continue. She stopped twirling her red hair nervously and continued. "I am Sheelos. I ask that thou annulst thy pact with Mithos and establish a new pact... with me."

Volt buzzed and jolted. Everyone looked at Yuan for an explanation. The buzzing seemed to go on forever. "He said that his pact with Mithos is broken and that he no longer desires a pact," Yuan eventually translated.

"What?" Sheelos looked from him to Volt. "Why?!"

Volt buzzed a bit more, sending a wave of static in the air as he did so. Lloyd felt his lips go a bit hard and crispy.

"I will have no more dealings with people," Yuan said. "Therefore I desire no pact." At finishing his sentence, he summoned his butterfly blade. "No. I will not accept this. We need your help."

Sheelos took out her paper seals and readied herself into a battle stance. "That's right!"

Volt didn't agree. Lightning fell around the platform at them. Lloyd dodged one only just barely. The lightning continued to fall. They all backed away slowly as the glorified atom buzzed closer, his red eyes slanting inward a little more than normal. He was definitely angry. Lloyd didn't need Yuan to translate that. The floor rumbled and the sound of thunder crackled from somewhere above. "Jump!" he yelled on instinct alone as he spread his wings.

The group followed his orders and leapt off of the side toward the ground floor. Bursting into action, Lloyd darted around to slow their descents by catching and letting them go. They landed with thuds on the ground, but they quickly moved and raised their heads to show him they were alright. He and Colette descended to the ground quickly and turned to watch Volt lower himself down to their level. The summon spirit disappeared quickly after that.

"No!" Sheelos spun around. "Volt! Come back here!"

A sharp jolt of static electricity hit Lloyd in his left wing. He turned his head in time to see Volt appearing behind them all. "Sheelos!" he yelled as darted for her. Volt's body glowed white and a lightning bolt flew from his body straight for her. The assassin made to dart out of the way, but the lightning was.. as quick as lightning. In his struggle to defend her, Lloyd raised a sword directly at the bolt. Its trajectory changed and the bolt went flying to the roof. He turned on his heel and raised a sword at Volt, only to have him disappear again. More thunder rumbled around the room.

"There's too much mana in the air," Gesea informed. "This is very dangerous!"

Lightning fell from the top level again. One bolt scarred the floor directly in front of Gesea and Mithos, making them jump back in surprise. "Come out and face us Volt!" Lloyd yelled, keeping a keen eye on the roof. He gaped when the whole area above glowed a bright white. "Uh guys..?" He pointed.

"That doesn't look good!" Sheelos said, looking for an area where they could take cover. Unfortunately the room was pretty much open. Even if they did find some cover, she was sure Volt would trap them. The white light from above rapidly grew closer to them, descending the walls. Static crackled through the air and the rumbles of thunder grew louder and louder. Everyone cowered, realising the same thing as her. Just when they were about to be engulfed in white-hot electric plasma, Sheelos felt a warm buzzing sensation coming from the pocket under her obi sash.

 _"Don't be afraid Sheelos,"_ said a calm, soothing voice inside her head. She thought she recognised it.

The lightning plasma engulfed them and they all let out terrified cries until one by one they realised they were still alive and not fried Chosen's, half-elves, and sail boat captains. Sheelos looked up and gaped at the sight before her with the rest of her friends. A large fox-like creature looked down at her with familiar ruby-red eyes. Multiple green and blue tails flapped around from its rear for a few seconds before settling in a neat curve behind it.

It sat and tilted its head at her. "You can do this Sheelos. Just as Sheena did, you can overcome this obstacle. I know it because it is in your heart."


	36. One with the wind

Sheelos gasped at the creature sitting before her. For the moment she didn't care whether Volt could kill them or not. Years of joy bubbled to the surface all at once. "Corrine? Is that you?"

The creature shook its head and the joy she'd felt only a second earlier left her to be replaced by confusion. She didn't exactly know why. The creature _looked_ like Corrine, sure. It had his golden brown fur, his blue-green tail and his red eyes. But it certainly had its differences. For one, the size difference was insurmountable.

"I am Verius," the fox creature introduced. "I am a summon spirit born from the love in your heart for Corrine and for your friends. Fear not Sheelos. You will succeed. Volt has just lost his faith in people and needs someone to believe in again. Make your vow and try forming a pact one last time."

"Verius.." Sheelos uttered, gazing at him in awe. The nine blue-green tails flowing behind him made looking at him a mesmerising experience. Verius lowered his head to her own head level and she reached her hands out to him. His fur felt the same as Corrine's. Soft and silky. She half expected to find a small tuft of matted fur just under his chin. Corrine had clearly expressed his distaste for her picking at it when she was nervous, but over time it became a game for the both of them. She closed her eyes and relished in a brief moment of combined happiness and sadness. Verius was and wasn't Corrine.

When she could no longer feel the summon spirit under her fingertips, she opened her eyes and surveyed her surroundings. The group looked confused. She didn't have time to explain though. She had to listen to Verius' words. Placing her hands on her hips, she glared up at the second level where they'd initially summoned Volt with the lightning rod. "Volt! For the sake of my friends who are risking their lives, and for the sake of my village and the world, I demand your power!"

Volt materialised in front of them all again. Yuan summoned his weapon. "Like a moth to a flame. Let's get him!" Everyone raised brief eyebrows at him. "What?" he asked. "He did!" He tried to think of the best way to explain why the sentence had relevance but found himself drawing a blank.

 _"Anyway..._ " Lloyd started, changing the subject away from Yuan's terrible pun. "Let's subdue him by force! It's time for Sheelos to stop being haunted by Volt's shadow!" He led the charge into battle, Sheelos by his side. Yuan gripped his blade and ran in with them.

Gesea ran in next, summoning her kendaxe and getting ready to swing it as she ran. She couldn't help but notice Mithos standing still the whole time and stopped to make sure he was alright. He just stared up at Volt. She couldn't tell whether he was scared, surprised, or something else. "Mi-"

She was grabbed quickly by Yuan and pulled away from a lightning bolt. The bolt filled the entire radius with static. "Don't worry about him," Yuan warned. "We've got bigger problems at the moment."

"R..right!" She quickly readied her weapon again.

Lloyd flapped his wings and rose upward from the ground to give the rest of his friends some space for fighting and surrounding Volt. "Rising Falcon!" he cried a second later, moving his swords into their position for the attack. Volt dodged his downward assault by shifting to one side. Lloyd landed on the just behind the summon spirit and whirled around to see that he'd at least been a good distraction and that Volt hadn't been quick enough to avoid the pummelling he got from Sheelos, Gesea and Yuan. They unified their attacks together to get a few good hits on him.

Lloyd stepped forward to begin a new charge when Colette caught his eye. She was staring right at him. An idea too hard to resist suddenly came to mind. He swiftly dropped his backpack and took out the chakrams he'd bought for her. "You want to help, don't you," he stated more than actually questioned. He wasn't sure how he knew. He just did. Naturally, he wasn't really surprised when she blinked in response. She'd definitely heard him.

He handed the weapons to her and she quickly grasped them. An almost determined expression cropped up in her eyes. Her stare turned to Volt and she leapt off of the ground, wings fluttering rapidly to give her flight. She flew straight in the summon spirit's direction, chakrams still firmly in her grip. She didn't float very far toward him though and stopped blankly in mid-air a short distance away like she was hitting an invisible wall. Seeing the weapons slowly slipping out of her grip, Lloyd decided to spring back into the fray. As he did, Colette followed eagerly.

"That's it!" he exclaimed confidently, feeling very proud of himself.

Gesea turned her head at his ecstatic cry and then up to Colette above them. He stuttered and ran past a spell casting Yuan until he was on par with Sheelos, who was also running back to Volt after she'd managed to dodge a few quick bursts of lightning he'd sent across the ground at her. She tried to land a green coloured seal attack on him as she did a hand movement that looked kind of like a snake, but failed when Volt simply floated out of reach.

Volt continued backing away while vibrating loudly, a purplish coloured magic circle spinning on the floor below where he floated. Letting his wings outstretch behind him, Lloyd took to the air. If Volt was going to fly, so was he. He wasn't likely to get a hit in with rising falcon. He needed to do something different. Readying his swords and hoping he wasn't going to choose now to pick up his old clumsy habits, Lloyd flapped his wings in reverse to pull off a small spinning effect as he charged at Volt and jumped off of the ground. He remembered to open his eyes just in time to land a heavy downward blow with both his swords. Volt went flying into the ground, scorching a black line in the stone floor below as he landed and bounced a bit further away.

Lloyd went to dart forward again to continue the same method of attack, but found himself suddenly distracted by a tingling and slightly burning sensation coming from where his exsphere sat on his right hand. Magic green blades of wind ruffled his hair as they flew past him at Volt while he lifted his hand to investigate what was happening. His exsphere was glowing a bright white-blue. If he hadn't looked away because of its brightness, he would have missed Colette spinning around in a circle and sending two chakrams glowing with a magenta aura flying right at Volt. They hit him and he buzzed in pain before disappearing and reappearing a short distance to the groups left. He started spell casting again.

"He's getting weaker!" Sheelos cried, turning around abruptly and chasing after Volt again. Yuan and Gesea nodded but didn't say anything, both casting. Yuan's blade was starting to glow green. Lloyd figured he might have been putting a spell directly on it. His curiosity faded when he saw the chakrams that had flown back to Colette fall to the ground with a clack. He looked up in time to watch her pink wings disintegrate and her suddenly descend to the ground.

"Colette!"

He jumped and caught her before floating down to the ground. Her eyes were closed, making her look like she was sleeping. "Colette!" he called, shaking her. She didn't open her eyes.

Yuan darted in front of him, his aura glowing green. "Guardian!"

A green field of magic appeared around them. Lloyd had seen it before. Kraine had done it when they'd been fighting the renegades in the Thoda Geyser cave. Magic from Volt that he hadn't seen coming bounced off of the field and Yuan looked back at him. "Put her down and stay on your guard, otherwise this will all be for nought!"

He had a snarl in his voice that Lloyd hadn't heard before. It didn't take a genius to figure out it was probably due to his past with Sheelos and Volt. As the Chosen of Tethe'alla's protector, he probably blamed himself for what had happened with the summon spirit of lightning. He nodded and quickly backed away to where Mithos was still standing, watching the battle happen with a now vacant look in his eyes. "Mithos! Look after Colette!" He rested the angel down next to Mithos' feet and ran back to the swords he'd dropped on the floor earlier to catch her before Mithos could agree or disagree.

Icicles flying in from two directions from both Gesea and Yuan hit Volt. Sheelos held up a red gem into the air. "Gnome, I summon you!"

"I was wonderin' when you would!" Gnome said happily over the noise as he appeared. Rocks appeared out of nowhere and crashed on top of Volt, pinning him to the ground for the rest of them to wail on him. Gnome snickered and faded away into nothing. "Sorry Volty m'man, I'm with Sheelos now."

"..." Volt buzzed under the rubble, but like the death of a blowfly, his buzzing got lower and lower until it became just a low hum and then nothing. They watched as the purple body of Volt disappeared from under the rubble and reappeared before them all.

"..." Volt buzzed. The anger in his red eyes was gone. Lloyd put his weapons away, confident that they'd won the battle. Sheelos still didn't seem quite sure. She stood with her seals still held firmly in the fingers of each hand, breathing heavily as sweat ran down her forehead.

"What'd he say?" Lloyd asked. Volt buzzed again.

Yuan listened and nodded once he understood. "He said for Sheelos to make her vow."

"It's just like I said before," Sheelos started, slowly putting away her 'weapons' and stepping forward. "For the sake of my friends who are risking their lives being here with me and for the sake of my village and the world, and for Corrine too.." she trailed off for a second. "Volt, I request your help."

"..."

"He says that the pact has been made," Yuan said. Everyone smiled at Sheelos, who glanced between Yuan and Volt in surprise. "R-really?"

"..."

"I entrust my power to the new pact-maker, Sheelos," Yuan clarified. Upon his translation, Volt started to disappear, leaving only a glowing white ball. It glowed brightly and let out a white flash that engulfed the room. When the light gradually faded, the now much dimmer ball of light floated down to Sheelos. She reached her hand out to it and took the gemstone she'd come to expect now. The second her hand touched it though, instead of hearing the voice of Volt, she instead heard the underwater voice of Undine. Nodding at the voice in her head, she took the gem for Undine out of her outfit. Without even summoning her, Undine appeared before them. A second later, Volt reappeared again.

"What's happening?" she asked for herself and the rest of the confused group as they looked over the two summon spirits.

"A link between the worlds has been severed," Undine explained.

Volt buzzed and Yuan cleared his throat before translating. "Two opposing forces of mana were severed just now as I pledged my power to Sheelos."

"But what does that mean?" Gesea asked.

"Mana flows from the world in which the Summon Spirits sleep to the world in which the Summon Spirits are awake. This is the first time that the spirits have been awakened at the same time in both Sylvarant and Tethe'alla in Origin's world."

"..."

"This is why the mana connecting the two worlds has been eliminated," Yuan explained on Volt's behalf.

"Does that mean what I think it means?" Lloyd asked.

"What do you think it means, Lloyd?" Gesea asked. He could tell by her tone of voice that she was thinking along the same lines as him. A small bud of hope formed in his chest as he answered, looking at Undine. "Does that mean that the worlds have stopped competing for mana?"

"I do not know," Yuan replied for Volt. "All that is certain is that the flow of mana between the worlds has been severed."

"Yes," Undine said, sounding almost...proud. "Keep travelling along this path and eventually the worlds shall separate."

"Separate?" Gesea's eyes went wide. "You mean to say that the worlds would split apart?"

"That's exactly what we need to do!" Sheelos said, clapping her hands together and rubbing them. "If the worlds are split apart, they'll stop competing for each others mana!"

"There are five seals in Sylvarant," Yuan started telling them, being himself instead of Volt for the first time in a while. "Since there was not a Summon Spirit at the fifth seal, we should theoretically be able to sever all the mana if we awaken the Summon Spirit that correspond to the other four seals."

"So, if we awaken the Summon Spirits in Tethe'alla, we should be able to save Sylvarant without Tethe'alla going into decline, right?" Lloyd asked, directing his question at Undine again.

The water summon spirit obliged. "In the very least, the mana linking the worlds will disappear and the two worlds will separate."

Without warning, the two spirits vanished in another flash of white light. Lloyd turned to his friends. Gesea looked very curious. "What they said must mean that the seals serve as a link between the two worlds."

"Yeah," Sheelos agreed. "Makes sense when ya think about how the Chosen goes on a journey to break the seals in order to reverse the mana flow."

"We owe it all to you Sheelos!" Lloyd said. "Verius as well, even though I don't really understand what happened back there."

Sheelos startled back. Gesea agreed with Lloyd. "Lloyd's right! Without Sheelos and Verius we wouldn't have been able to know the true function of the seals."

Sheelos stuttered a "you're welcome," to them and for a moment they all laughed until Lloyd remembered an important outside factor to the whole situation. He whirled around to see Mithos looking at them, a somewhat angry expression on his face. "Oh Mithos," he said, scratching the back of his head and trying to figure out where to start. "It's a bit complicated, but basically we're trying to save the world."

"Basically?" Mithos stepped closer and he involuntarily took a step back. "What makes you think the worlds need to be saved? You make it sound like it's simple." He scoffed a bit uncharacteristically at that.

Gesea stepped forward, a bit confused as Mithos balled his fists at Lloyd. "Mithos?"

"It's because they both suffer when they decline," Lloyd tried to reason, a bit confused by his reaction.

The blond shook his head and swiped the air furiously with his hand. "But what if you just make it worse? Do you really know what will happen?"

"You seem a bit more worked up than should be necessary," Sheelos said, simpering closer and leaning over Mithos. She looked closely at him. "What's your deal?"

Before Mithos could open his mouth, the ground under their feet started to rumble. Yuan looked to the roof. "We should make for the exit at present in light of the quake. There is time to scrutinise the actions of our captain later." He turned around and ran for the door. Mithos followed without saying anything else.

Lloyd glanced at Gesea, then at Sheelos. The ninja-Chosen chased after Yuan, leaving Gesea to kneel down to the still unconscious Colette. "What happened to Colette? We're going to have to carry her."

He nodded and knelt next to her. "I don't know, but I think I figured out something else." With Gesea's help, he shifted Colette onto his back so he could carry her. They made for the door and he continued to explain. "Colette copied me when I took my wings out, so I figured she might do the same thing when we fight."

"Wow Lloyd!" Gesea looked surprised. "My brother was right when he said your mind ticks faster when you're in battle."

Lloyd agreed at first before realising what she was saying. "H-hey!"

Gesea giggled and shook her head. "It's okay Lloyd. I like that about you." Her expression dropped and she looked at her feet as they kept walking. "After all, you being a simpleton means you accepted me as a half-elf."

"Why wouldn't I?" Lloyd tilted his head. "You're Gesea. It shouldn't matter what race you are. Besides, what about Sheelos?"

Gesea didn't respond. Her concerned look disappeared and she just smiled weirdly. Deciding to leave her to her own thoughts, Lloyd looked over his shoulder at the sleeping Colette. Her hair was falling in front of her face so he couldn't see her eyes. "I wonder what you'll be like when we save you Colette? Will you be like me?" He chuckled to himself. "You must be a bit of a clutz." She didn't respond of course, but he continued anyway. "I wonder if you'll have my memories? Or whether we'll be able to talk without talking like a psychic?" He grinned to himself at the cool thought. _"Can you hear me Colette? Come in Colette."_

Before he knew it, they'd left the Temple of Lightning and gone through the field to the sail boat. He shifted a bit and ducked under the cabin door low enough so that she didn't hit her head as he went through and rested her down on the couch in the lounge room. Mithos, Yuan and Gesea went to the bridge, Yuan instructing Mithos on their next location, the Fooji Mountains in the Meltokio region.

Sheelos sat on the other couch and looked from Lloyd to Colette while she absently scratched Noishe behind the ears. "With the rheairds, it should become easier to find Kraine and get the ore for our Colette." She crossed her arms. "Even though it'll mean more competition for the affections of my darling, she deserves to be alive. Like, properly." Noishe gave her a look and she sighed. "Right. We're still way over our heads here. I don't understand this mutual affection thing much at all."

That reminded her suddenly of the words Verius had spoken to her earlier. She briefly felt under her sash to make sure the bell was secure in her pocket.

" _Just as **Sheena** did, you can overcome this obstacle." _

That name.

She frowned and wondered about asking Lloyd about it for a second. Yuan had been too preoccupied with Mithos during the journey back and she'd inevitably had too much time to think. It was odd. Hearing that name gave her goosebumps for no reason. It was _annoying._ Verius had obviously known them. Lloyd had wandered away from the sleeping Colette and moved to stand near the window to look outside as they left the small island. He was looking at his hand. Seeing him deep in thought was such a rarity that she almost got distracted from her thoughts. They came crawling back again when she decided not to disturb him though. She wondered if this "Sheena" had been another summoner. It seemed kind of pointless to wonder though. If a summon spirit talked about someone like that, they had to be a summoner.

"Ah!"

Sheelos blinked and shot her head in the direction of Lloyd's sudden confused sounding yelp. Footsteps sounded behind her from the bridge. "Lloyd!" Gesea called, running past the couch to where he was staring and clutching at his right hand.

Lloyd gradually removed his hand from clutching over the exsphere habitually at the sensation. The sensation gradually faded until it was non-existant again. Gesea gave him a look to explain what had happened and he just showed her his exsphere. "I dunno, it just tingled a bit for a second. The same thing happened earlier." He saw some movement out of the corner of his eye and looked to see Colette sit up from her spot on the couch. "H-hey! Colette's awake now." He left Gesea to greet her. Colette turned her head to watch him approach, her eyes still as blank as always. "I'm glad you're alright Colette," he said, smiling.

xxx

Stars were filling the sky and the wind was starting to rough up the seas more when they finally pulled their sail boat into the dock close to the raised Grand Tethe'alla Bridge. Lloyd wasn't keen to experience trouble at sea during the night after their latest run in and was quite content to set his feet onto solid ground the moment Mithos weighed anchor by pressing the biggest button of all on the bridges control panel and pulling a small hidden lever on the deck just outside where they were to step off.

Yuan was the last to disembark the sail boat, locking the door to the cabin behind him. He turned his head to watch Mithos about to step off. "Hold it Mithos," he called.

Mithos stopped mid-step. Lloyd looked between their captain and Yuan, wondering what was going on. "I thought it might be best for us to have a chat while Lloyd and the rest of the group head up to the mountains," Yuan continued. "After all, the Papal Knights will recognise myself more than anyone else if they are watching out for us."

Sheelos scoffed and Lloyd's growing suspicion that it was more to do with the bluenette's distrust for Mithos was confirmed. He opened his mouth to argue in Mithos' defence when Mithos instead nodded in agreement. "I don't like the mountains anyway." He reached a hand out to Noishe who was standing by his side. "Let's take Noshy for a walk."

"Noshy?" Lloyd laughed. "I called him that when I was a kid."

"It's a good nickname," Mithos agreed. "I think Noshy likes it."

"Woof!" Noishe agreed with a content tail wag.

"Well as long as you're okay with it, I guess it's okay with me," Lloyd agreed. He looked at Gesea, then Sheelos and finally at Colette. "Okay gang! Let's head to the Fooji Mountains!" He pointed to the mountain range that was lit up from the glow of the full moon and started to hike ahead enthusiastically. Sheelos caught Yuan's eye contact for just a second and shot him a look she knew he would understand. He nodded in recognition back but didn't say anything. She left with the group, to eventually disappear past a few hills and off into the distance.

"Phew," Mithos said after a bit. He glanced up at Yuan. He hadn't taken his eyes off of him. "I was starting to wonder whether they would _ever_ leave us alone." He turned fully to the taller half-elf and waited for a response. Yuan remained quiet though so he continued. "Let's just cut to the chase. You're the same Yuan I met 4000 years ago." He looked down and smiled fondly at Noishe. "Isn't he Noishe? Isn't he!" He fussed the 'dog' until he was rolled over on the deck awaiting belly rubs.

"What makes you think it is possible to have lived 4000 years?" he deadpanned, his eyebrows raised as he crossed his arms under his cloak and waited for Mithos to stop messing around.

"Who else would want to suppress their mana signature from a little kid?" Mithos questioned back, standing up again and mimicking him in a crossed arm pose. He looked like a child throwing a tantrum.

"My mana signature? Do you have proof that I am suppressing it?" Yuan wasn't going to give in to the game just yet.

A mixture of pink, green and blue light suddenly filled the dim lighting around them. Yuan found a hand around his neck and nothing under his feet before he could think to grab for the short sword at his side. Noishe barked in a confused tone from his spot on the deck. "I grow weary of your games Yuan," Mithos said, the light behind him giving the features of his face a sinister shape. "You have two choices now. I would prefer to not kill you, old friend."

Yuan struggled for breath and Mithos released him slightly. "As young Gesea said, I am a half-elf," he said when he had enough breath to speak again. "You are mistaken."

Mithos snarled and tightened his grip again. "My patience is growing thin." They floated out further from the sail boat. The sea under them roared like a hungry lion. Yuan remained calm, looking Mithos in the eyes. The next thing he knew, he was falling into the ocean at high speed. A hand grabbed him a second later and pulled him out before he drifted too far down.

Mithos shook him angrily. "Damn it Yuan! Just tell me how you're still alive!"

"Heh," Yuan coughed, amused. "It appears forty centuries have been kind to you Mithos." He allowed his own pink light to shower over the two of them as they floated precariously above the sea. Mithos let go instantaneously at finally getting the answer he'd wanted. He looked over the seraph wings flapping behind the blue haired half-elf. "You've got a Cruxis Crystal. You were also a subject of the Angelus Project all that time ago Yuan?"

"Can you think of any other way I would have lived for so long? So long that the I was alive when the term 'Cruxis Crystal' was first coined?"

Mithos laughed childishly and floated back over to the sail boat. Yuan drifted behind him, his mind racing about the possible repercussions of what he'd just done. Mithos landed softly on the deck and quickly attempted to reassure Noishe that they were just 'playing'. Noishe didn't seem satisfied until Yuan himself tapped down and dissipated his wings. "You have obtained what you wanted to know," he grumbled to Mithos, irritated.

"And you want to know information in return, I take it?" Mithos asked. He stepped off of the deck and clicked his fingers for Noishe to come, putting away his wings too. He gazed up at Yuan. "I suppose I do owe it to you. Cruxis would not be what it is without you, after all."


	37. The butterfly effect

Lloyd breathed heavily after they took out a swarm of enemies on the Fooji mountains. "Is it just me," he huffed and puffed, "or did these enemies get tougher?"

"It's definitely not just you darling," Sheelos answered, swallowing an apple gel with one gulp and wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead. "Either that or we've gotten weaker." She gave him a once-over. "You haven't exactly been able to do much fighting."

Lloyd had to admit, she was right. He hadn't trained for a long time- since Kraine had revealed his identity as one of the Four Seraphim. Yuan had never offered to teach him how to fight and instead always ended up protecting him. He thought back to the battle with Volt and how Yuan had needed to cast a spell so that he wouldn't be fried to a crisp. A curious thought came over him again. He wondered where Yuan had learned to fight. He'd never seen someone use a double blade like that before. That said, it wasn't as though Iselia had many practising swordsmen. He hadn't even known of Kraine's abilities until the day of the Oracle.

"Maybe you should spar with Mithos," Gesea suggested, snapping him out out his thoughts. He looked at her and she continued with a smile on her face. "He seems very capable with the sword. His fighting style is very reminiscent of Kraine's."

Lloyd stared. She had a really good point. "Hey yeah! Now that you mention it, it _is_ really similar." He thought back to Volts temple again, when Mithos had surprised them all by pulling out some pretty advanced moves.

"Are you two just going to stand there chit-chatting forever?" Sheelos asked, a hand on her hip. She said it seriously, but even in the dim light of Gesea's torchlight magic, Lloyd could see a small quirk of a smile on her lips. His eyes trailed past her. The path quickly became steep just ahead. They were very close to the top where they'd crashed their rheairds.

He excitedly started walking again, Gesea striding just a little ahead to shower the torchlight over where they would need to go. Before he took his first steps up the steep incline to the top though, he drew his wings. He cocked his head back and smiled with satisfaction. As expected, Colette had done the same thing. He could relax a little more and concentrate on his own footing, knowing that her wings would be there to kick in and break her fall if she remained her usual clumsy self and tripped over. He didn't miss being clumsy like that at all and decided to apologise to her when they finally found a way to help her condition.

Soon they reached the windy top of the mountain where they'd left their rheairds. Lloyd squinted in the darkness as they walked ahead. He could see a small patch of white flowers growing around some of the boulders, almost glowing in the moonlight. Just as his eyes fell on the rheairds toward the edge of the cliff, he hit something invisible.

"What's going on?" Gesea asked next to him, having hit the invisible barrier as well. Sheelos spun around in a quick circle, confused too. She too a few steps in the way they'd come to discover to her chagrin that they couldn't go back that way either. The confusion of their invisible cage didn't last too long though. It became visible and glittered until it formed a circle of fragmented orange diamonds that circled around them.

"It appears we have been trapped by a magic barrier," Gesea pointed out, looking frightened. "This is not good." She darted her head in all directions as though she knew something Lloyd didn't. "We need to get out of here."

"So you've come," came a female voice. Gesea's earlier panic made sense now. Lloyd whirled around to watch a blue haired and green eyed woman he recognised instantly as Martuan, the leader of the Renegades, come out from behind a cliff, two other Renegade grunts following. "Like a moth to a flame," she added with a grin that looked pretty twisted under the bad light.

" _That_ pun again?" Lloyd couldn't help but ask as he groaned. "Yuan said that as well!"

"He _did,_ did he?" Martuan raised her eyebrows and circled the barrier to look at all of them in turn. "Interesting." She stopped and looked at her Renegades. "Please retrieve the rheairds at once."

"Yes, Lady Martuan," they said in unison, saluting her and proceeding toward the end of the cliff to the flying devices. Lloyd turned his attention to Martuan when he felt her gaze on him again.

"You're mine this time Lloyd," she said in a calm but demanding tone that reminded him of someone. He couldn't quite put his finger on it though and decided to put it out of his mind.

Lloyd glanced around himself. "Damn. What do you want with me?"

"The Angelus project," Martuan stated. "On your hand. You no doubt know that it is special. I require it." She reached her hands through the barrier and grabbed his arm. She pulled it out of the barrier, leaving the rest of him inside of it. "Give me your exsphere Lloyd. Yggdrasil will win if he is to discover what it really can do!"

"Yggdrasil?" Lloyd tried to pull his hand away, but his arm appeared to be stuck between being inside and outside the barrier. It was like it had a cast on it that wouldn't let it shift from its position. "Why would he want my exsphere?"

"Explaining any more would only confuse you," Martuan said frankly.

"No!" Lloyd squirmed with his hand and slapped hers away as best he could.

"You want to save the world? Then you need to stop resisting!" Martuan sounded more desperate than she had before. "Don't you understand?" She finally got a grip on the exsphere and went to pull. "This is the answer to everything he wants to do!"

" _No!"_

Lloyd heard a voice yell in his head as Martuan grasped his exsphere. Bright light emanated from it. Lloyd felt the same tingling sensation he'd felt a couple of times before now and watched Martuan jolt back from him in surprise. She'd obviously felt it as well. Before she regained her composure and went in for another go, Lloyd watched an orb of light fly from his exsphere to somewhere behind him. As it darted through the barrier, a loud glass-breaking sound filled their ears. The barrier around them shattered and turned into twinkling star shapes before fading away into nothing.

"No!"

Lloyd heard the voice again. This time it was outside of his head. He also heard a unanimous gasp from both Gesea and Sheelos. His stomach filled with butterflies as he turned his head.

"You can't have it!"

The voice came out of the mouth of Colette. Lloyd stared.

"Colette spoke!" Gesea said excitedly, her eyes wide.

Colette's aura glowed its familiar bright pink as she charged out from behind him at Martuan. The key crest he'd made for her started glowing the same hue his exsphere had a second earlier. "That belonged to Lloyd's mum! I won't let you take it from him!" She charged forth at Martuan but tripped on a pebble right before she reached her. Despite her clumsiness, it did the trick. Martuan stumbled backward.

"Lady Martuan?"

Lloyd's eyes snapped from Martuan, to Colette, then to the new voice. He expected to see a Renegade but instead found a woman in red body-tight armour with aqua coloured hair tied back in a copper-like bandanna, materialising out of nowhere. She floated toward Martuan, the strange floating copper spikes that floated around her moving as though they were wings.

"Lady Martuan," the woman said again with a nod. Lloyd had to naturally assume that she was a Renegade. He'd never seen her before. He was sure he would remember her if he had. "I had not expected to see you here."

"Nor I, you," Martuan replied. "Please explain yourself Pronyma. The role of you Desians is to wreak havoc on Sylvarant, is it not?"

"Pronyma?" Gesea said from beside Lloyd. "I feel like I've heard that name before."

Pronyma spoke before Lloyd could agree with her. "With all due respect Lady Martuan, it is hardly worth the time of a Grand Cardinal such as myself to send my Desians around a world where there is no Chosen to _inspire."_ She crossed her arms across her chest and looked to the group. "I come under the orders of Lord Gabriel, in Lord Yggdrasils absence of course."

"Gabriel?" Martuan spat. "Just what is he up to now?"

"Lord Gabriel wishes to take custody of the young half-elf travelling with the Chosen of Sylvarant," Pronyma said. "Hand her to me."

Martuan looked surprised. "The girl? What worth is she?"

"We are currenly exploring the properties of the Angelus Project since the.. _incident.._ at the Tower of Salvation. Since the Angelus Project from A012 is no use to us as long as it is occupied, we have decided to examine the girls Cruxis Crystal. There is a chance it has evolved to be a little..less.. useless."

Martuan thought on her proposal for a second before obligingly stepping aside. "Very well. You will entrust both Chosen of Sylvarant to me to watch over until such a time as they are of use, then."

"I have no orders regarding the Chosen from Lord Yggdrasil at this current time," Promyma replied, drifting past Martuan and toward Gesea. "You hid well. Goodness knows how you avoided our detection and killed our Desians for so long little girl, but play time is over."

"I am _not_ a little girl," Gesea said, glaring up at her.

Lloyd drew his swords and stepped in front of her shaking body. He wasn't exactly sure whether she was shaking from anger or from being scared. "If you want to get to her, you will have to go through me first!"

"And me!" Sheelos agreed, taking out her dagger with one hand and a seal with the other.

"And me!"

Everyone turned to Colette. She had a determined expression plastered on her face. "I won't let anyone hurt Gesea."

Pronyma jumped back and stared at Colette. Lloyd got a sudden bad feeling in his gut. He had the distinct feeling that she'd just blown her cover, just like he had when he'd revealed his wings to Martuan back at the Renegade base. "She has returned to life through that second rate bauble on her Cruxis Crystal?" Pronyma asked. "How is that possible?" She shook her head. "Nevermind. This changes everything!" She laughed. "We will take the boy, Martuan."

Martuan opened her mouth to say something, but fell quiet. It seemed.. unlike her, somehow.

"That's not going to happen!"

Lloyd sliced his weapons at her but with a flash of white and gold and the clink of sword against sword, he found Kraine standing in front of him and overpowering his attack.

"Prof-" Lloyd stopped, almost choking on the word. "Kraine!"

The ex-professor glared down at him. "Pronyma. I have orders from Lord Yggdrasil. We are to leave the boy be for now and observe the situation before exacting our next move."

"Lord Kraine," Pronyma addressed, standing from the flinching pose she'd taken when she thought she was about to get hit. "I have orders from Lord Gabriel."

"Lord Yggdrasils wishes come first," Kraine replied, unwavering. "I will have a..talk.. with Gabriel. Fear not of any repercussions."

Pronyma didn't appear too happy at his override but quickly bowed her head to him. Then, just as she had appeared, she vanished again into thin air.

"What are you doing here?" Martuan asked, clutching her cape around herself a bit as she did.

"I believe I should be asking you that," Kraine replied, his voice going even colder as he cast his gaze over her. "Leave, Martuan, before either of us are forced to talk further."

Martuan pouted and crossed her arms. "Who do you think you're ordering around, Kraine?"

"I take it by your attitude that you would rather make a scene here?"

Martuan stepped back and glanced over the rest of the confused group again. "I suppose it isn't good to argue in front of the _children_ now, is it?" She turned her back to them. Just when Lloyd was wondering whether she had her own personal rheaird, long and elegant seraph wings of pink and green hues sprouted from her back and lit the area around them. "I shall take my leave now."

She tied her hair back into a bun with mind-boggling speed and took to the air. The light from her wings made her look like a firefly the further out into the distance she got.

"She's an angel too?" Sheelos asked, scratching her head as she also watched the lady seraph disappear off into the distance. "This is getting pretty complicated."

Lloyd dodged past Kraine and ran to the edge of the cliff. "Damn it Martuan. Come back here!" He knew it was no use wasting his voice though. She'd fled and her Renegades had taken the rheairds. He turned back to see Kraine looking over Gesea. "Gesea, are you alright?"

"Why?" Gesea asked, her voice little more than a whisper over the whistling wind around them. "Why do you keep doing this Kraine?" She stepped back from him as he went to reach for her, almost tripping into Colette. Colette smiled and held her steady instead.

"There are reasons I must," he muttered. "Forgive me." He turned away from her and to Lloyd. "Now that you have Colette back, just what do you intend to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"I am asking if there is a reason for you to remain in Tethe'alla."

"Of course there is." Lloyd clenched his fists at his sides. "We're going to stop this cycle of two worlds stealing mana from each other. We're going to break the mana links."

"You must relinquish that train of thought," Kraine instructed him using his 'professor' tone. "It is a path that will only lead to destruction. You will be risking your lives. You are not strong enough."

"Everything leads to destruction!" Lloyd argued back. "That's why we have to change it."

"Lloyd's right," Colette chimed in. Lloyd couldn't help the goofy smile tugging at his lips at hearing her talk. She was just as he'd expected her to sound. "We can't just let people keep suffering, Kraine! I know you know that." She walked closer to him, not seeming to fear him at all despite his countenance. "You're a good person Kraine. I know it. Why are you always fighting against us?"

Kraine growled something under his breath and turned away. "Lord Yggdrasil will order your capture, Lloyd," he said.

"Then I'll have to beat him back," Lloyd retorted. "I swear I'm going to protect Sylvarant and Tethe'alla."

"Hmph," Kraine grumbled, sounding more amused than annoyed, Lloyd thought. He summoned his blue seraph wings and lifted off into the air. "Do your best."

Just as Martuan had, he flew over the edge of the cliff. Unlike the Renegade leader however, he didn't fly out toward the sea and rather fluttered down the mountainside.

"Just what is his deal?" Sheelos groaned.

"It doesn't matter for now," Lloyd answered, looking to Colette again. "We've finally gotten Colette back!"

"Yeah!" Gesea reached her hand out to her. "It's nice to finally meet you Colette."

Colette tilted her head at her. "Oh. Right. I suppose you feel like you're meeting me for the first time, huh." She nodded her head respectfully and took Gesea's hand. She let go after a second and examined Sheelos. "You're Sheelos, I know."

"You gotcha," Sheelos answered with a wink. "Does that mean you've been seeing everything this whole time you've been vacant?" she asked, taking the question out of Lloyd's mouth.

"That's right," she responded brightly. "I remember when Lloyd and I were connected, too." She giggled and glanced at Gesea. "I hope you can be my best friend as well Gesea."

"O-of course," Gesea stuttered, her voice going low. She glanced away, the way she always did when she was embarrassed.

Finally, Colette turned to Lloyd. "It's so nice to finally be able to say hello to you, Lloyd. Thank you for the gift you made me." She touched the key crest he'd made for her at Altessa's place. "Despite everything going on in your head, you still wanted to help me. Even if I turned out to be a complication you didn't want."

"Of course," Lloyd grinned. "I don't know why we were one person before but you're you now, so that's all that matters."

"Hm.." Colette thought for a second before nodding in agreement. "Yep, you're right. That's all that probably matters. Thanks Lloyd."

"You're welcome."

Sheelos and Gesea shared a glance and Sheelos slapped a hand to her forehead. "I was afraid we would have two simpletons on our hands."

Gesea went to copy her but stopped mid-slap when she suddenly remembered something. "Lloyd! I remember now," she explained, trying to get the words out before her emotions got the best of her. Too late. She thought of Chocolat and couldn't stop the quivering of her hands. The image of what had become of Marble, then the image of Dorr being stabbed in the back by the purple monster back in Palmacosta came to the forefront of her mind. "Pronyma was the name that demon who pretended to be Governer-General Dorr's daughter said she took her orders from. Pronyma is one of the Desian Grand Cardinals!"

"Damn it," Lloyd cursed again. "We let them all get away!" He gazed up at the sky.

"We should head back to the boat," Sheelos directed. "We're going to have to get our rheairds the hard way since the Renegades took them." She crossed her arms. "Martuan has some explaining to do as well."

"Yes," Gesea agreed. "It appears she is connected to Cruxis as well."

"This really is getting complicated," Lloyd said. He held his head for a second. "In other words, they're all our enemies, right?"

"But Lloyd," Colette reasoned, "Don't you feel it too? That Kraine's a good person?" She looked at Gesea. "He's always been protecting us, even as a member of Cruxis."

"What'd I tell ya? He's much more than a pretty face," Sheelos answered before Lloyd could think of a way to explain his complicated feelings for his ex-professor.

A grumbling sound sent them all on guard for a second until they discovered the source when Colette's hands went flying to her stomach. "Oops!" she laughed, looking down at herself. "I think I'm hungry!" She sounded excited. Lloyd thought back to how he'd felt before the events at the tower. Just the thought of food had once been enough to make him feel dreadfully sick.

"Let's go back," Gesea cut into the thoughtful silence, deciding to agree with Sheelos and starting off toward the path down the mountain; the light from above following her and prompting Lloyd and Colette to follow unless they wanted to be left in complete darkness.

xxx

Yuan stopped back at the dock that led to the deck of their sail boat with Mithos and Noishe. He was exhausted. Playing the Game of Questions with the ever inquisitive Mithos had not changed much. The only real difference was that he found himself slightly more impatient than Mithos when he didn't get a direct answer out of him. He wondered briefly whether that was how Colloyd had felt when he'd been subjected to it during his time as a student to him but quickly brushed it off again when he felt a very familiar mana signature somewhere off in the distance.

He eyed Mithos. The blond was looking around the area with curiosity as well. "What have you assigned Kraine to do?" he asked, wondering if he'd get lucky enough to catch him off guard.

Mithos gazed at him questioningly. "I have not assigned any new task. I assume he has been attending to business as he sees fit."

"I suppose he _is_ quite a busy man," Yuan said, unable to help his smirk. He continued to look out toward the mountain. There _was_ another mana signature in the air. It was suppressed though and he was certain he only found himself tuning in to it because he knew it so well. How could he _not._ If Mithos was aware, he hadn't indicated so.

Choosing his next words carefully as he followed Mithos on to the deck, he started. "It is starting to get very late. I will be going to find Lloyd and the others."

Mithos was smart. Too smart for his own good a lot of the time. Yuan was almost sure he wasn't going to get away with it. Nevertheless, Mithos didn't so much as bat an eyelid. "I will watch over the boat," he said. "This is a popular spot for bandits after all."

Not wanting to overcomplicate something going in his favour for possibly the first time since he'd come to Tethe'alla again, Yuan nodded graciously and quickly left Mithos to traipse through the field. Eyes of monsters glittered behind bushes at him and he summoned his blade as a warning to all. They seemed to get the idea. It wasn't long until he noticed the mana signature getting closer to him. Closer and closer...

Closer...

He quickly swung around in a 180 degree angle with his blade and watched Kraine duck under it expertly, an after image of his wings remaining for a split second after the action. Yuan jerked his body back only -just- in time to avoid a roundhouse kick to the face by the seraph. Kraine retreated backward and fluttered down to the ground.

"When are we going to stop meeting like this?" Yuan joked, turning his blade downward and relaxing.

Kraine sheathed his own weapon and crossed his arms. "When you eventually tell me how you know everything, perhaps." He looked toward the mountain. "I am certain you know of Martuan and her relation to Cruxis. It would not surprise me in the least if you also have connections with Gabriel, especially considering your position as the Cerberus."

"I'm impressed," Yuan said, raising his brows. He wasn't lying in the least. "I'm sure you know by now that my secrets do not get told easily." He sighed and paced back and forth for a couple of seconds, wondering whether his next move would be wise.

"You wish to find the rheairds that you know were taken," Kraine surmised.

Yuan stopped pacing, this time more surprised than impressed. "How do you know that the rheairds were taken?"

Kraine gave him a look that said _you think I'm going to explain myself to you?_ And he knew it was going to have to be an eye for an eye. _"Just like old times."_

Deciding on matters that had come to mind just before, he let the pink glow of his wings fill the area. Watching Kraine, he almost burst out laughing when he saw what was sincere surprise on the seraph's features.

"Fascinating," Kraine said after a second, masking his emotion quickly when he saw Yuan's annoying grin at him. He cleared his throat. "Very well. I have been curious as to Martuan's acts recently as it so happens. At first I considered reporting mutiny to Lord Yggdrasil.. but as things stand now, there are more complications to be considered if that were to be done."

Yuan understood. "In that case, help me get the rheairds back and I will continue to protect Gesea and Lloyd for as long as I can."

"I assume you know where they are located, then?" Kraine asked.

Yuan knew he didn't actually _need_ to answer, so he looked off toward the ocean instead. "We should make haste."


	38. A game of cat and mouse

Kraine was being quiet as he and Yuan travelled to their destination. Yuan, used to the constant chatter of children during times where he just wanted to be left to his thoughts, found the silence to be seriously grating on his nerves. He found himself looking at Kraine every few minutes out of boredom, and even more when he noticed the seraph's expression growing more and more annoyed when he did.

Eventually Kraine snapped. "Why are you being so pestilently quiet?!"

Yuan cackled; he hadn't expected such an outburst. "I could ask the exact same question of you. I figured you were being quiet in order to not be sick. Butterflies can't swim, after all."

"I find your logic quite ironic," Kraine said as his expression darkened. "It is a curse all those burdened by the first Angelus Project must live with after all." He gave Yuan a look. Yuan grimaced and said nothing, knowing it would just provoke him to say more than he wanted to.

Unfortunately Kraine was on to his game and fell back into frustrating silence. Yuan huffed a bit and rolled his eyes. "It is only natural that with immortality comes a price. Not being able to submerge in water higher than the heart is a mere inconvenience."

"I suppose you are not intending on a further explanation," Kraine observed. "I will refrain from questioning further if you intend to do the same."

"As expected," Yuan acknowledged.

Kraine glowered and looked downward as they approached a small island with some tall statues. Yuan started lowering toward it. He didn't need to ask why. Flying such a long distance was quite taxing, even on an angelic form. They would need to stop and rest before making the final trek to the north. That was assuming they were travelling to the snowy region of Flanoir. Considering their location, it seemed pretty likely.

Yuan tapped on to the ground first and withdrew the pink appendages fluttering from his back. Kraine followed his example as soon as his feet touched the ground. He set himself down, his back to the stones so he could at least avoid seeing them. He exhaled a short breath without meaning to. Yuan, being almost as observant as him (annoyingly so), caught his mild show of emotions and gave him his usual curious smirk.

"I thought you weren't going to ask any other questions," he pointed out, resting back on the sand and exhaling again. He felt he could almost sleep if he didn't know that the usual nightmares would torment him.

"I asked nothing," Yuan responded, copying him and looking up at the stars. "This is going to be a pretty boring field trip if neither of us say anything though."

"This is not a field trip," Kraine stated, closing his eyes to get away from the ever-growing amused expression he just knew was painted on the other half-elf's face. Trying to remain neutral, he added "However, I do see your point."

"Will you ever show Gesea?" Yuan asked after a short moment of comfortable and yet uncomfortable silence between them.

"So you _do_ know," he simply replied. "I am past being surprised by you, of course." Yuan waited for him to continue. He sighed. "That is a matter well beyond your business Yuan."

"She deserves the truth," Yuan replied, continuing on regardless.

Kraine sat up and raised an eyebrow at him. Yuan didn't move; he had his eyes closed. "Words about deserving the truth coming from your mouth are most unbecoming of you, Yuan."

"Especially given your seraph status," he added after a moment of thought.

"I suppose we are at a stalemate then," Yuan bantered back.

Kraine rolled his eyes and cocked his head back at the collection of tall cylindrical stones that beckoned out of the ground in a triangular formation. Under just Tethe'alla's moon, they cast insidious shadows onto the remote island. He and Yuan were indeed at a stalemate; several in fact. He'd learned long ago that the world was full of coincidences, but the undeniable fact that the professor prior to himself to teach Colloyd had also been alive for more than few millennia was one of the rarer surprises. He also had to admit to himself that he got a good amount of satisfaction in knowing that he'd been right a few times about the man.

First of all, he'd guessed Yuan was no ordinary professor. He couldn't really force him into conversation on that one. Neither had he ever been ordinary. The second stalemate between them came from his guess that Yuan definitely knew more than he let on. They were similar in that aspect too, and yet here they were, playing a vocal game of cat and mouse. In another reality, he thought they might have become friends over such banter. Unlike himself on the matter of knowing more than he should about the world though, Yuan was not tied to Cruxis.

..Or was he? He'd only made an educated guess on Yuan's knowledge of Martuan, but it appeared he really did know of her connections to Cruxis.

He glanced away from the stones before he was forced to re-live the decisions he'd made and focused on the white horizon where snow showered the landscape. He didn't intend on allowing Yuan to dig further into that particular aspect or for their journey to become a show and tell session, particularly if he was going to be the one doing most of the 'telling.'

Did he actually need to tell Yuan anything though? That was indeed another curious thought. He couldn't make sense of it but as the Chosen of Tethe'alla had put it, Yuan always had seemed to be one step ahead of them. He'd made their journey significantly easier several times. His blood still boiled though when he thought of the priceless treasure he'd sold to the old man at Hakonesia Peak. The book meant a great deal to him personally and was a relic more priceless than all the ruins he'd had the pleasure of exploring so far.

He'd been receiving updates on Spirtua's journey those eight-hundred years ago. Eventually as he heard about the her grisly end, he'd felt something. Actually **felt** something for the first time in quite a long time, all thanks to the emotion dulling effect the Cruxis crystal had on his body. Pure and simple anger. He'd felt _angry_ at Mithos Yggdrasil. Angry at Origin for warping his mind. Just angry.

Then, like a cork being released from a fine wine, other emotions had bubbled to the surface. Since that time, he'd done nothing but teach himself restraint. A poker face under scrutiny was both an advantage and a necessity in his line of work.

Yuan rolled onto his side and relaxed his head into his propped up elbow and hand to watch the horizon too. Kraine observed silently, wondering whether he was playing yet another game with him. Despite his early thoughts on 'show and tell', he was almost disappointed when the half-elf said nothing.

xxx

Lloyd gaped at Colette after hearing what she'd just said. He stopped mid-step through the Tethe'allan field on the way back to their sail boat to turn to her. "Wow, really? You were inside my exsphere?"

"Yep!" Colette grinned and reached out for his hand like she'd done it a million times before. The odd thing was that it felt like she had. Lloyd couldn't help but be puzzled at the strange feeling. He'd spent a lot of time with Colette since the Tower of Salvation though. Colette touched his exsphere softly. "It's a little hard to believe, isn't it?"

Lloyd shook his head. "If you weren't in your body, you had to be somewhere, right?"

Colette giggled. "I suppose so."

"So what was it like in there?"

"Mm..." Colette tilted her head in thought. "I guess it was kinda dark. I couldn't feel it but it was pretty cold according to your mum. She kept saying she could feel it. Especially at night time when you were sleeping."

 _That_ got Sheelos and Gesea's attention. They stopped walking up ahead to watch him and Colette in their weird little moment. Lloyd was just as shocked as them, maybe a bit more. He closed his mouth after as second, realising it'd dropped open. Colette's story made sense of course.

Exspheres were made powerful and as enhancers to strength by feeding on the lives of innocent people. His mother had died as a result of the parasitic process Kate had told them about in the same way Gesea and Kraine's sister had. He didn't know how Annalicia had met her end, but his father had been forced to kill his mother when the parasite had overcome her body. It wasn't a stretch of the imagination to think Annalicia had met the same fate.

He looked over the exsphere sitting in the key crest his dwarven dad had crafted for him. He'd taken it off only once or twice in his whole life. Once -most recently- when he'd discovered the nature of exspheres and how they made a mockery of human life. Kraine had convinced him to keep it by asking him what he'd want if he'd become a victim at a human ranch.

Something struck him then. Kraine was a member of Cruxis. He must have known about the true nature of exspheres.. and yet..

 _"Damn it,"_ he thought.

"Lloyd?" Colette asked, gripping his hand with hers a bit tighter and looking up into his eyes. He realised he must have been staring at his hand with a serious expression for a bit too long. He scratched his head in confusion, his anger melting away when he looked at the girl that had been a part of him for so long. That still sounded weird to think about.

"Lloyd?" Colette asked again. "Are you okay? I'm sorry I mentioned your mother."

Lloyd quickly shook his head. She must have misunderstood his expression. "No, it's okay! It makes sense."

"Besides," Sheelos started, stalking closer. "Look on the bright side." She looked between the two of them. "At least one of you got to see her again. She's both of your mothers, right?"

"H-hey, yeah!" Lloyd couldn't believe he hadn't realised it sooner. He turned to Colette with renewed excitement. "We're brother and sister, Colette!"

Colette looked more surprised than excited. "O-oh.." She quickly returned his excitement with a smile. "Yeah. Of..of course. We must be." She let go of his hand and clutched her own together.

Her reaction hadn't been what he'd expected, but he breezed it off quickly. Colette had been through a lot recently. Colette kept her eyes cast to the ground and he reached a hand out to her shoulders. "It's okay Colette," he reassured. "We don't have to act like siblings right away." He smiled in hope that her earlier happier smile would return. It did, to much his relief.

"Okay. Thanks Lloyd."

Lloyd trooped ahead, not wanting to burden Colette with the disappointment he felt at her response. Gesea walked by his side quietly, letting him sink back into his troubled thoughts on Kraine. He wanted to believe Colette was right. He didn't want to doubt anybody. No good came from doubting. Since he'd parted from Kraine at the Tower of Salvation and learned that he was a member of Cruxis, he'd kept hoping that the professor would appear to them again and explain that everything he was doing had a reason and that he actually was on their side. His actions made no sense. One moment he spouted stuff about Yggdrasil coming after them like there was nothing he could do about it, and the next he was telling him to do his best.

What was that even supposed to mean? _"What am I meant to do with that?"_

As they walked, he could hear Sheelos trying to be nosy with Colette's past inside the exsphere. He only stopped walking again when Gesea let out a short gasp next to him. He reached for his swords and darted his eyes around to look at the trees and the bushes. He could see the glitter of monster eyes looking back at him every so often from various locations but they didn't seem like they were all that interested in picking a fight. In fact, it seemed like they were almost scared. They'd been attacked constantly by enemies on their way to the Fooji mountains and on the journey up.

He wondered what had changed. He opened his mouth to ask Gesea what was wrong when she beat him to the punch. "Kraine's been here," she explained simply.

Lloyd didn't understand the need for surprise at that. "Well, yeah. I guess we did see him go this way."

Gesea shook her head. "No, that's not what's important. What's important is that someone else was also here with him at the same time." She closed her eyes and squinted hard. "It feels like Yuan," she said after a moment and opened her eyes. "It's... odd.. though. His mana signature feels different somehow."

"Different?" Lloyd wondered. "How?"

Gesea thought on it before quickly shaking her head. "Um, never mind. It's nothing."

"But it was Kraine and Yuan's?" Sheelos asked, including herself in the conversation finally. "Are you sure?"

"You can feel it too if you try," Gesea pointed out. "You don't need to ask."

Sheelos crossed her arms. "Owch. Point taken." She looked up at the sky and stomped her foot in rage.

"What's wrong, Sheelos?" Colette asked for the rest of them.

"Don't you get it?" she asked instead of elaborating. "He must have gone to the Renegade base with Kraine."

"You really think he would have done that?" Lloyd asked, startled.

Sheelos looked convinced. "There's a pretty damn good possibility. Yuan's always been one step ahead of everything if you hadn't noticed." She kicked some dirt in rage in the opposite direction they were standing. "Damn it Cerberus! What are you up to this time?!"

"We should hurry back to Mithos so he can take us there then," Lloyd spoke up. "If they're going into the Renegade base, we have to follow them and help."

"I'm not sure we'll really be helping, per se'," Sheelos commented. "But we need to find Kraine again anyway to get back the ore to help Colette."

"Me?" Colette pointed to herself. Lloyd understood what Sheelos was getting at though. He nodded.

"Yeah. Just because the key crest that you have is working right now Colette, it doesn't mean it'll stay that way forever. I'm not sure why it suddenly started to work for you now but we should try to make you a rune crest like Gesea has." He bobbed his head in agreement with himself and started off again. "I wonder though, how are Yuan and Kraine travelling there?" He couldn't imagine Kraine carrying Yuan across any amount of distance.

"Lloyd," Gesea sighed. "Don't you remember? When we played a Game of Questions?"

"Oh!" Lloyd nodded. "That's right. That's the first time I've seen you lose at a game like that." He dropped his shoulders. "You always win at Scrabble."

"A-anyway," Gesea continued, "Yuan said he had a blue rheaird. Maybe they went on that." She looked at Sheelos. The Chosen of Tethe'alla had a pretty close relationship to him, so she figured she might get a confirmation.

Sheelos however didn't give it right away and instead looked concerned about something as she gazed off to the side and crossed her arms. "Yeah, probably."

Gesea wondered what might have been on her mind. The answer to her curiosity sat in the back of her mind but she chose to shut it down. Yuan was her friend. A chill shot up her spine suddenly and she quickly forgot her troubles, looking up when a resounding screech filled the night time air. The flapping of wings filled the brief silence between screeches.

"What's going on?" Lloyd asked, drawing his swords. Sheelos did the same thing with her short sword. Over the flapping of wings from an unknown location, Lloyd could hear a cackle getting louder and louder. "Looking for me?!"

The flapping grew greater with each second. His ears popped in warning and he found himself with a headache. Over the overbearing combination of popping air, screeches and yells, he heard Colette cry "watch out!' A second later, he found her falling straight into him and himself pushed to the ground in a heap, wet dirt and mossy grass dampening his face. Before he could get up, something sharp cut along his back. His vision blurred into a collection of black and red spots. He was almost surprised he was feeling the pain.

The hysterical cackle from their assailant sounded again at their misfortunes. "If Pronyma won't take you, I'll just have to. It'll be her loss!"

Gesea screamed. Lloyd managed to turn his head just enough to look upward. Shining in the moonlight was a set of purple scales belonging to a winged lizard-looking creature with red eyes that looked like mini flames were dancing inside its skull. He realised with some surprise that it was a dragon. Gesea squirmed and struggled in its talons, trying to free herself.

Sheelos fumbled with a summon stone, while Lloyd summoned all of his strength through the wet feeling of blood trickling down his back to stand. Giving an anguished cry, he summoned his bird-like blue wings. Colette unfurled her pink ones and followed his example as he flew toward the sky where the dragon was rising higher and higher. The enormous gust created from its wings was enough to push Colette back a lot more than him. Her wings were a lot smaller. Running on pure adrenaline, he managed to rise high enough to be able to reach Gesea. Trying to get her out of the dragons feet was going to be impossible. He had to go for the driver.

"What do you think you're doing?" the voice of the unknown man who'd made it all possible cackled in question from the head of the dragon as it lowered and tried to snap at him. He managed to dodge out of the way and get his first good look at their assailant. He couldn't see much, but he could see the faint outline of spiky hair and the reflective glow of a pair of glasses sitting on a pointy nose. He'd definitely seen him before.

The dragon gave a sudden cry and swooped downward and back up, dodging a barrage of ice and water bolts from Sheelos' summoned Undine. Lloyd used the opportunity to dive at the man with his swords at the ready. The man pulled hard on a bridle connected to the dragon as he was barrelling down. He was too close to change his attack and veer off when the dragon did a 360 turn. A heavy smack to the stomach finished him off. His vision flickered through the pain and he found the sound dying out around him.

Seeing Lloyd winded by the pointed and scaled tail of the dragon, Gesea screamed. Below her, she could see Sheelos and Colette casting different spells. The dragon was rising too high for them to be in range though. Lloyd dropped out of the sky, unconscious, and went crashing into the ground. Sheelos and Colette racing to his aid became small ants on the ground before cloud cover obstructed Gesea's view. Bitter tears left her eyes as she tried to crane her head to see the man. She didn't actually need to know who it was. A flood of memories had come back the moment he laughed in that narky tone. The same tone she'd trusted to help her; the very voice of the man that had left her to become little more than a vacant shell for all those years. She couldn't forget that.

At first, she squirmed until she was too tired to even try; and even then when she found a sudden burst of energy come from somewhere deep within her, she squirmed again in case the dragon was getting tired. She was going to get revenge on Rodyle if it was the last thing she would do. For her and Kraine, for Annalicia, and for Lloyd's mother. Now was her chance. Thinking of her brothers sagely advice, she stopped squirming and held herself as still as she could, only breathing as much as she needed. "Ignorance is knowledge. Ignorance is knowledge."

xxx

The two seraphs touched down on the remarkably deceptive beach. Only a few paces ahead did the golden sand disappear to be replaced by a blinding blanket of white. Off in the distance through the haze of cold sat the grey outline of the snow city named after the region, Flanoir. The light of the moon above fell onto the white snow and lit up the area quite significantly.

Yuan started ahead, Kraine following and watching him warily as he trudged a few paces, stopped, then oddly sniffed. Eventually the curiosity for what he was doing became too much to bear. "Just why are you sniffing every thirteen steps?"

"Just why did you start talking textbook drabble once we left the stones?" Yuan asked back.

Kraine crossed his arms. "I am not fond of Flanoir. It brings back.. memories." He decided not to say which type. He eyed Yuan to tell him it was his turn to answer his earlier question.

"You brought her to Flanoir?" Yuan asked, ignoring the hint and taking another chance to get a good whiff of the frozen wasteland.

Kraine grumbled but decided to reply anyway. It was an interesting experiment regardless. If Yuan wouldn't reveal things he knew without great prompt, then revealing things that he didn't know appeared to be the answer.

"There is a renowned doctor in Flanoir," he replied in earnest, studying Yuan as he did. Yuan seemed more interested. He didn't appear to know the outcome of the story. Kraine stumbled on with the conversation, trying to make sure his relief was not obvious. "We were concerned that the parasite poisoning her body would affect her when she was... with child." He couldn't help the heaviness he'd injected into those last couple of words without even meaning to. There was no point in hiding that aspect at least.

Yuan nodded in understanding and let the brief conversation fall dead. He had no intention of dredging up painful memories for his seraph friend if he could really help it. Not that he wasn't curious. He knew Kraine was testing him, too. He walked another thirteen paces and sniffed. A sweet scent wafted up his nose and he grinned widely. "Finally!" He kicked around the snow below his feet.

Kraine watched the suddenly elated Yuan kick at the snow curiously for a few seconds until he revealed a metallic lever encased in crystals of ice. It looked frozen solid, not to mention useless. Yuan quickly shot a small fireball from the palm of his hand at it. The metal glowed a hot red colour for a few seconds before returning to its usual hue of dull and useless. Yuan reached for the lever and pulled. If the heat hurt his hand, he didn't show it.

A large blue dome appeared at the lever pull and stood to welcome them only a few yards away. Now Kraine understood why Yuan had been sniffing. At the front of the main gate that led into the compound sat a rather large flower bed, filled to the brim with flowers that thrived in areas of disastrous climate. "Intriguing," he muttered. He knew straight away that _that_ woman had definitely had a hand in creating it. "She was fond of flowers once."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Yuan stated in question. Kraine thought he had sounded oddly..defensive about it. He relinquished his mild curiosity and pressed on to more important matters as he looked toward the building and the... the _Renegade_ dressed person standing at the doors.

"This is our location? Surely you do not think we will be able to slip inside unnoticed."

"Once perhaps," Yuan replied. "Now however, it is only due to some Mizuhoan operatives that we have been able to venture even this close." He pointed upward to the sky. Kraine followed his gesture and saw just how true his statement was. Only now did he see that an error in his judgement on Yuan could have led to his death. Cannons adorned some pillars attached to the roof and faced down toward them.

Pushing away an almost envious thought that it _had_ worked out for them, Kraine made an observation on Yuan again. "I see you are using your position as Cerberus to your advantage once again."

"A position of power is necessary to change the world, as we both know."

"Hm.." Kraine only mumbled. Yuan turned away and approached the Renegade to exchange a few words. Once he was done, he trudged back to him, dangling something from a keyring perched on his finger. It looked like several key cards of various colours. "We won't get far without these," he said with a grin. "Let's go."

xxx

Gesea gasped awake to find her head throbbing. Through some arched metal bars as she looked upward, she could see the night sky and more stars than she thought she'd seen in a while. She sat up groggily to examine the rest of her location. A metal cage surrounded her. Clouds circled the round earthy platform her prison sat on and the wind whistled, making her ears hurt. Through the whistles she could hear another sound. Something like slow, sleepy breaths.

Her legs shaking as she summoned her kendaxe, she whirled around to have her fears realised. She could only see its head, but she already knew it was at least triple the size of the dragon that had captured her.

"I see you've awoken!" laughed a voice.

She turned again to see Rodyle standing outside of the cage, holding a lantern in one hand. She could see his features, right down to his pointed ears. He gave her a wide smile, showing his pointed teeth. He held something up with his other hand. It was a small golden object. Even in the bad lighting, she knew what it was immediately. Her hand shot to her chest to discover she could no longer feel the familiar and comforting shape of her rune crest.


	39. Memento Mori

"Oh, he's waking up!" quivered a small voice.

Lloyd fluttered his eyes open to catch the blue gaze of Mithos, their half-elf sea captain. When the recognition that he was lying on one of the couches in the lounge room of the sail boat cabin came to him, so did the agonising pain in his stomach regions. He yelled in agony, making Mithos gasp and quickly hover his hands over him. The pain quickly subsided again.

He found Sheelos with her arms around him a second later. "Oh darling! I'm sooooooo happy you're alright!" She squirmed against him.

He laughed and tried to struggle out her her grip. He felt pretty restricted though and once she let go of him he saw the bandages that were tied around his midriff and chest. "What happened?" he asked any of his friends, trying to smile through the throbs of pain. Nobody said anything right away. He glanced up at Colette, who was leaning over the back of the couch to look at him. She shared a glance with Sheelos standing behind him.

Mithos stood suddenly, the stall he'd been perching on falling over backward to the floor. They all looked at him. "If you don't mind, I need some fresh air," he explained. His voice sounded pretty moody. Lloyd wondered why. "Excuse me," Mithos added, walking through the gap in the right angle the two couches in the lounge created. He left for outside, the door slamming shut behind him.

The loud sound cleared Lloyd's head and everything came back with sudden clarity. He gasped and scrambled to sit up, only to regret it a second later when the pain came creeping back with a vengeance. He was forced to rest his head back on the pile of blankets he was using as a makeshift pillow. "Where's Gesea?!" he questioned, his voice croaky until the stabbing pain in both his stomach and now his back lessened to more bearable levels.

Sheelos moved to Mithos' overturned chair and put it right side up so she could sit on it and look at him. Lloyd turned from her to a worried looking Colette, and back to her. At this point they didn't really even need to answer his question. He remembered what had happened earlier.

He'd failed at protecting Gesea.

She'd been taken by the claws of a dragon and carried off to who-knew-where. The Noishe figurine still safely placed in a pocket of his pants felt like lead instead of wood suddenly.

Sheelos started to talk. "We didn't want to talk about it too much in front of Mithos." She stuttered on her words. "No," she corrected herself, "I suppose it's more like we _couldn't."_

"What do you mean?" he asked cautiously.

"Sheelos said we have to keep the Renegades a secret," Colette chimed in to answer before Sheelos even got a chance to open her mouth. "It sounded like it could hurt Mizuho's relationship with them."

"Not you as well Sheelos," Lloyd couldn't help but groan. He didn't understand all the apprehension Yuan had been showing for Mithos. "Why don't you trust Mithos? What has he ever done to us?"

"It's not about trusting the kid, my beautiful brunette," Sheelos quickly pointed out to try and settle his frustrations. "It's just as much about protecting him as it is about protecting the people of Mizuho from a political uprising."

"A political uprising?" Lloyd and Colette asked together. Lloyd glanced at her and she gave him a sweet smile. Sheelos hadn't told her as much as he thought she had. He was glad he wasn't the last one getting all the news.

Sheelos nodded. "It's when figureheads of a society compete for the top position of power. It usually involves war and bloodshed. We have to be careful who we involve in anything any of our people do. Mithos is no exception. We have no idea where he stands on political matters."

"He's a half-elf though," Lloyd reasoned, though he wasn't sure why that even mattered.

"That's not enough to assume anything." Sheelos shut him down and looked over past him and Colette to the bridge control room door. "I asked Mithos to set a course for the snow region of Flanoir. Before we can help Gesea, we need to get the rheairds. It'll be a lot faster that way."

"Flanoir?" Lloyd felt the familiar excitement he always felt at the idea of exploring somewhere new bubbling to the surface but just as quickly felt guilty. "Just how much does Mithos know, then?"

"We had to tell him that Gesea was kidnapped," Colette explained, "and that Yuan headed the dragons off on his own rheaird." She looked sad. "I felt bad for lying but Sheelos told me we had to do it."

"Don't worry your pretty little head about it Colette," Sheelos said, standing and stretching before heading to the bridge. "I'm sure it eased a little of Mithos' worries."

When Sheelos disappeared and it was just Lloyd and Colette in the lounge room, Lloyd felt his feelings getting the best of him. He actually wished Colette would leave him alone. Unfortunately for him, she only made herself more comfortable. For her, he did his best to hide his emotions.

Colette leaned closer to him. "I'm so sorry Lloyd."

He wondered whether she'd seen right through him. "What're you apologising for?"

She leaned back and kicked her legs under the stall while holding her hands together. "It's just.. I couldn't do anything to help save Gesea. I couldn't even get close."

Lloyd shook his head. "You dork. You don't need to apologise." He reached for the Noishe figurine he'd made for Gesea and pulled it out. It still wasn't totally complete but it was almost done. "We're going to save her no matter what, I promise. We still have to give her this present!"

Colette smiled and nodded. Now it was his time to see right through her. She was smiling with her mouth, but not her eyes. He recognised that look very well. It was the same face he'd practised so many times in the mirror at home. Since having an outburst at the children in Iselia who hadn't wanted to play with him because he was the Chosen, he'd tried to always put on a happy face whenever anyone spoke about him and his duties as the Chosen.

People in Iselia that didn't understand that a successful regeneration meant his death always talked about how disappointed they were when the Oracle didn't come at the end of the year. He would just smile like Colette was smiling at him right now and agree, then apologise. The people accepted his apology as though it was owed to them. He realised once again that Colette had been through the same thing. She knew what it was like to grow up as the Chosen and be raised by a dwarf.

"Lloyd?"

He realised he'd been staring. Colette tilted her head in question and reached a hand out to his forehead. "Oh! You have a fever. I'll get a cold towel for your head."

On a mission, she stood and excused herself. Lloyd sighed to himself. Colette was just like him in some ways, but in other ways she was totally different. The parts of him that had become less prominent had become a defining part of her personality. He found his eyes closing as he started to wonder how she had been in his body and why they'd spit. He didn't get very far in his thoughts before he succumbed to exhaustion.

xxx

Gesea bit her lip and gave Rodyle her most venomous glare. The spiky haired man laughed his signature cackle despite her efforts to intimidate him. He slipped the key crest he'd been holding up to show her back into a pocket in his robe.

"Now then. I think it's about time for a test, little girl!" He covered his mouth when she growled at him. "Oops! I keep forgetting that you're _not a little girl!"_

That was as much as she was going to take from him. She readied her kendaxe and gripped it tightly with both hands. She'd done this before with her bare hands back at the Triet Renegade base, so she could easily do it again with her weapon. With a yell, she spun her axe around in a circle, the contact with metal sending shivers down the handle of her weapon and into her body. She stopped when she faced Rodyle again.

At first it looked like the bars around her hadn't been affected. She kept eye contact with Rodyle so that she could see his reaction to what she did next as she un-summoned her weapon and gripped the bars. Calling on the strength she'd recovered from falling asleep in the dragons clutches, she lifted the cage up from the point where she'd cut. She threw the cage at him, knocking him backward and toward the edge of the sky platform. The lantern in his hand shattered on the ground. Fire would have been a problem if it weren't for the damp wind that snuffed it out before it got out of hand.

After her small fit of rage at the man responsible for the Angelus Project, she stared. She _needed_ the rune crest back. Pushing him over the edge would not have been a preferable means of getting what she wanted. She could almost hear Kraine scolding her.

Just as she lifted her legs over the jagged edges of the now broken prison, a dull throbbing sensation on her chest startled her. She touched just under the middle of her collarbone where the Angelus Project protruded out of her skin. It felt hot to touch. That didn't seem like a good sign. The throbbing gained rhythm as she freed herself from the cage and re-summoned her kendaxe. As she lifted it, ready for retaliation from Rodyle who was getting up from his spot, the searing heat from the crystal seemed to move up the bones of her collarbone and toward her back. Her vision blurred a little.

"No!" she cried aloud, shaking her head and fighting through the pain. _"I wont rest until I've avenged Annalicia!"_

Rodyle was away from the edge now, standing still and watching her with a mocking expression on his stupid face. "Well well," he said, sounding amused. "I suppose I should not be surprised that it has grown in strength regardless of that key crest. Still.." He shook his head and tisked. "So much lost potential for growth."

"Be quiet!" Gesea yelled, running at him again and swinging her weapon behind her head to put more weight behind the attack when she reached him and swung. Rodyle was surprisingly fast. Just as she swiped at him, he jumped back just out of her range. He was toying with her. He was _enjoying_ this. He was _sick._

"Now now," Rodyle laughed as his aura glowed. He reached a hand out toward her.

Gesea only had a split second to look down at the magic circle forming at her feet before lightning shocks sizzled upward from the ground and danced through her body. Her skin crawling and starting to go numb, she swung her kendaxe around to the ball and cup side and concentrated as she started casting.

"Guardian!" she yelled a few seconds later before the magic at her feet had a chance to deliver its final, more powerful pulse that she could feel building in the air as the circle at her feet shone brighter. The magic from it emerged and bounced around her energy shield.

Rodyle quickly did the same movement with his hand, not yelling the name of the magic like the cheat he was. Fireballs flew at her from above this time. She kept concentrating on her kendama but she knew the protective field wasn't going to last much longer before she had to re-cast. Her weapon was starting to feel a lot heavier with each passing second too, and the throbbing from her un-crested exsphere made it even harder.

The heat that had started in her chest and moved to her back was now slowly creeping around to her front again and down her arms. A white-hot stab of pain jabbed at her wrists unexpectedly and she let out a cry. The forcefield of guardian magic around her disappeared and she dropped to her knees, letting go of her weapon to clutch the source of the problem. She couldn't take it off. She'd turn into a monster just like marble if she did- she was sure of it. At least this way she had a little time.

She waited for some more magic to hit her while she was defenceless. Nothing came though. Instead, she heard the tapping of Rodyle's feet on the ground as he approached. "Get up. Unless you'd like to be eaten, that is."

She managed to tilt her gaze up to him in time to see him put his fingers to his lips and let out a whistle. A few seconds passed until Gesea heard the air-popping sound of flapping wings. This time it was different though. The beating of the wings seemed to repeat much quicker with very little respite in-between. Before she had time to worry at the realisation of what that meant, the slumping sound of something large moving sounded from behind. She rose to her feet, temporarily forgetting about the pain coursing through every ounce of her body. Swallowing in fear, she turned her head back to look behind herself. She was definitely in trouble now. Very big trouble.

xxx

"Nice kick," Yuan complemented when he and Kraine had successfully knocked out a Renegade soldier without him seeing them and slipped into the largest room they'd faced so far. "Just watch how much force you use. The Renegades aren't monsters, unlike the Desians. They don't deserve to be killed with blunt force trauma."

Kraine decided to swallow his thick irritation at that and gazed upward to the roof. He could see a high platform that looked to require an escalating device to reach normally. "We need to proceed upward, I take it?" When Yuan nodded, he sighed and unfurled his wings. "It seems that woman is toying with her intruders; building a tall room like this that is extremely time consuming to traverse without the ability to fly." There were all sorts of puzzle devices around, many of which involved the use of the lightning sorcerers ring device and manhandling foam blocks to block laser beams.

Yuan spread his own wings. "If I'm not mistaken, you sound slightly impressed."

"You are mistaken," Kraine answered. "Or have you forgotten that I am your enemy?"

Yuan didn't answer him and took flight toward the back end of the room where the solitary blue-grey platform stood much higher than anything else. Kraine followed, observing the treasure chests sitting in small crevices below them. He wouldn't have been surprised if they let out some kind of toxic gases for their openers.

They tapped down on the platform and Yuan walked up to the small key card device next to an electronic door. He took the cards on the keyring he'd gotten from the undercover Mizuhoan out and swiped a red one first. The device lit up to three different choices of what looked like starts to a sentence. Yuan quickly input "THE LIGHT OF" into it. It beeped and turned off. Not seeming vexed, Yuan swiped a blue key card next. The screen lit up again with three different types of words that seemed to belong to the earlier part of the sentence. He input "MANA IS" this time. It beeped off again. Lastly, he swiped the green card and selected "THE RADIANCE OF LIFE".

A hopeful click sounded from the electronic door in front of them as the device let out several beeps in a row before turning off for the last time. Yuan cocked his head back at Kraine. "Are you ready? She'll be waiting for us in the next room with Botta." He shot him a stern look. "Do not kill either of them. Do we have an understanding?"

"Your need to protect the people who are making your supposed journey more difficult with the Chosen and their companions is perplexing," Kraine stated. Yuan didn't respond, simply waiting for an answer. He gave in and habitually reached for the pommel of his sword. "She was once my friend. Despite our seeming clashing motives currently, I believe she is deserving of a fair trial."

Seeming satisfied, Yuan steeled himself and headed straight through the doors. As expected, the rheairds were in the middle of the hangar that now faced them. He quickly met the green gaze of Martuan and watched her pull a knowing grin at him. On the opposite side of the room stood Botta.

"So you've come," Martuan started, summoning a quarterstaff from the next dimension.

Yuan nodded. "Like moths to a flame, it seems."

For a moment, they seemed to have forgotten they were enemies. Kraine accidentally found himself sharing a glance and a raised eyebrow with Botta. When he realised what he was doing, he cleared his throat. "Stop spouting such nonsense and explain yourself at once, Martuan." He unsheathed his sword and pointed it at her. "Is it true that you are the leader of the Renegades?"

"Come now Kraine," Martuan said, her pitch condescending and irritating. "You know better than to ask a moot question." She nodded to give him an answer though. "Yes. It is true. I have led the Renegades and stopped the world regeneration ritual for many years."

Kraine glared. "Very well then. It seems I have no choice." He charged into the fight and met her, sword for battlestaff.

Yuan looked toward Botta. As expected, he'd jumped away from the battle and started to cast a spell instead. He quickly closed in on him. "Sorry," he muttered, meeting Botta's repaired red sword. Botta's thick black eyebrows furrowed in confusion, making Yuan grin even more as he playfully exchanged blows with him.

"Why are you here?" Martuan asked, ducking under a kick of Kraine's and attempting to trip him up with a swipe of her staff to his shins. Kraine jumped over the assault. "Shouldn't you be protecting the kids and secretly rebelling Yggdrasil somewhere?" she asked.

"Why are you trying to take the Angelus Project?" Kraine interrogated back. "The world is on the cusp of finally being allowed its change." He furiously swiped at her. "Why are you trying so hard to change what we have worked for all these years!? Are you simply being petty?"

"Splitting the souls of people is not the answer!" Martuan hissed as they levelled their weapons again. "Just because Martel might be one of the souls inside me, it doesn't make it right to take the very foundations of life and rip them apart. Mithos' ideals are twisted!"

"Be careful what you say, Martuan," Kraine mumbled, jumping away from her and glaring. Yuan and Botta retreated from their sword fight to observe the situation.

Martuan ignored Kraine's warning. "You only just barely got away with that lie of yours, y'know. Telling Mithos that you didn't know where the Angelus Project ended up." She shook her head at him. "I never knew you had it in you, you sly butterfly."

Kraine remained silent, a calculating look on his face as he waited for her to say her piece. Yuan stood at the ready in case either of them decided to attack while the other was burdened with emotional weakness. Martuan stepped closer to Kraine until she had to look up a little to maintain eye contact. "Nothing will stop Mithos from actioning his plan now he knows he does not even need a vessel. All he needs is the Angelus Project." She looked over at Yuan. "The Cerberus was acting alone, but I believe he was trying to prevent Colette's soul from leaving the exsphere. Colette's condition was your sons only protection from Mithos.. and from me."

Kraine glanced over at Yuan, who looked impressed as he raised his eyebrows at Martuan. "What makes you think that I had anything to do with it?" He blinked. "By the way you said that, it seems Colettte has awoken of her own accord?"

Martuan nodded and Yuan clenched his fists. "Damn."

Martuan turned to Kraine. "People are not meant to live forever. Many were born with two or three souls in them. It is only a matter of time before the age of lifeless beings Mithos wants to create comes into fruition now a means to split souls with minimal sacrifice is possible. Mithos' plans change _nothing_ and only cause more suffering."

"This cycle of forcing people to breed with those they do not love is unnatural as well," Kraine muttered, not agreeing or disagreeing with her and simply adding to the conversation. "Luin is starting to gain ground in followers that abhor the W.S.P. If more people open up their eyes, perhaps it will not be needed some day."

"Some day is not soon enough," Martuan said seriously before actually smiling without malice and letting out a laugh. "You really did change once you got a family, didn't you?" She collapsed her weapon into the next dimension and looked to the entrance door when a beep sounded. The door whooshed opened a second later and a Renegade walked in. He startled back and seemed to very nearly collapse in shock at the full house eyeballing him. Stuttering her name, he handed Martuan a folded piece of paper. She dismissed him with a grateful nod and opened the paper to read it. Her eyes widened slightly as she reached its conclusion.

"What is it, Lady Martuan?" Botta asked, leaving his spot next to Yuan and approaching her.

"I have received some.. interesting.. news, straight from the Chosen of Tethe'alla to Mizuho." Martuan looked up at Kraine. "It seems that while Pronyma did not take the girl, Rodyle saw it fit to continue Gabriel's wishes and has taken her to the Dragons Nest."

Kraine's demeanour changed and everyone saw it before he could hide it.

" _Gabriel's_ wishes?" Yuan asked as he stared. Kraine wondered what had surprised him so much. "That's... that's..." he couldn't seem to get his sentence out.

Martuan made a long face. "It looks like Gabriel wants to continue the experiment on her." She crossed her arms and put a hand to her chin. "I'll tell you what, Kraine. If you can keep that mouth of yours shut, I'll allow you to take a rheaird and go and rescue her." Her head shot over to Yuan. "You will stay here for the time being. There are some things I must talk to you about. Immediately."

"I see," Yuan muttered, amused. "You set a trap for me, knowing I would come. How devious of you."

Martuan shrugged and smiled like she thought she had outdone herself. "Kraine was an extra bonus." She glanced at Kraine. "So do we have a deal? Once you have saved the girl, you will report back to me and we will plan our next move. The rheaird's running on a charge I gave it with my own magic at the moment so it won't go very far, but it should get you there and back."

"I could agree regardless and leave to inform Yggdrasil of your treachery," Kraine stated. "Have you not considered that as an option?"

"Should I have?" she questioned back in usual Martuan fashion.

Kraine rolled his eyes. "You are as bad as Yuan. Or perhaps I should say he is as bad as you." He walked up to the red rheaird in the center of the hangar and slipped onto it. With a dull, hungry rumble, it came to life. Martuan pulled a lever just near the door to the hangar and a hole in the roof above them opened to reveal the starry night sky. Kraine rose up higher on the rheaird and looked back just before he went through the roof. Martuan grinned broadly and waved at him. He sighed deeply and left before she could spout any nonsense of him coming home soon or something.

Martuan turned to Botta, who nodded in understanding of her wishes. "I will make myself scarce Lady Martuan. Just call if you need me." He left through another door in the hangar close to where he'd been standing when Yuan had first entered with Kraine.

"Now then," Martuan said once the door closed and it was only the two of them. She flicked her hair out of her eyes and stalked closer to Yuan. "I think it's time you told me who you really are, Yuan Ka-fai."

Yuan gazed back, not intimidated at all and actually sort of enjoying the scent of flowers she seemed to carry with her. "Why should I waste my time when you appear to already know?"

Martuan abruptly stepped back. "So it really is true. You are the Yuan part of me?"

"In a sense, I suppose," Yuan agreed. "It is a complex story."

xxx

Gesea couldn't believe the mess she'd gotten herself into. She didn't understand how she was still even conscious. Every single muscle and cell in her body hurt. "Lightning!" she cried when she managed to roll under a lunging attack from one of the two smaller dragons and point her kendaxe to the sky. The 'baby dragon' shrieked from the shock and slumped to the floor in a heap. She didn't have time to figure out whether it was just stunned or dead though. The other smaller dragon that Rodyle had once again saddled himself to was already coming in for another attack. She heard an angry growl from the 'mother dragon' and quickly turned her attention to it.

Her wings flapped up around behind her as she leaned over the edge of the platform and swiped at her. Gesea jumped out of the way of one swipe but was unlucky enough to get whacked square in the ribs by a quick second swipe. She could feel herself flying through the air, but she couldn't open her eyes.

Her body seared in pain- especially her back. The middle of her spine felt like it wanted to rip itself out of her body. In her delirious state, she actually imagined it happening. It would curl out from her back like a scorpion tail and catch the edge of the platform before she fell to her death. She'd then use it to propel herself back into battle and live to fight another day.

" _Is this really the end?"_ she wondered as wind buffeted straight into her face and immediately chapped her already bleeding lips. She could feel the pressure of gravity pushing her downward and knew she was falling at a high speed. _"Rodyle does not want me dead,"_ she tried to remind herself. " _That makes no sense."_ She screamed but found she actually couldn't hear herself aside from a muffled cry over the wind.

" _It'll be okay!"_

Everything went quiet and for the first time in a while the searing heat in her body seemed to calm. The darkness in her eyelids turned red as she heard a voice. Opening her eyes, she found all she saw was red. She couldn't see the sky or the ground, the platform, dragons, Rodyle or..

A young woman with short pink hair the same shade as her own appeared in front of her and smiled. She stared, recognising her right away despite the fact that she looked older than she remembered. "Annalicia!"

The moment she cried her sisters name and heard her voice, some common sense for reality came back to her. She tapped her head. "I must be hallucinating!"

" _Or am I dead?"_ she wondered quickly after. Despite everything, that actually made the most sense. Annalicia, her beloved sister from her hazy memories, was standing in front of her.

"No," Annalicia corrected, her voice seeped in fondness. "You're not hallucinating, my dear sister."

Gesea didn't understand what that meant.

"I've been watching this whole time," Annalicia pressed on. "I was unable to do anything until now because the rune crest controlled the mana in your body. Let me save you."

"W-wait!" Gesea cried as her sister floated upward and vanished.

The first sensation to come back was the sensation of breathing. She'd missed the smell of the air.

Annalicia squinted for a second before fluttering her eyes open to see the scared face of Kraine. He'd only just been shaking her. He stopped when he realised she'd awoken. The red in his face from shouting Gesea's name quickly vanished. He turned pale and the scared look in his eyes vanished.

"A..A..An.." he stuttered, his eyes showing disbelief and a little bit of shock.

She smiled, glad that he realised. Despite the fact that she was seated bridal style in his quivering arms while the rheaird he sat on slowly floated toward the roaring sea below, and the fact she could hear the sound of the dragons that had wounded Gesea's body getting closer to their small hiding spot directly under the platform, she couldn't help but be happy. She reached her throbbing arm up to Kraine's face and he quickly entwined his fingers with hers.

"Annalicia..." he mouthed softly. "Is this truly happening?"

She couldn't believe how much she'd missed him call her name. Happiness buzzed in her chest and she felt like crying. "Master Bryant... my beloved angel," she whispered up to him, her voice croaky and her throat sore. "Please help me save my sister. This body is giving up... but... there's still time. We need to split Gesea."


	40. Preludes and repetitions

Kraine watched his beloved as she rested against his rigid arms that he'd lifted to control the rheaird before it descended too far toward the sea; indescribable feelings coming to the surface. The first was utter disbelief. He was holding the body of Gesea, but the unmistakeable soul and mana signature of Annalicia had come forward. The second was the undeniable curiosity he usually kept well hidden out of fear of giving Mithos, Martuan or Gabriel any new ideas. He wanted to know how she had come forth in spirit. Had she possessed her sister? Or was it possible..

His eyes fell on the Angelus Project connected to her chest. He didn't need to touch it to know it was steaming with heat. Gesea's whole body was running a dangerously high fever. He'd initially thought her dead when he'd seen her plummeting toward the ocean, and it had only been the intense heat she'd been radiating that had convinced him otherwise. The overload of emotions he felt as he tried to find the right words to say was almost too much. She smiled at him with the face of Gesea; but he felt the warmth of Annalicia shining all the way through it. The unimaginable agony she was putting herself through made his old seraph heart ache. He had so many things he wanted to say. There was no time.

Agonising over everything, he finally managed a shake of his head. He knew what she was meaning when she said she wanted to split Gesea. While he had never been directly involved in the Angelus Project aside from his days of funding exsphere excavation and taking Annalicia into custody, he had learned all he needed from Mithos and Gabriel and as a test subject for the first Angelus Project.

Annalicia wanted to put into practice the very thing Mithos had been aiming for until presently and the thing Mithos wanted to do now. She was going to finish what Rodyle had started; overcharge the Angelus Project with mana to create the split between Gesea's two forms, and use the infuriatingly amazing evolved exsphere as a catalyst to transfer the souls trapped within it to another body.

Finally words came to him. "No Annalicia. Your body is too weak."

He thought about saying that there had to be another way, but she and him both knew there was not. Especially not at the rate Gesea's body was feeling the effects of the long-time subdued parasite. He started thinking of the ways he couldn't wait to punish Rodyle and briefly started to imagine a life where he got the rune crest from him and attached it to Gesea's body in time. Would Annalicia stay with him forever? What would become of Gesea's soul trapped inside the Angelus Project. Maybe they could-

His thoughts were cut off when Annalicia gripped him with one hand and wiped his face with the other. "Please Regal.. don't look so sad." She laughed when he gave her a look. "Alright _fine_. 'Kraine'."

The brief attitude she'd shown in her voice and in her smile faded as she glanced into the darkness around them. The squawks of the dragons looking for their prey grew closer. They wouldn't be safe for much longer, even hidden behind the thick patch of slow moving dark clouds that served as their current hiding location. She gazed back at him and a small moonlit tear rolled out from her right eye. Her body was so hot that he didn't even get a chance to wipe it from her before it evaporated.

"We both know.." Annalicia started again, her breathing becoming erratic, "that I am not meant for this world." She took a few more breaths. Kraine opened his mouth to tell her to stop dribbling such nonsense; the same way he had done whenever she had doubted her self-worth as a half-elf in the past. "It was only you that made me feel otherwise," she added before he could. "But Gesea is my sister and I know you've come to care for her as though she is yours as well. We need to do what we can to save her. Lloyd would be lost without her."

She smiled lovingly at him again, and again he thought of all the things he wished he could talk to her about. Had he turned into a seraph with the ability to make time stand still as Mithos could, he would have done it there and then.

The squawks of the dragons broke the two of them out of their moment. Kraine gently shifted his arms to control the rheaird. He heard the cackle of Rodyle and zoomed past him when the dragon flapped close. Rodyle momentarily lost his composure at seeing him before he laughed. "Lord Kraine! So you _did_ know the truth behind this girls Angelus Project. The other Grand Cardinals are such nitwits." He flew closer to them.

Kraine quickly ensured his signature stone face was in place. "What is the meaning of this, Rodyle?" he asked.

Rodyle gave a chicken-like cackle. "Now now. I can't tell you that, can I?" He raised an eyebrow at Gesea's body resting on him. Kraine wasn't certain if Annalicia had fainted or was pretending. He guessed the latter. He'd taught her many things about what to do if she was found in the time when he left to make an appearance with Cruxis in order to throw them off of their scent while they'd been on the run.

"Lord Gabriel did say that you may be an issue," Rodyle said, sounding unimpressed. "After all.. she is the sister of your dead wife!"

So Gabriel had been conversing with Rodyle. Kraine silently glowered and made a note to turn his 'talk' with Gabriel into more a heated discussion. He led the rheaird back up and around toward the floating sky platform, Rodyle following. His dragon didn't snap at them, but it wasn't really surprising. He wanted Gesea to keep feeding the Angelus Project for whatever Gabriel had planned after all.

He steered the rheaird up through the clouds to the Dragons Nest and then away from it again. He knew he'd already used it for a lot longer than Martuan had intended, but he had to help Annalicia before they arrived back at their destination. He gingerly rested a hand on her forehead and cast a revitalise spell on her. Even as he did, he could feel more mana ebbing away from his body than normal thanks to the crystal on her chest.

The heat radiating from her body lessened. She poked an eye open at him as they flew. He continued to cast until he felt the area around him well up with mana. Something blasted at the rheaird from behind and the smell of smoke filled the air. He glanced behind to see the damage from what was likely dragon breath; black smoke billowed from the rheairds exhaust. He felt the mana in the air welling up again and glanced up to Rodyle and his dragon.

"Don't think I'm going to chase you around all night," Rodyle bellowed. "I need that Angelus Project and I won't be going anywhere without it."

The rheaird was starting to lose the remainder of its juice. Judging by the clinking and sick sounding mechanical noise it gurgled, Kraine swiftly made an executive decision to let it fall to the floating dragons nest just a little below and zip out his wings to break the rest of their descent.

Annalicia opened her eyes as he fluttered down as gently and quickly as he could. Under the blue light of his wings, he could see her eyes get a little wider and her smile a little broader. Even she had not seen them very often. He had never revealed them while taking residence at the Lezareno Company. They gave off a very recognisable mana signature that identified him better than a fingerprint to those of Cruxis. A sudden flash of memories from their first meeting when she had been little more than a child came to surface, but he quickly pushed anything other than battle readiness from his mind.

He held Annalicia steady until she stood on her own. "Don't push yourself," he muttered. "Do not stray far from me and hold my hand at all times." He offered his hand to her.

She giggled and shook her head. "No Kraine. You know I can't fight if I do that."

They watched the flying dragons take perch around them in a triangular formation, their red glowing eyes boring down on them with the desire to kill. Annalicia threw a few punches to the air and then a kick to apparently show Kraine that she was ready. He let out a low breath of relief. She seemed to be feeling a lot better for the time being.

Being the stubborn woman that she was when she had her mind made up; he knew he would have to make a deal with her. He drew his sword from its sheath. "Very well. I will dismount Rodyle and take the dragons. Make sure you kill him for both of us."

"Gotcha."

xx

Gesea dropped to her knees and stared out through the red hue of her Angelus Project; the thing Kraine had told her was a Cruxis crystal. Tears fell from her eyes and she shook her head in disbelief. The scenery changed from looking at Kraine to facing Rodyle after a large-scale shower of magic she could feel even from the crystal hit the dragons that had very nearly killed her. She'd never seen Kraine use that kind of magic before.

Rodyle grew closer and closer to Annalicia. Gesea could hear her sisters raspy breaths as she ducked under a swipe from a magical weapon Rodyle had conjured and punched him in the nose. The little pair of glasses seated on the bridge of his nose shattered and crumpled against his face before falling apart in two pieces to the ground. She heard a yell from her sister and flinched. The red walls of the Angelus Project around Gesea glowed a brighter red and she covered her eyes. A light tingling sensation filled her entire body and she felt as though she were floating. The heat she'd felt on her body before radiated from the floor she was kneeling on and she had to stand up to keep it from burning her.

"Um.."

A voice from behind made her jump in surprise and whirl around, only to startle a silver haired young man slightly shorter than herself. He took a quick step back, tilting his head from side to side as he stared at her. "Hello?" he asked, sounding incredibly nervous.

"Hello?" she greeted in question back. "Who are you?"

As the words left her mouth, she thought her voice sounded different. She felt a bit lighter too. A quick glance down told her that she had somehow changed her clothing. She was wearing a cute black dress tied at the middle with a silver belt, and her usual high cut boots and gauntlets. The boy standing and still looking fixedly at her was wearing a familiar blue tunic top and shorts with decorative white and swirly edges and a black shirt underneath.

"W-who am _I_?" the boy asked. "Who are you? One second I was kneeling down pretty much where you are, and the next I'm standing and looking at you." A look of what Gesea thought was realisation washed over his face and his eyes grew even wider. "Oh no," he said, raising a quivering finger and pointing it at her. "It happened to us. What Annalicia said."

"What she said?" Gesea didn't have to think for too long. She closed the gap between herself and him. "Could it really be? You are my other self?"

"I-I think so," he said with an over exaggerated nod, making his hair fly into his eyes as he did. He laughed and wiped it away.

"So I'm not Gesea anymore?" she couldn't help but ask aloud. Not that she expected an answer, but he shook his head. "I wonder what I should call you?"

xx

The two smaller dragons dropped to the ground with pained shrieks and slowly started to turn into glittery dust, leaving the saddle Rodyle had been using on one to fall from mid air toward the sea below the nest.

"You've still got some fight in you," Rodyle said, rubbing his face. "How are you feeling?"

Annalicia breathed heavily as she watched him starting to cast a spell on her. Kraine had his sword clenched in the teeth of the large mother dragon. She picked him up by his sword and attempted to swat him to the ground by lurching her enormous right clawed paw at him. Thankfully he let go and flitted to safety above her reach before doing a nosedive straight for her eyes. She roared in distaste and tried to swat him away like a cat playing with a fish on a string. He was too nimble to be caught though.

Annalicia loved watching him fight with his feet, but she'd never seen him do it while airborne. Watching him twist and kick in midair and twirl to hit with both his ankles and the steel toe of his boots in one fluid movement was like watching a gravity defying ballet dancer- not that she would _ever_ tell him that.

Through the pulsing sensation spreading through her veins and the searing heat from the Angelus Project, she managed to get her legs to run off to the side just in time to avoid a lightning strike of magic from her own assailant. She ran toward him from the side where she didn't think he would be expecting. Unfortunately for her, it seemed her tricks had already worn thin. With a crack of steel knuckles she hadn't noticed him wearing against her stomach, she faltered back and coughed. A little blood came with it. She wiped her mouth. Gesea's body was not going to last for much longer.

Rodyle went to attack her again when he instead found a sword flying straight into his back. His eyes went wide and he lurched forward. Annalicia, summoning the last of her strength from somewhere deep within, punched him just below his sternum, pushing him back further into the blade of the sword. Rodyle coughed Kraine's name in a curse and fell to the ground face first.

Only adrenaline from the fight remaining, Annalicia made her way into the open arms of Kraine and felt her legs give out from under her. He caught her of course and lowered her to the ground. She could barely see straight. A floating sensation came over her as the searing of the crystal reached its pinnacle. She thought it might burn a hole straight through her chest.

xx

The former Gesea, now having self-nicknamed herself "Pink" held the boy, "Silver," by the shoulders as she looked out through the red hue of the Angelus Project into the face of Kraine- the man that she'd thought was her brother since he'd come to rescue her from her fate in Ozette. He'd lied to her. She could never forgive him.. but on the other hand..

 _No._ She couldn't think about that.

Silver was quivering in her arms. Just like Lloyd and Colette, the two of them had found themselves to be two halves of a whole Gesea. Since splitting with Silver, Pink found herself feeling a little less afraid of the situation, much more furious, but also less sure of her own convictions on the matter that raced through her head at a million miles per hour. Whoever Kraine was, he clearly was not her brother. She'd heard her sister call him Master Bryant as she'd gazed up at him and allowed the occupants of the crystal on her chest a front seat view. Kraine was the president of the Lezareno Company that had been 'missing' for a quarter of a century, give or take. Of that she could definitely be certain.

The pieces of the puzzle slowly formed and joined together in her head as she continued to watch Kraine gaze down at her sister through their vantage point. The ache in his eyes spoke volumes to her on another matter. He and Annalicia very clearly felt for one another with the unspoken emotion all half-elves and elves inheritantly possessed. She'd seen humans afflicted with it too, but none she'd been close to. Luin came to mind.

Her sister and Kraine loved each other. That wasn't all, either. Rodyle had confirmed it with his earlier crude remark. They hadn't just been in love. They had come together, not as Salvatorians, but because they had desired to do so. Pink didn't know what to feel. In the very least, it made sense as to why he had always acted in such a distressed manner whenever she'd asked him more about _their_ sister. A part of her hated how foolish she had been to believe without any real proof that a man she did not even remember prior to meeting him in Ozette could be her brother.

But how had Annalicia died? She was terrified to find out.

xx

"Please, you must," Annalicia whispered, stroking the thumb of her hand cupped around Kraine's chin against his cheek.

He lulled into her palm slightly, closing his eyes. "Annalicia.."

She was always amazed at the words he managed to say without saying them. When she had first met him again, she'd initially been irritated at what she'd thought was a lack of vocabulary. As time wore on during her stay at the Lezareno Company and during their time on the run from Kvar though, she'd noticed a lack of words meant something different where he was concerned. He was a man that preferred his words to hold meaning when he spoke. His soft uttering of her name oozed the feeling that he didn't want to do what was coming next. It was infectious.

She could feel her consciousness fading away from reality and her thoughts becoming more and more jumbled. Even her hand on his face was starting to seem disconnected from the rest of her body. She closed her eyes; too strained to hold them open any longer. Kraine's grip on her quivered slightly as he watched her form glow. A large amount of mana surrounded them, ebbing from the Angelus Project. Her body pulsed loudly underneath him. He held her tightly to him despite the pain in his eardrum from the rapidly increasing volume and intensity of the mana bursts. It eventually slowed and stopped again. He glanced off to the side of them to another glowing form on the ground for a second and then back to her. "Please forgive me."

xx

Pink gasped as she watched her former brother draw her sister away from him and hold a small knife close to the viewpoint. The blue light radiating from his wings cast a shine on it that reflected straight through the crystal and forced her to shield her eyes. The scenery went dark and the heat of their surroundings faded.

xx

Kraine held Annalicia close to him and closed his eyes. He could feel the final signs of her life trickling away from her as the glow of her body faded and revealed a new, albeit similar looking form. He clutched the Angelus Project in his hand as he tried to find the right words to express his thoughts. He couldn't lose her again. He wouldn't.

"My love," she whispered, faintly squeezing his hand. "Give him the Angelus Project."

He followed her gaze to the silver haired boy staring up to the sky blankly from a rigid lying position on the ground. He didn't want to leave her for even a second as she slipped further away, but he knew he had to. If he didn't, her.. sacrifice.. would all be for nought. He felt dirty even thinking of her as a sacrifice. Still, he did as she wished.

He gently rested her on a grassy patch on the damp ground and dragged his feet over to the boy. He couldn't even feel an aura of mana from him. He was quite literally a shell. Unlike Colette however, he didn't sense he was a self preservation device. Colette had been different. She'd been given that Cruxis crystal and it had effectively made her a vessel ready to become either a sacrifice to Yggdrasil to be able to split Martuan's souls since her mana signature was a match, or a lifeless angel, ready to mindlessly defend Derris Kharlan.

Muttering apologies, he unstrapped a belt from his Cruxis uniform and tied it around the boys arm to restrict the blood flow. Then, with a quick shallow incision with the small pocket knife that was still slicked with Annalicia's blood, he placed the Angelus Project back inside him. "I'm sorry," he muttered as he worked. "It seems you are destined to be burdened with the results of my sins for the rest of your life."

He placed the rune crest that Rodyle had stolen just deep enough into the incision that when he healed the skin with his first aid magic, it stayed in place there.

xx

"Can you feel that, Pink?" Silver asked, gazing up from the glowing red floor. He didn't seem so scared any more.

She nodded, having been about to ask him the same thing. A breeze charged with static electricity swept through the special exsphere, knocking them apart and pushing them to their knees. The floor didn't burn to touch any more, Pink noticed.

"Are you alright Silver?" she asked, her head spinning a bit from the suddenness of her collapse.

He didn't answer.

Worried and gaining her composure, she turned to where she thought he would have landed. No sign of him. He was gone. A light feeling like the one she remembered from using the elevator in the Altamira resort hotel came over her and she got a different vantage point. A familiar head of silver hair connected to an elven face with ocean blue eyes gazed through the redness of the Cruxis crystal down at her for a second, looking surprised.

xx

Kraine stood with bated breath, waiting for the boy- his technical brother-in-law- standing in front of him to say something. Knowing dual souls existed within one body had hardly been a secret from him- he'd even asked Mithos to tell him the names of his souls. His alias as Duke Regal had come from that. Yet still it was agonising to watch the wave of emotions flicker in the boys eyes as he moved his gaze from the Angelus Project safely attached to the flat of his hand to him. When they were eye to eye, he noticed some features of his looked like Gesea, and yet.. not. Unsurprising, of course. He wasn't Gesea; he was only a part of her.

"Kraine?" the silver haired boy asked unsurely in a voice with a sharper and less mono tone than he was used to from Gesea. Kraine gave him his attention until he caught a hint of movement out of the corner of his eye. He looked back at Annalicia. She was still unmoving from her spot. He left the silver haired boy to come to terms with everything for the time being and headed over to her. She was breathing, just barely.

He gathered her up into his arms and held her close, unable to say anything now. A gasp sounded from the boy behind him, but he didn't need to know why. Mana had begun filling the air long before now and a presence had been getting closer. Still, he had nothing to fear.

"Yggdrasil!" Silver cried, quickly summoning his kendaxe. It felt oddly heavy in his hand, he noticed.

Kraine, still with Annalicia in his arms, turned toward him. "Leave the boy alone, Lord Yggdrasil."

The tall, white-wearing blond angel raised a protestant hand at him. "Don't worry. I will not harm a hair on his head; provided he cooperates with me." He threw something red. Kraine shifted to catch it and looked down into his palm. A Cruxis crystal glimmered up at him.

"Annalicia is still alive, as is Presea's body," Yggdrasil explained. "Take her to the Great Seed. It will keep her alive for the time being."

Kraine looked at Annalicia. "So, the girls name is Presea." He snapped his attention back to Yggdrasil. "Just what are you planning to do with the boy?"

"You should be more worried about the girl," Yggdrasil pointed out, ignoring the question. "You have my word I will not harm him."

Kraine glanced between the silver haired boy and Annalicia/Presea. "Alright." Jostling her body in his arms as he stood, he gave one final look to the angel and the timid half-elf boy before flying off for the Tower of Salvation.

Silver took some very quick steps back from Yggdrasil, keeping his weapon firmly pointed at him despite the increasing feeling of pointlessness and dread coming over him. Yggdrasil turned to look at him and he was surprised at the expression he received. Instead of the cruel smile of the Cruxis leader that he remembered from their encounter during the time Colloyd had split into Colette and Lloyd, he was met with a kind one.

Yggdrasil knelt down to him, his rainbow coloured wings still spanning around him like a majestic halo. "Now Genis, do you want to go back to your friends?"


	41. Two of a kind

There he was, standing with the angel that had split the worlds kneeling and looking up at him with an unnaturally friendly expression. If recent happenings hadn't already fried his brain a bit, this particular one was the straw that broke the camels back. Silver stuttered while Yggdrasil waited for an answer to his question. "Wh-what?" he couldn't help but blurt out instead.

Yggdrasil had called him Genis, just like he'd called Pink "Presea". He rolled the name 'Genis' around in his head for a moment, still unsure of what to say to the angel. He kept on his guard, despite wishing he'd summoned a lighter and less awkward feeling weapon. The name Genis sounded good. A small part of him thought it sounded a bit like 'Genius' too though. His lip curled up at the thought of anyone being called Genius.

"I am not waiting for an answer, you know," Yggdrasil said, letting out an impatient sigh. "Get on my back. That rheaird is pretty much broken and if you stay here too long, Rodyle will start to stink."

Genis found himself proven wrong. Yggdrasil smiling at him as though they were friends was not the weirdest thing ever. _That_ title went to the last mental image he'd been subjected to- aka: flying through the night sky on the back of their nemesis and the leader of Cruxis.

"No way. I'm not going anywhere with you," he answered in the strongest voice he could. "I heard what you said to.." he stopped before he said 'his brother'. "To K-Kraine. You said you wouldn't hurt me if I 'cooperated'."

Yggdrasil laughed. He _actually_ laughed- like a normal person. Genis started to wonder if he was dreaming and if he'd wake up and find himself as a part of Gesea again. "You're right. I did say that," the seraph agreed. He watched over him and waited for him to say something. After a few more moments of nothing though, he let out a groan and stooped his shoulders. "Fine. I was going to wait until we were back at the sail boat, but I can see we are going to get nowhere if I don't do anything."

Genis shielded his eyes when Yggdrasil's body glowed. Golden feather-like bubbles flew from his person until standing there was none other than his friend Mithos- the captain of their sail boat. He stuttered. To his surprise, Mithos shuffled his feet and glanced away from him while clutching his hands together. "Yeah, it's me."

"Mithos?" Genis mouthed. "You're-"

"My name is Mithos Yggdrasil," Mithos introduced, holding out his hand to him with a hopeful expression in his eyes. Genis looked at the extended limb like it had another life form growing on it accidentally. Mithos withdrew his hand, looking disappointed. "I know it's weird, but you've got to believe me. Cruxis isn't what you think it is. This world isn't the way it is supposed to be. We are trying to fix it."

"It isn't?" Genis asked. "You are?"

Mithos shook his head. "Do you think we'd really want to destroy a world that we worked so hard to defend in the first place?"

Genis frowned. "We don't really know that much about Cruxis, to be quite honest." That _was_ pretty much true. Most of what they knew had come from Martuan and what they'd pieced together after the confrontation with Yggdrasil and Kraine in the Tower of Salvation.

"If you are willing to listen, I am willing to explain things to you," Mithos replied. A shy sort of smile spread on his lips as he glanced off to one side. "You did say you didn't mind being my friend."

Genis found himself at a loss for words. The desperation in Mithos' voice as he said the word 'friend' sent him reeling back to the past and to feelings he'd buried in lieu of necessity. He'd never had friends growing up, or when he'd travelled with Kraine. Not _really,_ anyway. A small shiver crept up his spine when he remembered the day that he'd finally decided to throw caution to the wind and tell Novariel's children that he was actually only a half-elf after hearing their stories about leaving their mothers willingly to travel with their mutual father who was a big believer in the W.S.P.

Incidentally, that had also been the day that he and Kraine had needed to discontinue their travels with them and also the day he came to realise just why his 'brother' had always maintained that telling anybody that they were half-elves was a very bad idea. For a while after they had left the travelling caravan behind, Kraine had seemed more on edge. He'd continuously had his hand on the pommel of his sword and they'd stopped travelling at night time.

When they'd finally gotten to Iselia and Kraine had established himself as a capable teacher at the small school there, he had warned him to never reveal his half-elf status to anyone. Whenever Colloyd had asked about elves (since elves were their cover), he'd always felt guilty for lying to him about his true origins. He remembered the day he'd finally gathered up the courage to ask Kraine whether he could tell the Chosen of Regeneration, with whom he had grown quite fond of and close to in what even he had to admit was a short time. Kraine had promptly responded that he would not be able to be friends with him if he told him. Out of fear of seeing the same distrust in his best friend's eyes as he had in the children of Novariel, he'd decided Kraine was right and kept it a secret.

So when another half-elf boy told him they wanted to be his friend, it was a big deal.

Yggdrasil or not, Genis owed it to himself to hear Mithos out. Still a bit wary, he de-summoned his kendaxe. Mithos looked relieved. Genis turned his back to him and paused for a second before heading over to the edge of the floating sky platform. "Just how is this thing staying up in the air anyway?"

xxx

Yuan twisted the golden ring on his finger while he waited on a suede couch in a small room Martuan had led him through to at the top of the Renegade Base near the hangar. What was both interesting and equally perplexing was the combination of tastes she showed in the decorations. On one (much more pleasant) hand, the room smelled like her. It carried the combination of herbs and flower scent he had not forgotten, even after all these years. On the other hand, she shared the same gaudy taste he had (and had repeatedly been berated by _certain people_ for)- including his taste for hanging carpets and small trinkets that would gather dust overnight and have him endlessly waving a feather duster around.

The ring almost came flying off of his finger when the door whooshed open and _she_ stepped in. She smiled at him curiously and sat down on the red couch opposite him. "I apologise. We may need to cut our meeting short very soon. It appears Kraine is heading to the Tower of Salvation with the girl in his arms."

"How do you know that?" Yuan asked, then blinked. "By 'the girl', you mean Gesea?"

"Yes, it appears that way," Martuan replied. "My operatives could not get a close look. He is keeping to the shadows and frequently disappearing from their sight."

Yuan snickered under his breath, very well aware at the other half-elf's adeptness under cover of shadow. He thanked the gods that his facial emotions hadn't learned to hide themselves quite as well- to him and select other few at least.

He trained his eyes on Martuan again when she offered him a cookie from a glass jar on the solid oak table that sat on the floor between the two of them. She smiled so casually as she unscrewed the silver lid and offered them that he almost dove straight in to take one despite his lack of appetite for sweet things or his knowledge that just one bite of them would probably have him telling her more than he wished. He could smell the familiar herb used in truth potions nestled within the deceptive chocolate chip cookies. More buried memories came flooding back. It was only the distinct but different chime of her laughter that stopped him from giving himself away to her. She closed the lid to the cookie jar and rested back. "You're good. Not that I would have expected any less. Enough is enough, Yuan. Tell me; what is my next move?"

Yuan thought his response through carefully. "How is the progress of the Mana Cannon?"

Martuan hid her surprise well, but Yuan still saw it in her eyes. She fluttered her lids closed and grimaced. "You know what we plan to do with it then?"

"I do," he said, hoping she wouldn't open her eyes to detect his lie. Well, in the very least, it wasn't a _complete_ lie. "You want to destroy the Tower of Salvation while also using the power of the mana cannon to revive the Great Seed so that the limited amount of mana between the worlds becomes no more than a distant memory."

She wasn't the least bit surprised at that. "That is why you wanted the Angelus Project from Lloyd," he added.

"Correct. Only a Cruxis crystal from the new Angelus Project is able to power the Mana Cannon. It appears that I was looking in the wrong place, though." She looked a bit disappointed. "I might have vaguely under-estimated the cunning of Kratos as the half-elf he is now."

Now _that_ was something Yuan found intriguing. Realising Martuan hadn't yet understood her slip up, he couldn't resist a little tease. "I think you may have had licked your fingers after offering me some of those 'cookies'." A vague memory of having done the same exact thing after trying to cheat his way into winning a hand of poker came to mind.

Before Martuan could say anything, the door to the room opened and Botta let himself in with a respectful bow at her. "Lady Martuan. We must intercept Kraine before he takes the girl to Derris Kharlan. I presume he intends to keep her safe in a place where he believes nobody would look."

Martuan nodded and stood from her spot. Yuan stood too and intercepted her before she left. "Martuan, this is not a good idea."

"There is something else you know?" she asked, glancing behind him to Botta for a second and then back to him. "Enlighten us, Mr Ka-fai." She gave him a conniving smile that made his heart constrict a bit in his chest. "Or perhaps Lord Yuan is more fitting?"

Yuan shifted uncomfortably at the titles and a sudden _very_ daunting realisation. "You will only cause great destruction if you dare to fire the Mana Cannon at the Great Seed. Palmacosta in particular will suffer," he explained, backing away as casually as he could and resisting the urge to clear his throat. "The best course of action is to do as I already told you and allow the Chosen of Tethe'alla to obtain the summon spirits first."

"That is a temporary solution," Martuan snapped, agitation in her voice. "The world will be no better off than it was before the war. Sylvarant will die and Tethe'alla will follow eventually when the people exhaust its mana supply. We cannot allow Mithos a sacrifice in order to reverse the mana flow, either."

She attempted to push past him, but he held her at the arms almost as an automatic reflex. She venomously glared up at him and he could practically feel the electricity emanating from her. He darted to the side before a crackle of magic hit him. Realising what he'd done, she turned away to Botta, who had drawn his sword and nodded. They darted out of the door behind them both.

"No!" Yuan summoned his butterfly blade and darted through the door as well to find the two of them in the process of locking it from the outside.

Martuan summoned her battlestaff at the ready. "Shouldn't you be just taking a rheaird while my back is turned?" she asked. "That's what you usually do, isn't it?"

"Heh," Yuan chuckled. "You've figured that much out and yet you will not listen to reason?" He turned his blade up. "I don't particularly see a need for this to become a blood bath if you only would listen and understand my point."

"There is limited time," Martuan replied. "If I do not take ownership of the A012 Angelus Project, Yggdrasil might. Or even worse- Gabriel."

Yuan realised it wasn't exactly a great time for idle conversation, but he couldn't help himself. "You do not trust him?"

Martuan's gaze narrowed on him, trying to analyse his meaning. "No. I have never."

"Let me guess," Yuan continued, "you feel uneasy around him?"

"This conversation is irrelevant," Martuan said as she let out a frustrated cry and stabbed her battle staff at him. It stopped just centimetres before it hit. Yuan gulped and felt his adam's apple rub against its flat end. "Botta," Martuan called. Botta nodded, knowing where this was going. Yuan rolled his eyes. "I leave him to you," the blue haired bombshell completed just for the sake of it. She withdrew her staff from Yuan and stepped away. Botta quickly blocked Yuan's passage to follow her as she ran down the long hallway to the hangar, her boots clacking loudly.

"Old friend," Yuan addressed, matching strengths with the black haired half-elf. "I apologise, but I can't let this happen."

He quickly charged his weapon with magic and sent a thousand volts travelling from it to Botta's weapon. The sparks travelled to his hands and to the rest of his body. He fell to his knees with a pained grunt. "Lady Martuan!" he tried to call, but his voice was already almost lost in the pain. Yuan quickly raced after the Renegade leader, glancing back at Botta only once more before he lost sight of him through the large hangar door.

Martuan was waiting for the secret rheaird she'd kept hidden from the rest of them to appear through the floor after pressing a small button under the main control panel. Her long blue hair flew up and curled around her shoulder to her front as she whirled around to face him, shocked. "How did you overpower Botta so quickly?"

"I have had a _lot_ of experience," he said casually, grinning for a second before pointing his blade at her. "Do not make this mistake. I will warn you once more."

For a short moment, Martuan's glare turned into something else; and for a moment Yuan thought he had finally gotten through to her. Her steely green gaze on him strengthened and her stance changed. She took a deep breath. Yuan steeled himself for what he knew was about to happen. He found her battle staff flying toward his face, Martuan attacking with a downward slam from above. He swiped upward with his blade and broke through the conjured weapon with ease. It glowed and disappeared. She fell straight into him, not having expected his retaliation it seemed since he had let her 'catch him off guard' in the hallway. He dropped his own weapon in the crash to the ground and immediately darted his hand to his backup sword. It would be very easy to inflict a fatal would at such close range, but..

He shivered and pushed her off of him so he could stand up before she could retaliate."You can't match me, even if you _are_ extremely talented." He smiled softly and held his hands behind his back. "It is no wonder you led the Sylvaranti infiltration unit straight into the depths of Tethe'alla."

Just when her curiosity spiked at his obvious tease and she took a single step forward, he released the two daggers he'd conjured behind his back. What surprised him the most was a dagger that came flying straight for him from her as well. It struck his shoulder, sending his vision red for a second. The daze didn't last long. Enduring a painful blast of lightning as he did so, he yanked it out of his flesh, dropped it to the floor, and turned his attention on her again. His daggers had hit their marks and pinned her to the back wall of the hangar by her green battle skirt and cape.

"Do not try to struggle," he said as he pulled out the wing pack the Chosen's group had originally used for the elemental cargo and opened it while pointing it at the three remaining rheairds in the hangar that weren't charged. They responded quickly and sucked into the bag like it was a vacuum, making metal sounds as they did like gald being sucked up into one too. "The magic on them will wear off in a few hours.." he said to Martuan. He turned to the rheaird she had been about to make her getaway on and smirked. "Give or take."

He took a seat and pressed the button to make the flying magitechnology hum to life. It sounded a lot less sick than the one Martuan had borrowed to Kraine. He left her in the hangar and flew out into the night sky, his shoulder still stinging.

" _Well,"_ he thought, gritting his teeth, _"now I have two reasons to find Kraine."_

xxx

"So Cruxis was formed because you found out that a lot of people in the world are born with two or more souls?" Genis asked as they flew over the sea toward where the white glint of the sail boat's sails in the moonlight could be seen. "That sounds a little bit extreme."

"It is not extreme," Mithos defended adamantly. "It is the reason as to why half-elves must remain out of sight. It is the reason the vast majority shun the idea of the heart as well as the body belonging to another and is the reason why even Cruxis can not abolish the Worldwide Survival Project."

"And just how did you figure this out, anyway?" Genis asked next, trying to sound interested instead of apprehensive.

Mithos didn't answer right away. "Have you heard of Origin?" he resolved to ask eventually.

"Yeah, the one in the tale of Mithos the Hero, right?" Genis asked. "I thought that was all just a fairy tale though since we found out the true meaning behind the world regeneration." He couldn't help the spite in his voice. Once again, he found himself reflecting on _why_ he apparently thought it was a good idea to trust Mithos. No. Maybe trust was the wrong word. He smiled, realising exactly what it was. For a long time, he had admired Colloyd's determination to believe there was good in even his enemies. A part of him seemed to have rubbed off on him.

"What if I were to tell you that I made a pact with Origin?" Mithos asked.

Genis' mouth hinged open and he had to close it again before the crisp air whistling past them both dried it out. "Don't tell me... _You're_ Mithos the Hero?"

"'Hero' is debateable by some," Mithos replied, "but yes."

He allowed that revelation to sink into his silver haired friends brain until he touched down on the deck of the sail boat a short time later. There were no lights on. It appeared the remaining group had gone to sleep. Noishe, sleeping with one eye closed and guarding against intruders with the other, gave a squeaky yawn and padded up to him for a pat.

Mithos shifted Genis on his back to get him off so that his hands would be free but found he didn't respond. Cocking his head back slightly, he saw that the boy was sleeping soundly. It was no surprise. He had been through quite a lot.

Being all the more careful, he shifted the boy off of his back and dropped him on to Noishe's. The Arshis raised a metaphorical doggy eyebrow. "What?" he asked in response, changing back to his child form and withdrawing his wings. Darkness shrouded over them at that. "I can't walk in there looking like that, can I?"

Noishe whined. Mithos petted him on the head. "I promise I'll explain everything later okay? Let's just get him inside." He chuckled when Noishe made another noise that sounded like something in-between a whine and a howl. "Okay, okay. I'll get you some tomatoes too."

Wagging his tail gently as to not cause Genis to slip off, Noishe happily turned to the door of the cabin that led through the kitchen and into the lounge. Mithos pulled it open and stepped inside after Noishe, subconsciously holding his breath.


	42. Two guys, a girl and a sail boat rail

_The bloody colour red surrounded Genis when he opened his eyes. A pink haired girl gazed down at him._

"Pink!" he exclaimed, happy to see her. "I mean, Presea!"

Presea bobbed her head and gave a short wave in greeting. "I heard Mithos call me by that name as well."

The mention of Mithos stirred a memory and Genis finally knew what was going on. He had fallen asleep at some point. The last thing he remembered was Mithos telling him he was the _actual_ Hero Mithos named in the legend.

He blinked at Presea. "So you can still see everything that happens while you're in here?" It was pretty dark at the moment, unlike the last time he'd been in the Angelus Project with her.

"Yes," she answered. "I can see everything Genis. Provided you do not put your hand in your pocket, that is."

Genis looked at his hand where the terrible exsphere everyone seemed to want sat. "I'm sorry. I'll try not to in future."

"It's alright," she reassured. He found her placing one hand on his shoulder and the other on his head. "Do your best, Genis." She gave his hair a little rub and he was surprised to actually feel it as though he were actually there. He paused, feeling all of a sudden awkward. She tilted her head while she held her hands in their place, looking expectantly for a reply.

"You seem.. different.. than before," he observed. "I suppose it must be because I'm dreaming."

"No, Genis," Presea said as she shook her head. "I'm really here. Please do not forget about me."

"But how can I help you?" He showed his hand to her. "I can't do anything about the rune crest in my hand. Kraine made sure of that."

"I don't know," she answered, looking sad. He noticed for the first time how much _she_ looked like Annalicia. He hadn't seen his own reflection yet, but he was quite sure his hair was silver like the majority of full-blooded elves. Regardless of everything, it filled with him with both anger and determination in equal measures. "I'll ask Mithos. He knows a lot about what is going on, so maybe he has an idea on how I can get you out of here."

"Be careful," Presea said, removing her hands from him and crossing her arms over her body. She looked like she might be shivering for a second. "I don't think we can trust Mithos."

"You don't?"

Presea shook her head and avoided eye contact with him. She looked as sad as he felt at hearing she didn't seem to see things the same way he did. "He has a darkness in his heart. Didn't you feel that as well?"

He almost reflexively agreed, but decided to stand his ground. "No. I think Mithos must be a good person deep down. Things have just gotten complicated." He hesitated the next part of his sentence. Presea didn't seem too impressed with his admittedly weird trust of the leader of Cruxis. "Just like Kraine is a good person."

That seemed to be the last straw for Presea. "No. Kraine lied to us. We cannot just simply forgive him."

"We should at least find out his story," he explained reluctantly in his own defence. Judging by the differences between them so far, he wasn't all that surprised that they had conflicting opinions on this matter too. "He and Annalicia were in love," he decided to add.

"Yes, I understood that part." Presea sighed. "He still lied to us... and.." She clutched her chest and appeared in pain. Genis stepped forward, his hands flying out from his sides to do something to comfort her. She caught his eyes and he stopped before he reached her. "Genis. I can't shrug the feeling that-"

* * *

Genis didn't get a chance to hear the rest of her sentence. His eyes shot open and he almost head butted a curious and somewhat startled looking Lloyd looking over him from one side, and a Colette with a near identical expression on the other. They jumped away simultaneously and stared at him. The first thing that actually struck him was the dark patches of sleep deprivation under their eyes. The second thing was the bandages all over Lloyd's body. His eyes glimmered with interest though and he didn't seem too bothered by it. Genis felt relieved. He'd seen what those dragons had done to him. He also remembered the pain of being hit over the edge of the floating platform by the very same attack.

"You're awake!" Colette chimed, breaking him out of his guilt-ridden thoughts that he did not seem to feel any of that pain any more. "Um, now let's see. Who were you again?" Her eyes trailed up to the ceiling in thought.

"His name is Genis, remember?" Lloyd reminded her, laughing softly and clutching the bandages around himself as he did. "Mithos said he said that was his name."

"Oh!" Colette's sunny smile returned and she nodded in thanks before looking straight back at Genis. "Hello Genis."

"Um, hello," he said, feeling his cheeks heat up. He wondered what Mithos had told them. It didn't take a 'genius' to realise that Mithos wouldn't have given them the full story. He mulled over in his head what to say next. _"I'm actually a part of Gesea. Nice to meet you all.. again?"_

That didn't sound right.

" _I'm Genis. Presea was the other half of me. Together we were Gesea."_

No. That sounded like a cheesy advertisement for a theatre show. He couldn't just drop that kind of surprise on both of them. With them both looking at him like they were though, he felt the pressure mounting on him to say something. "Where's Mithos?" he asked.

They looked a bit surprised at his random question. He hoped they wouldn't mind waiting a bit longer. He needed to sort his own brain out first before he was able to explain anything. Knowing Lloyd like he did, he knew telling him what had happened at the Dragons Nest would likely spur him to ask that the sail boat be turned around to go and hunt Kraine down. He didn't exactly know where the 'Great Seed' as Mithos had called it was located, but he had the sneaking suspicion he could guess.

Knowing he was being a bit rude still, he turned his feet to the side of the couch. He had to go and talk with Mithos before anything else and get his version of the story. He stopped himself from sticking his hand in his pocket after he stood and stretched, remembering his dream with Presea. A part of him wondered whether it _had_ all just been a dream of his, but the other (likely smarter) part of him admitted that plenty of weird things had happened to him lately.

He didn't want Presea to continue to distrust Mithos, either. He'd felt that she wasn't entirely convinced he wasn't to be trusted and hoped he might be able to convince her otherwise, unlike the situation with Kraine.

He sort of understood why she was so resolute in her opinion on the Cruxis angel though. He didn't quite understand why he felt so differently about the matter himself. Kraine had pretended to be their brother. The way Genis saw it though, Kraine had always put their needs before his own and been everything he would have expected a sibling to be. Finding out that he was technically his brother-in-law (a term seldom known in the non-elven world) according to Rodyle _had_ been a shock to the system, but it hardly changed anything else.

He turned back to Lloyd and Colette to catch them sharing a confused glance. "Sorry, but where did Mithos go?"

"Oh," Colette pointed to the back door past the bridge room. "I think he went outside for a little fresh air." She bowed her head. "I'm sorry. I should have answered you the first time you asked."

" _Colette."_ Lloyd let out a short groan at her.

Genis smiled briefly. They seemed to be getting on rather well. Unlike him and Presea, their personalities seemed pretty similar. He wondered how on earth he'd ever been able to agree with himself on anything in the past when they'd been as one. He shuddered. That _still_ sounded weird to think about. He also felt bad for thinking like that. He'd had one disagreement with her and it felt like the end of the world. It wasn't logical at all.

With a brief thanks, he left them to head to where Colette had directed him. He remembered Sheelos leaving via the same door when they'd been on their way toward Volt's temple. He'd been more interested in Mithos teaching him about the sail boat though. Briefly figuring out that she must have been in the bridge control room, he tugged the door open and squinted as he stepped outside into the bright light and cold air. They seemed to be travelling toward a snowy region. He turned his head when he caught a glimpse of hot breath off to his side. Leaning back onto the sail boats cabin and casting blue eyes on him was Mithos in his much younger looking body.

Genis examined him as he approached a little closer. Without his rainbow coloured wings of mana flapping behind him, he looked almost completely normal. Now that he knew that Mithos was Yggdrasil though, he couldn't help but wonder how he hadn't seen the similarities between his friend and the leader of Cruxis before now. They had the same blond hair and the same blue eyes. Even their mana signature was similar. Granted, he hadn't been suspicious of _that_ similarity for the same reason he hadn't suspected Kraine's change in mana signature when he had his wings visible. An annoying memory about Yuan's odd mana signature from before he and Presea had been taken by Rodyle's dragons niggled itself to the forefront of his mind. He shrugged it off and focused on the situation at hand.

"Good morning Genis," Mithos greeted with a grimace and a short wave. Genis stuttered for something to say. Things seemed different after a nights sleep. He wondered just what he was getting himself into.

"I think it is important we talk," Mithos said when Genis remained a jumbled mess. He straightened up and headed to the railing of the deck that would stop any mishaps if the sea got randomly choppy.

Genis found the ability to agree hadn't left him and joined his friend. He leaned against the rail and eventually summoned the courage to ask the question he wanted to ask in continuation to their conversation the previous night before he'd fallen asleep. "You're really Mithos the Hero?"

Mithos chuckled darkly. "As I said, debatable, but yes. My friends and I split the world to stop the war by making a pact with Origin."

"And what about that stuff about Martel becoming an angel?" Genis questioned, still feeling somewhat doubtful. It wasn't that he didn't believe him; Mithos didn't seem to have a reason to lie. He'd been the one to reveal his true identity to him after all. "What happened to your sister?"

Mithos' eyes shifted and he glanced out to the sea. A few small patches of ice floated past. "Well, the 'becoming an angel' part was not a lie."

He didn't say anything more on the matter. Genis realised he was going to have to prod him on the subject. "What happened to her?"

Mithos dropped his elbows to the railing and spread his palms out in front of himself with a heavy sigh. "Nothing, really. All that happened is that I found out that she existed. That is where my quest began with using the experiment once used on myself to be able to save a world that has long hated half-elves for being different."

Genis took a moment to absorb that information. He still had the feeling Mithos was skipping over his question, but he let him continue regardless. "I started the story about the Journey of Regeneration and gained power within the Church of Origin to rename it in my sisters honour in order to do two things. Do you know what they were?"

Genis thought about it. "You wanted a vessel for Martel?" He still didn't understand what was going on with that.

"That's right. I _needed_ a vessel for her." Before Genis had time to flinch away, Mithos grabbed his hand where the Angelus Project stuck out through his skin. It looked like he was wearing a Cruxis crystal without a key crest. Upon closer examination however, the bumps and shape of the rune crest could easily be felt when the skin around the crystal was touched. "Just like what happened with you, my sister is one soul of two trapped in the collective consciousness of one person. Her name is Martuan, though I doubt you'd have met her yet."

Genis stared. "M-Martuan?"

 _"As in the RENEGADE Martuan?"_ he thought. He stuttered and gently pulled his hand away. He had to keep a straight face. It was no wonder why the blue haired angel lady was being a double agent now. She was against Mithos' ideas for more than one reason, obviously.

"Using the already existing research from during the Kharlan War, Cruxis learned the location exspheres occurred naturally and set up a company that would allow us to easily access them." He paused for a second. Genis wondered what he was thinking until he continued. "Through the information that he had garnered during his time as a spy before he was also caught up in the Angelus Project, Gabriel informed me on the way exspheres gain their power. I'm sure I don't need to explain those facts to you by now though."

Genis shook his head. "They grow by feeding on the hosts mana."

"Simply put, but correct." Mithos didn't sound particularly proud to confirm that. Genis felt quite relieved. "The strength in the soul of the person also makes a large difference in the metamorphosis from an exsphere to a Cruxis crystal, as well as a significant amount of time. Most people with only one soul do not stand a chance. I suppose I am the exception to that rule, as is Gabriel." His lip curled slightly upward and it dawned on Genis that this 'Gabriel' person was the only one of Cruxis' Four Seraphim that he'd been yet to meet. He wondered what he looked like. Mithos got a look on his face whenever he mentioned him. Quickly reminding himself of the 'Ignorance is Knowledge' creed, he decided not to breach that subject for the time being.

"Gabriel eventually suggested that we do further research into the way the exspheres worked. He suggested that it might be possible to use one to absorb enough of a soul to be able to simply transfer it to another body by using the exsphere as a catalyst," Mithos explained.

" _And that's when human ranches were created,"_ Genis thought bitterly.

"Our research led us to Rodyle and the rest of the Grand Cardinals," Mithos went on. "From there, the plan evolved from not only trying to force Martuan's two souls apart, but the rest of the world as well. By allowing the world to understand the way things should be, half-elves would be free to live normal lives without fear of prosecution from the believers of the W.S.P."

Genis eyes widened in surprise. Mithos spoke about it with such passion that it was getting gradually more and more difficult to believe that he'd ever seemed to be the uncaring leader of Cruxis he had appeared to be once before. Mithos turned to him, eyes shining with hope. "Can you imagine what it would be like, Genis? For people to understand what the elves tried to get them to understand forty centuries ago? We would no longer need to stay in hiding and we would be able to use the Worldwide Survival Project to prove the very thing the followers don't believe in."

Genis tried, but he actually -couldn't- imagine it. _"Can you imagine it, Presea?"_ he asked in his head, wondering if their connection via the Angelus Project ran deeper than just what might have been a shared consciousness during R.E.M sleep.

"Neither could I," Mithos replied to his invisible answer and before he could ask what he meant about 'using' the W.S.P. "Until I discovered through the pact with Origin that the world had more problems than its declining mana and the Kharlan War. The reason why most people do not understand love has something to do with a curse Origin has placed on this world. Those that do understand or at least feel that something is amiss seem to have a little elven blood in their ancestry."

"A curse?" Genis blinked. "I thought Origin was meant to be one of the good guys."

"I think he was, once," Mithos agreed. "Something changed him though. When we made the pact with him, he seemed very bitter toward me. I gained some of his power when I used the Eternal Sword to split the nations of Sylvarant and Tethe'alla apart, and with it," he sighed, "the ability to see through his curse." He turned to him. "That is how I know that your name is Genis and how the fairy-floss haired girl that was once a part of the same being as you is called Presea."

Genis' head spun, but he thought he followed Mithos' explanation for the most part. "So let me get this straight," he started. "You made a pact with Origin and then found out through his powers that people are two or more souls in one?"

"That about sums it up," Mithos said. He scratched his head. "You make it sound simple though."

Genis snickered, then a thought struck him. "Hang on a sec Mithos. Just how old _are_ you?"

Mithos snorted, "I suppose you could say I'm on the earlier side of four thousand."

Now _that_ just begged another question. Genis waited though; holding off his curiosity to see if Mithos added anything. His patience was rewarded when Mithos continued. "Myself and my friends became Cruxis. Training ourselves with our exspheres after our...captors.. got what they deserved, we found they eventually evolved into what we called Cruxis crystals. I was fourteen when I stopped growing. The others followed eventually."

"That's a bit of a pain," Genis joked to lighten the mood. "But at least I know you won't get taller than me." "Naturally anyway," he amended after a second, thinking of the adult form Mithos had taken when he had appeared to him the previous night and when he'd introduced himself as Lord Yggdrasil in the Tower of Salvation.

Mithos gave him a brief smile, but it didn't reflect in his eyes. "Making use of our halted internal clocks, we have watched over this world for a very long time." He sounded tired.

Genis felt sorry for him instead of impressed. Mithos seemed to understand his reaction without him actually needing to say it. "A lonely thought, I know. As a young half-elf in the war, I didn't exactly think my prospects of living through it were good. That all changed once I found my friends though and it was a terrifying thought that I would lose two of them eventually to human aging." He glanced past Genis to the door of the cabin. "You have good friends. I know the thought of carrying on without them has crossed your mind more than once."

Genis nodded and let a smile break the sombre mood. "You're smart Mithos."

"No," Mithos disagreed, shaking his head. "Just old."

"So Cruxis was founded by you and your friends?" Genis asked, perching on the question that had been hanging in the air for a while. "They wouldn't happen to be-"

"Myself and the other three seraphim," Mithos finished for him. "My friends Martuan, Kratos and Gabriel."

Genis frowned. He'd heard two of those other names before, but not the second one.

"Kratos is known by something else now, thanks to Origin's curse on the world," Mithos explained. "Unlike most people, his situation was.. unique."

"So Kratos is really.." Genis gulped and couldn't finish his sentence.

"Kraine," Mithos completed for him again.

Genis couldn't help but stare into nothingness for a while. Of course, the moment Mithos had mentioned the other three seraphim, he had known. Kraine wasn't _just_ an angel of Cruxis. He _hadn't_ just recently become one, either. He was friends with Mithos the Hero and had helped to stop the ancient war. He couldn't even begin to imagine what his brother-in-law must have seen in all that time. It was no longer a mystery as to why he was always so stoic and reserved.

His fascination with ruins made a lot of sense too now. Genis imagined he was excited about ruins because they were some of the only things that hadn't changed in the long time he had been alive. Kraine had said something to that effect to him once before but he hadn't quite understood the true meaning until now. "So why was he called Kratos back then?" he asked next. "Was it some kind of alias?"

"No," Mithos shook his head. "It was the name he was born with. Kratos Aurion, to be exact. In the grand scheme of things, the other two souls that inhabit his consciousness only came about a blink of an eye ago. Unlike everyone else in the world who goes through the exact same thing, Kratos...being in a _certain_ situation... was immune to one part of Origin's curse."

Genis desperately wanted to know what this 'certain' situation was, but by the way Mithos had withheld it from him in the explanation, he doubted he would get it even if he asked. _"Ignorance is knowledge. Ignorance is knowledge."_

The wind around them picked up. Mithos pushed some loose strands of his hair behind his ears and spoke a little louder to compensate for the whistling. He seemed content with their talking location despite the fact that the bottoms of his nostrils were garnering a small patch of frostbite. "He was not able to automatically believe he had always been a part of his second soul, Regal Bryant, despite the fact that every other person around him started to address him as though he had. If he had not already known the name thanks to asking me for a suitable alias as president of the Lezareno Company, I'm sure it would have been much more difficult."

Genis could feel his own nose starting to run as he thought about his own name. _Gesea_ likely equalled Genis and Presea together. He wanted to ask more about it but Mithos was already going on past the perfect opportunity.

"Using the system of the W.S.P to my advantage, I gave the order to Gabriel to send down to the Grand Cardinals and to the Desians to capture generations of the same family to test out the theory that the Cruxis crystal would absorb the most dominant soul and be able to be transferred to another with a close mana signature."

Genis was afraid to ask, but he had to. "What happened to the subjects?"

Mithos hesitated to answer, making Genis even more afraid. "We discovered that the process had flaws. Mostly being that while you could take one soul from one person and put it into another body, the new body would then have a second or a third soul depending on the individual. The only solution was to create an empty vessel for Martel or her counterpart to transfer to."

Genis had a feeling he knew where this was going.

"We started the story of the Oracle and the Journey of Regeneration for the Chosen by tracing a bloodline through the ages that was the closest to Martuan's. While we were going on with Plan A, Rodyle, Magnius and Kvar worked together on a Plan B that would allow the least deaths and complications that would occur if we were to use the Cruxis crystal method we were testing with the Chosen's bloodline. Eventually they successfully developed new technology in the form of a special key crest. Using it, we slowly cultured a different type of more powerful Cruxis crystal."

Mithos' gaze fell to Genis' hand and he immediately felt uncomfortable. "The Angelus Project," he added to the end of the explanation to show he was still following. He still had so many questions. _Why_ he and Presea -Gesea-, not to mention Annalicia and also Lloyd's mother been chosen as a test subject was right up there on his priority list. He hesitated though, not sure he would like the answer.

"That's right Genis," Mithos commended. "Just as with exspheres turning into regular Cruxis crystals, the Angelus Project needed a very specific environment. Only one subject-" He stopped mid-sentence and turned his head to the door.

A second later it opened and Lloyd poked his head out. "What are you guys still doing out here? Come inside where it's warm."

"Oh," Mithos said in a higher tone than Genis was used to hearing from him now. "We'll be there in just a minute!"

Lloyd hung in the door crevice for a short time more before nodding his head and retreating back inside. Mithos snapped his head back to Genis and he jumped when he saw a brief scowl on his features. It faded when Mithos seemed to realise he'd surprised him. "As I was saying," he started again, "only one subject was able to successfully grow a Cruxis crystal while using a key crest to delay the parasitic process for long enough for it to evolve further. She ran away with it as it neared its completion. Kvar eventually tracked her down and she died for it, but it vanished before he could get his hands on it."

" _Col's mother,"_ Genis thought sadly as he balled his fists up behind his back. What could he do? What good would lashing out at Mithos do? He had to be very careful and play his cards right with this one. With power like Mithos had, he could easily blow apart their ship. They were nowhere near strong enough to stop him. A small part of him felt guilty for pretending to be okay with everything Mithos was explaining.

"When Colloyd split into Colette and Lloyd at the tower, I thought we had found it again. It seems that I was mistaken though and the true Angelus Project resides with you." Mithos' explanation seemed slightly truncated, but Genis was more worried about the look he was being given. "Now Genis, _this_ is where your cooperation comes in."

"W-what do you want me to do?"

"It's a really simple win-win," Mithos went on. "We have to train you so that Presea comes forward into your body, then use the power of the Angelus Project to create a new body using her mana signature for her. If we can do that, then we can do it for everyone."

"A new b-" Genis found Mithos' hand over his mouth. The door to the cabin opened again and Colette stuck her head out this time. "It's reeeeally cold you two! Come on in so we can talk together." She giggled at the scene of Mithos with his hand on Genis' face and opened the door further to usher them in.

Mithos shot Genis a look that he decided to translate as "we'll talk more about this later." He _hoped_ that was what it meant anyway. Either that, or it meant "If you tell anyone I will blow the boat up." He _really_ hoped it wasn't the latter. Mithos was ruthless in his goals, but after hearing his story (or at least some of it), he felt a bit better about deciding to trust him.

His legs involuntarily shaking a bit, he turned from the undercover Cruxis leader and proceeded inside. His head quickly filled with other things when he caught a wave in his direction from Lloyd. Would Mithos allow him to tell the group that he was the Genis part of Gesea? He wondered whether there would ever be a chance to talk with his best friend alone.

He wanted to talk to Lloyd about everything- _especially_ Kraine. He wanted to tell him about his sister and the events that had come to pass. What he mostly wanted was for Lloyd to tell him that it didn't matter that he and Kraine weren't related by blood. Lloyd had been raised by Dirk after all, so if anyone knew what he was going through right now, his best friend would.

xxx

"You should also proceed inside," Undine said. "I can protect the boat from meeting tragedy at sea but I am not able to prevent the blood in your body from freezing."

Sheelos let out a sombre laugh and peeled herself from the wall she'd been leaning against while she'd listened in to the conversation between the half-elves. The wind had made it difficult, but she'd definitely gotten the gist of it. Now she knew two things.

One- Mithos was in fact Yggdrasil undercover and wasn't killing them (at least yet anyway), and two; Yuan had _known_ Mithos was Yggdrasil and chosen to keep it a secret from the rest of them.

An unsettled feeling formed in her gut about the second revelation as she ensured her gloves were on properly before climbing the drainage pipe on the wall to the roof of the cabin. Treading lightly, she made her way to the sky light window of the bridge control room and pulled it upward to open. Steadying herself so that when she landed she would do so soundlessly and holding on to the metal latch of the window, she dropped down through the hole.

xxx

Another thought struck Genis while Mithos trailed into the cabin behind him. His eye caught the exsphere sitting in the key crest on Lloyd's hand. Just _how_ had Colette spoken with her and Lloyd's mother during the time that she had been trapped if he and Presea - _Gesea-_ had wound up carrying the Angelus Project she had been killed for all along? He mused on that for only a second or two before an even bigger question hit him.

Why had _Annalicia_ been inside the Angelus Project that had come from Lloyd's deceased mother?

Lloyd shot him a friendly grin as he petted an empty seat on one of the lounge couches, but all Genis could do was stare.


	43. Just like old times

Yuan slowed his rheaird when he felt the familiar mana signature of the professor-seraph. He leaned over the side past the wings as he slowly pushed his right foot on the lowering lever. The metal bird descended through the thin layer of clouds until the familiar grassy patch and mountain range that surrounded the Tower of Salvation came into view. It was still a few kilometres away though. Below him, Yuan could see a small round and sandy island just to the west of Altamira. They'd passed it when they had been using Undine's power to walk on water.

He just barely got a glimpse of the blue glow of Kraine's wings before they disappeared and his mana signature got a lot weaker. He could make out the trademark pink of Gesea's hair close to him as he appeared to be clutching her in his arms. He lowered down closer to the sandy terrain, sending grains flying everywhere and forcing Kraine to shield his eyes until he turned the rheairds motor off.

"Yuan," he said in greeting, not seeming particularly happy to see him.

"You look about as well as expected," Yuan answered in greeting back as he stepped off his ride. "You know as well as I do that even a seraph can't fly non-stop."

Kraine's eyes narrowed at him. "How did you know I was here, of all places?"

"Never mind that. What are you doing with her?" Yuan crossed his arms and flinched at the pulling sensation on his shoulder. Trying to ignore it, he stepped across the sand to get his first glimpse of Gesea's condition.

Kraine didn't answer Yuan at first. He knew very well that the half-elf didn't need to know _what_ he was doing. He'd found him heading toward the Tower of Salvation after all. He could have literally gone anywhere, but for a reason he knew Yuan wasn't going to admit, he had thought to find him here. Still, Yuan had a strange very surprised expression replacing his usual grin as he looked down at Presea. He proceeded with caution; 'Ignorance is knowledge' had always served him well in the past. "Martuan told you I was coming here?"

"You knew she knew?" Yuan asked back, finding his voice after a brief silence.

Kraine turned his attention on the red mark staining Yuan's shoulder when his cape flew in the breeze every so often. His fingers were stained red in places where he'd been clutching the wound. "I take it that your usual attitude did not fly well with our mutual lady friend?"

Confused at first, Yuan reached his hand to his shoulder to notice that it felt wet again. Martuan had quite the aim. He was only too glad that she had decided not to kill him before she'd thrown the summoned knife. "Are you making a joke at a time like this Kraine?" He glared at him. "Don't even think about trying to heal me when you're in that condition."

"I had no intention," Kraine lied dryly before he turned his attention back on the girl in his arms. "Yuan, I need your help." He didn't need to look at the half-elf to know he'd surprised him. He would have come out with some kind of seemingly mandatory banter if he hadn't been. Hoping it was a good thing, he proceeded with his explanation. "I need you to take us to the tower."

"No," Yuan said coldly.

Kraine heard the sound of steel but couldn't drop Presea. He felt Yuan's sword against his neck. He let out a sigh as he grimaced and closed his eyes. "I thought as such. You came here to stop me."

Yuan looked at the pink haired girl in his arms a little more closely while he calculated what to say. She looked like she was just taking a nap. He would have believed it too if it weren't for the various healed bruises and cuts he could see on her arms and legs. "You can't take her to Derris Kharlan!" he exclaimed. "Are you a fool!?"

"You know of Derris Kharlan?" Kraine asked, his gaze lifting from the bundle in his arms for the first time. He hadn't expected such a bold declaration of knowledge from the game-playing half-elf.

"That's not important," Yuan snapped. "It will solve nothing and put Presea at harm." He rolled his eyes to try and downplay the frustration he felt at seeing such a desperate look in the eyes of the other seraph. He couldn't stand it.

"You also know her name," Kraine muttered, picking apart his every word. Yuan hadn't expected any less really, though he realised that he'd revealed a little more than he wanted to already. Kraine shook his head as though the subject didn't interest him as much as Yuan had expected. "Regardless of which, I must save Annalicia."

"Annalicia?" Yuan faltered with his weapon at that and his eyes briefly shot to the pinkette. Kraine took the opportunity to quickly jolt up and away from him.

"There is only one way I can save her body and that is to use the protection of the Great Seed."

"No," Yuan shut him off again. "It's too dangerous. The Great Seed is unstable and it is only going to get worse when the mana links are severed."

"Once again your knowledge of the operations of Cruxis astounds me," Kraine said, amusement and curiosity in his tone. "Just who are you, Yuan?"

Yuan put his sword away and glanced off toward the Tower of Salvation. "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you."

Kraine shifted Presea/Annalicia in his arms. "Please Yuan. I beg of you. If you have ever wanted to save someone you love, you'll understand and allow me the use of your rheaird."

Yuan clenched his fists and turned away. Kraine would have been happy for his victory in discovering another piece to the enigma of Yuan, had it not been for the subject matter.

Yuan trod back to the flying magitechnology and turned back to Kraine. He chuckled dryly at the look he was being given. _Of course_ his reaction had sprouted ever more seeds of curiosity for Kraine. "Well hurry up then," he barked, agitated at how easily he was allowing himself to be read by him. The very fact that Kraine was politely pushing him for more without being overly obvious made it even more discomforting. Kraine didn't waste the opportunity despite his reservations and shifted onto the rheaird behind him. Yuan started the motor and raised it toward the sky.

They stayed quiet until they were above the clouds again. Yuan could practically feel question marks shooting from Kraine's gaze into his back. "What?" he snapped in question. It was easier to get it over with. Kraine remained quiet though. Yuan exhaled and tried to focus on not drenching them in any rain clouds. It was a clear day but -from past experience- all it took was _one._

Eventually Kraine appeared to have enough of feigning he hadn't been thinking of anything in particular. "You have also lost someone," he came out with finally. Yuan almost sighed with relief but held it in. He knew the thought wasn't finished anyway and would likely lead to something he would have to answer. "Could this be why you were willing to look after my son and my sister-in-law?"

"Very bold of you to address them as such," Yuan pointed out.

Kraine shifted Presea in his arms when she moved a little bit as the rheaird encountered a patch of turbulence. "Judging by your eagerness for the subject to change, I assume it to be someone of a salvatorian nature."

Yuan didn't answer. Kraine watched his head bow in thought slightly. He'd hit the nail on the head. "Nevertheless, I won't pry into your personal affairs," he decided to add. Yuan didn't thank him. They flew closer to the tower in their usual simultaneous awkward and comfortable silence until Yuan started to lower the rheaird on the final stretch toward the tower.

"I understand better than you could imagine."

If Kraine hadn't had exceptional hearing, he would not have even heard the mumble from Yuan.

"The drive to save someone you love has the ability to override even the most logical way of thinking," the blue-haired half-elf added.

"I am being entirely logical," Kraine defended in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Of course you are," Yuan agreed sarcastically. "The possible outcome outweighs the possible issues, correct?"

xxx

_"Ignorance is knowledge.."_

Genis managed to stop himself from staring at the red-clad twin-swordsman when the creed raced through his head. If he ogled at him in shock for too much longer, he was sure he that even Lloyd would notice and ask what was up.

Unaware of the shock and the million new questions running through his head, Mithos casually shifted past him to sit next to Colette. Genis forced himself to turn away from the smiling Lloyd on the couch and to the pair of angels. Colette smiled at Mithos with her usual sunny disposition. She had no idea just who he was. Only as they sat side by side did Genis notice the outstanding similarity between them. No wonder she was a perfect match for Martel's vessel. She even had the same blonde hair and the same eye colour as Mithos. They _looked_ like brother and sister. When Colette had been a part of Lloyd, he would never have seen the similarity.

 _That_ thought brought him to something else. He looked at his best friend when he started to repeat the story that Mithos had fed them about how he'd come to be on their sail boat. Apparently he'd been swimming in the ocean and had been swept away when Mithos noticed him floating aimlessly as the sail boat came into range. Mithos had then triumphantly rescued him.

_"Does Colette and Lloyd being two separate souls mean that only one of them was actually the Chosen?"_

He mulled it over further. It made an awful lot of sense. A new sense of guilt came over him at knowing that all the two of them had gone through had been for nought now that the Angelus Project was known to Mithos.

 _"Back to the Angelus Project again.."_ He sighed and rubbed his fingers over the bumpy ridges of his hand where the rune crest of the Angleus Project sat.

"You have an exsphere?" Lloyd asked.

Genis jumped in surprise. He hadn't figured Lloyd would be that observant- at least not straight away. He was forced to look at Lloyd again and notice things. _"Why didn't I ever see it before now?"_

He'd been totally ignorant to the truth. Kraine had taught him about Ignorance is Knowledge when they'd travelled, but he was willing to make a bet that he hadn't figured he would fall victim to the results himself. He stuttered, realising he had to say something. All eyes were on him. "Oh no; it's just a decoration that everyone in my family has."

"Really?" Lloyd looked surprisingly doubtful as he leaned over to him and took a closer look. Genis wanted so badly to pull his hand away. "It sure looks like an exsphere."

"I-it's b-because I'm an elf," he blurted out on the spot.

"An elf?" Lloyd turned his gaze from his hand to his face, his eyes widening. "Like.. a full blooded elf?"

"Uh.. yes," he answered. He felt like kicking himself a second later. After all the time he'd been pretending to be an elf to everyone, the response had come frustratingly natural. He'd finally been able to be truthful with Lloyd since the meeting with Kate and now he'd just gone and back-pedalled to the beginning of their friendship of lies and secrecy. It was idiotic.

"Are you okay Genis?" Mithos asked. "You look a bit sick."

"Um..." Genis blinked rapidly and tried to form a sentence. "I'm fine." He took a deep breath and wondered where to steer the conversation. Just as he opened his mouth, he found a pair of arms around his shoulders and a certain red-haired assassin-Chosen looking at him from the side, the long eyelashes of the lids above her dark brown eyes almost close enough to tickle his forehead. "Our silver haired darling awakens!" she declared, grinning in her usual perverted nature. Genis rolled his eyes.

"So, Genis was it?" she asked. "I hope you don't mind the cold. We're about to disembark."

"Um," Colette hummed, looking unsure as her head darted between Genis and Sheelos. "I thought that perhaps Genis should stay here with Mithos?"

She seemed to be hinting at something. When Sheelos straightened up and took her arms away from him finally, he realised it must have been her idea. It must have had something to do with the fact that they were going to be heading to the Renegade base to get the rheairds Martuan had stolen from them. He hadn't expected that it would be somewhere so cold. He imagined that Martuan would like sunny days and wearing dresses if she wasn't one of the Cruxis four seraphim or the leader of the organisation that went directly against them.

Then again, maybe that was _exactly_ why she'd created the base there. He didn't really need to question that she was a smart woman. A small sapling of hope buzzed his brain alive. Before he could fathom cooperating with Mithos, he needed to get all of the information. If he could get away from Mithos for a short time, perhaps he could talk more freely with Lloyd. Even more importantly, he needed to talk with Colette. He had to say something quickly. Sheelos hadn't said anything to discount the idea yet and he had to get in before she did.

"I.. I think I have some relatives in the snow city," he decided on, hating the ambiguity of his description and wishing he'd studied more of the map of Tethe'alla before he and Presea had been kidnapped.

"Oh, you do?" Sheelos asked. "We have to head there anyway. That's where Yuan got his flying machine."

"It is?" Mithos spoke up. Genis tried not to look at him. He knew Mithos was probably already on to him. He tried to think of something to say for the inevitable time he would have to tell him what he was doing.

"Yeah," Sheelos answered. "We need you to stay here though, okay Mithos?"

"Yeah," Lloyd agreed. "We need someone we trust to look after our sail boat. Think you're up to the task?" His tone didn't sound like he agreed with the words coming out of his mouth. Genis found himself reminded that he'd felt the same way as Lloyd and had begged for Mithos to come with them the last time they'd disembarked. Now he was pretty much rooting for the exact opposite result. Something was off though.

He'd quickly pieced together that it was Sheelos who did not want Mithos involved with the Renegades. If that was the case, she wouldn't have told the truth when she mentioned the snow city. But then why was she letting _him,_ an 'elf' she'd never met until a short time ago, come with her over their loyal captain Mithos? The most obvious answer didn't seem likely. There had to be a different reason. He wasn't going to push the subject any more than he needed to in order to get what he wanted though.

"Alright," Mithos agreed finally. Genis felt his gaze burning straight into him and finally looked directly at him. His friend looked at him with exterior concern, but he knew there was curiosity mixed with a little worry lurking not too far behind his child-like facade. Mithos trusted him. He couldn't betray his trust and tell Lloyd his secret. He needed to reassure him.

Lloyd stood from his spot on the couch. "Then it's settled. Don't worry Mithos, Noishe will keep you company." They all heard an agreeable woof from outside.

Colette laughed. "Oh, I missed playing with Noishe. You're so lucky Mithos!"

Mithos hummed politely along with her laugh. "He _is_ a very good dog."

* * *

**A short time later...**

* * *

"Genis, are you coming?" Lloyd called, opening the door from outside on the deck and sticking his head in.

Genis shared a glance with Mithos. "I'll be there in a minute!"

Colette waved goodbye to Mithos and hurried out to join Lloyd, Sheelos and Noishe outside, finally leaving them in peace.

When Mithos took a quick step toward him, he flinched back. Mithos stopped his advance and looked concerned. "Genis, are you scared of me?"

"N-no," he stuttered. It was a half-lie. Mithos bowed his head. He felt guilty. "I-I mean-" He sighed. "Maybe a little."

"Please don't be," Mithos pleaded, holding his hand out to him. "We're friends after all, aren't we?"

"Y-yeah." Genis tried to stop his nervous twitch as he took the extended limb. He glanced behind himself to the door for a second. "Sorry you have to stay here."

"It's alright," Mithos shrugged coolly. "You agreed to go with them anyway. You can tell me what's really going on once you get back." He grinned and clapped his hands together as though pleased. "It's perfect! I always wanted to know more about the Renegades."

"You know it's the Renegades that we're going to pay a visit to?"

Mithos scoffed. "I'm not a fool. They have been trying to get in my way for a very long time. They are almost impossible to track down, too."

"Right," Genis responded. Being honest with him while also investigating the full story was starting to seem a little easier than he'd first figured. Mithos looked quite happy at the idea of learning more about his enemies. He wondered whether it was clouding his judgement on what else could happen while he had a chance to talk to Lloyd or whether he simply was trusting that he wouldn't betray him.

How could he betray Mithos now? His methods to achieve a reality of half-elves being able to live freely were nothing short of questionable, but it seemed possible. Not only that, but he had to consider that Presea might end up being saved as a result. He was left with no real choice but to go along with it for now if he wanted to make good on his promise to her. He let go and smiled at Mithos before turning on his heel and leaving to join his friends.

xxx

Nerves got the best of him as their group of four travelled together through the freezing wind-swept island of ice. Lloyd and Colette shuffled together a little further ahead since Lloyd had volunteered for the job of directing them toward the faint grey outline of the snow city in the distance. Sheelos hung back slightly, seeming to prefer walking next to him. She was kicking her feet in the snow and sniffing every so often. Despite wondering what she was up to, Genis had more important fish to fry. The problem was that it was going to be difficult to bring the conversation up naturally without revealing to them that he knew more than he should.

After getting somewhat tired of the constant interruption to his thoughts from Sheelos' odd behaviour, he left her trailing behind to cut through the middle of Lloyd and Colette. They stopped talking about snowflakes and looked at him. He found himself currently very glad that the snow wasteland was so cold that his friends couldn't tell the difference between someone being nervous and shivering.

"Did you come here very often?" Colette asked him in her calm and polite voice that Genis recognised as the one Colloyd had reserved for strangers. He tried not to let it bother him. He was a stranger to them, after all.

"Not really," he answered. "Do either of you have family here?" He completely avoided eye contact with Lloyd and pretended to be fully focused on the rough terrain and the village ahead.

"I don't know," Lloyd said, sounding pretty down. "I can't remember my real parents. They might have though." He smiled broadly, leaving no trace of his earlier sadness. "I love travelling and always thought I must have gotten a taste for it from them since my dad is a dwarf and doesn't travel much."

"Oh," Genis cast his gaze downward to the almost blinding blanket of snow at his feet. He trailed his eyes off to the side to see Colette looking in thought at something.

She blinked and jolted her head up and to the side to look at Lloyd. "Oh I'm so sorry Lloyd! We've had so much happen that I forgot to tell you about your mother!"

"Huh?" Lloyd stopped mid-step and blinked at Colette. "You mean our mother, right?"

"Um, yeah," Colette nodded.

"What do you know?" Lloyd asked, continuing walking.

"Now this I've gotta hear!" Sheelos cooed as she caught up with them and spread her arms so that she was perching on both Colette and Lloyd's shoulders and making it incredibly hard for Genis to keep walking right in the middle of them. He sped up just slightly but couldn't help but feel like an accessory to the conversation now as it continued.

"She has brown hair like yours," Colette said. "A bit longer though."

Lloyd nodded. Her description matched what he'd seen in his dreams of his birth parents. Though he couldn't see anything above her neck line but shadows usually, he'd noticed that her hair fell to at least past her shoulders.

Colette jumped at remembering something else. "Oh and also your eyes. I think you have her eyes." She nodded to herself and closed her eyes in thought. "She said your fathers name is Kratos."

"Kratos..." Lloyd repeated. It sounded quite noble. He liked it quite a bit. Kratos and Lloyd sounded like a father-son duo that would get up to no good and end up in trouble with the mother. He could imagine his father taking the blame for his mishaps but also being the firm but kind type, from the dreams he'd experienced. Lastly he imagined himself on his fathers shoulders and looking up at the starry heavens above.

" _Kratos._ What a unique name," Sheelos interrupted, fascination clear on her face. "I bet nobody else in this whole world has it!"

Glad that he was walking ahead of the rest of them now, Genis allowed himself to grimace at just how true her statement was.

"Can you remember mum's name?" Lloyd asked. Colette still seemed uncomfortable with the idea that they were siblings.

"Um..." She tilted her head from side to side. "She told me to call her Anna."

Genis stumbled in the snow at the name. He almost wished he could go back in time and remove himself from the conversation. He couldn't un-hear the name and it just made everything ten times more confusing.

 _Anna_ was very clearly one of the souls inside Annalicia. He figured the second soul might have been called Alicia. The only problem was that it was clear that Annalicia had still very much been one person when he and Presea had found themselves in the Angelus Project not too long ago. Whoever _this_ 'Anna' was, she most definitely wasn't Lloyd's or Colette's mother. She'd known the name 'Kratos' though, and 'Kratos' had been a part of Kraine.

 _"Just what is going on?"_ He held his hurting head until he heard a sudden shriek behind himself, followed by a thud.

"Colette!" Lloyd exclaimed.

"Owch," Colette declared. Genis turned to see she had tripped in usual Colette fashion. Lloyd scowled at Sheelos. It seemed pretty likely that Colette had tripped because she'd been hanging on to them.

"Hey!" the assassin-Chosen protested before Lloyd could voice his accusation. She pointed to the ground. "Don't blame me. She tripped on that thing!"

Genis had already seen it. On the ground by Colette's feet sat an icy looking lever. It'd been covered with a thin layer of snow that was now flying off in the wind. Lloyd looked at the lever and raised a confused eyebrow. "What is it?" He helped Colette up while she looked at it too.

"It looks like some kind of switch."

"It's the switch for the Renegade base," Sheelos explained. Genis laughed at the expressions of Lloyd and Colette. They hadn't turned around yet to see the mammoth blue domed building now sitting directly in front of them. It looked very similar to the Renegade base in Sylvarant. Sheelos pointed and they turned their heads to gasp at the same time.

"Is this really it?" Colette asked, smelling the air. "It smells so sweet here." She stopped moving her head. Genis guessed she'd seen the flower garden not too far away. "Oh!"

"Just hold on a minute Colette," Sheelos whispered, catching her arm and surveying the surroundings. "We can't just walk in. Yuan hasn't come back with the rheairds. That doesn't seem like a good sign."

"Oh of course," Colette agreed. She smiled thoughtfully at Sheelos. "Don't worry Sheelos. I'm sure he's alright."

Sheelos crossed her arms and looked away. "What? I'm not worried about him. The Cerberus can take care of himself. I do want to give him a piece of my mind though!"

"You two must be very close," Colette observed. "He might have been the Cerberus by duty, but I think he wants to protect you regardless."

Sheelos flinched and her face turned as red as her hair for a second. Genis couldn't help but cackle. "Y-you don't know what you're saying Colette!" Sheelos squeaked.

Colette covered her mouth and quickly looked toward Genis. "Oh! I forgot! I'm so sorry!" She bowed in apology. "If it helps, I feel like Genis is one of us. I don't think he will tell anyone yours or Yuan's secret."

Genis wiped the grin off of his face and nodded to play along with it. "I feel like I'm one of you guys as well."

"Well then, as long as Lloyd agrees, the feeling is mutual," Sheelos said, turning to Lloyd. Genis found his hand on his shoulder as Lloyd grinned and nodded happily. He almost lost his balance when Lloyd put some strength into shaking him affectionately. "Then it's settled. We'll take him with us."

 _"You make it sound like I'm a pet,"_ he thought. He would have voiced it too, if it weren't for his undercover situation. "What's all this about?" he asked instead.

"Come on kid, don't act all dumb," Sheelos said, rolling her eyes at him.

"I'm not a kid," he replied before he could even stop himself. Sheelos quirked an eyebrow while Lloyd snickered. "You sound just like Gesea."

Genis didn't trust himself to say anything and so just gave him a questioning look. Lloyd cleared his throat. "She's my best friend and she is in a lot of trouble at the moment. We're going to get these flying things called rheairds so we can save her life."

"Oh," Genis said neutrally. "I'm sorry to hear that." He hadn't actually thought about the fact that his friends might come to save him. Guilt set in again as he imagined the look on Lloyd's face when they found their way to the Dragons Nest only to find that "Gesea" was nowhere to be seen.

_"I have to do something.."_

Once again he was at a loss. What _could_ he do without revealing Mithos' story as a fake and revealing his true identity in the process? He felt sorry for Mithos. _Four thousand_ _years._ That was how long he'd suffered with the knowledge of Origin's curse. Genis was tired of it after only a few hours.


	44. The things wings can't do

Yuan and Kraine stood at the foot of the Tower of Salvation near where the almost transparent blue stairs led up to the altar that would open the doors. Kraine sideglanced at Yuan suspiciously as he waited for the smirking half-elf to say a word to stop him. Yuan gazed up ahead, looking somewhat absent of his usual personality. Kraine figured that they had reverted to their usual banter of back and forth questions, so it was little use in asking him for further clarification to his earlier reveals. He wondered just what could be so strange that he 'wouldn't believe him even if he told him'.

Looking down at Presea in his arms, he noticed how much she looked like Annalicia. Gesea had looked like her too, but her features had been far more elf-like thanks to her other personality. It made sense. She too had started off as a human. Wiping his mind of the guilt attempting to peck its way to his senses, he made to focus on the task at hand. He nodded his head respectfully in thanks to Yuan and started up the steps slowly, summoning his wings as he did in case he were unfortunate enough to stumble from the extra weight he carried. Not that the tiny girl really weighed all that much, he reminded himself, but he could feel the mana in his body straining to maintain the wings. He had not recovered yet from the fight with Rodyle or from flying much further and faster than he knew himself capable. It was a dismal state to let Yuan of all people see him in.

Not that Yuan was faring too much better presently. He'd known exactly the way that woman had attacked him just by a quick glance. Still, something had stopped her from inflicting the fatal wound. She rarely fought with anything sharper than her tongue unless she intended to kill. A quick smile ran across his lips at the memory of how she would always get angry if any of their group killed a beast in more than one strike. He'd challenged her to do a better job and she had done it out of pure spite. Martuan was worse than Noishe. So why hadn't she killed Yuan?

He supposed it may have been for a number of reasons. Knowing her, she probably thought Yuan was just too interesting to kill. She likely knew he knew things he shouldn't and -like him- wanted to get the full story. She'd likely guessed he was a seraph since she had laid her base out so that only those with wings would be able to reach her in ample time. Having travelled with Yuan for a time though, he'd learned a lot about the piece of work his fellow seraph was.

"Kraine," Yuan called from the steps below. He glanced back silently and waited for him to continue. He did. "If you intend to save her, you must see it through until the bitter end."

"Hmph," he replied, "I have every intention to."

Yuan gave a single nod of the head and turned his back to him. "Very well. I won't forgive you if you half-ass it." He trod back to his rheaird without another word and roared it to life. He left, probably thinking he might have seemed uninformative.

Kraine continued up the steps, piecing the information he already knew together. Yuan had surely intended to stop him from going to Derris Kharlan, so what had changed his mind? In the one brief moment Yuan had given into his plea to save Annalicia, he had shown more of his true self than any other time they'd battled wits before. "Perhaps travelling with Lloyd has softened him a little," he mumbled softly to Annalicia. "It is difficult not to be swayed by his strong affliction to do what is right. Are you proud of what he has become?"

Her hand moved slightly and he almost stumbled backward in surprise. He continued the climb, tightening his grip on her. "I may have failed the first time Annalicia, but I will protect you with everything I have this time." He reached a palm out to the stone seal pedestal. As per usual, it reacted to the mana within his body from his own Cruxis crystal and sent the door to the tower whooshing open.

Stepping past the stone seal and into the ancient connection between the worlds, he found himself facing the gleaming twin swords which made up Origin's Eternal Sword, wedged into the floor and protected by an impenetrable barrier that only Mithos could breach. Holding more tightly on to Presea's body, he started to climb the staircase to his right which curled around the swords and led to the top area that housed the teleporter to Derris Kharlan, the swords remaining in sight the whole time.

One blade of the two was wide and flat and shimmered in an oceanic blue colour along its length, ghostly light-blue accentuations around its sharpened edges. It was of dwarven make, right down to the painted blue wooden grip and pommel that were both decorated with intricately carved symbols of longevity and wisdom. The grip was plated with silver on one side as a way to fend off evil spirits, while the crossguard was painted a dark grey colour as was traditional of dwarven works of any amount of beauty. From his studies into the civilisation, he had gathered that the dwarves preferred their creations to always display a sense of modesty in order to showcase their firm belief system that any work done could always be improved.

The other sword seemed more elegant than the blue one. Its curved falchion-style blade glowed a fiery red on the inside that calmed to a elegant orange hue around its sharp edge. It reminded him of Annalicia when she got fired up at something- a ball of flames on the inside but with a calm and respectful way of expressing its true thoughts. The crossguard was more intricately detailed, gnarling out from the center and painted in the same red and gold hues as the rest of the hilt. He had no doubt it was of elven creation.

Annalicia's body grew gradually colder and stiffer as he carried her up the final steps to the top level, despite him having using his best healing artes which had forced him to take a temporary break just outside of Altamira shortly before Yuan had found him. If he didn't get her to the Great Seed before her body died..

No. He didn't want to think about that possibility. The weight of the Cruxis crystal Mithos had given to him to use seemed to get heavier with every step. He hoped she would forgive him.

xxx

"So we just have to put these square cubes in front of the lasers, right?" Lloyd asked, looking around the room that surrounded them. Genis wondered why he hadn't taken out his wings for a brief point until he realised it was probably more to do with his recovery after the dragon attack rather than not wanting to reveal himself as an angel. Colette probably also did not want to reveal her wings considering that, as far as they all knew, he knew nothing about Sylvarant and the Chosen from there.

Urging himself to forget all of that for now, he watched Lloyd start attempting to move the grey cube they'd come across. It looked like foam to him, but Lloyd appeared to be having a little bit of trouble. "W-wow!" he groaned, putting his whole body into it and almost tripping himself up as he tried to push. "This-this is pretty h-heavy!"

"Let me help," he offered, walking closer and hoping that strength hadn't left his body in the same way the kendaxe now felt weird to hold. He placed both hands on the block next to Lloyd's and stretched his legs out behind him.

"On the count of three," Lloyd said. He nodded and waited. "One.. Two. _. Three!"_

The block moved as though it were slipping on ice. Genis stared as it darted through the first laser they wished to block and hit the wall on the other side of the room.

"Huh?" Lloyd looked confused as he turned to him. "I swear it was really heavy before!"

"Maybe it was some kind of trick?" Colette wondered, her finger touching her chin in curiosity.

Lloyd nodded. "Either that or Genis has super strength." He plucked one of Genis' arms out from his sides and held it up. "But I don't think that's the case."

"Lloyd!" Genis complained automatically, snatching his arm away.

"Yeah?" he asked, looking confused. Genis quickly glanced away and saw that Sheelos was looking at an open square hole in the floor near her feet. It hadn't been there before. He only had to observe for a second longer to see another identical cube come out from the hole, a bunch of mechanical noises sounding as it did. "Looks like we get another try," Sheelos said happily.

Genis set himself behind the block with Lloyd again, this time positioning himself so that he could easily only put a little of his strength into it this time. He pushed the block with Lloyd laughing at their success at his side, another thought coming to mind as they did. It seemed unusual for them to actually need to do puzzles despite the amount of ruins they'd needed to explore so far. It seemed even more unusual that they were having to do them after Yuan and Kraine had been there. Ignoring the question it begged, he walked through the blocked laser area with the group and went on to help Lloyd pull it out and toward the next laser.

Xxx

Yuan hovered in mid-air on his rheaird, a bit indecisive. If the group were headed to find the rheairds, which he suspected they were by now, then his first call should be back to the Renegade base. His shoulder ached just thinking about facing Martuan again. With that in mind, he couldn't help but lean toward one of the two other possibilities for his next venture. Sure, he would be able to leave while the children slept, but the very last thing he needed was for Mithos to gain any more awareness. He already had a grudge against Tabatha- he didn't want her or the old dwarf to suffer for his inability to keep a cover on their operations of late. The second option was to have a _chat_ with Gabriel.

Tempting as both additional options were, the more he weighed the thought about the body Kraine had been carrying into the Tower of Salvation, the more he knew he needed to be at the base. He didn't very much fancy all four of the Kharlan heroes on his back for various reasons. At least with Kraine he had formed a somewhat uneasy alliance. Just as he wouldn't forgive Kraine for going back on his word to protect Annalicia, he doubted the professor-seraph would go easy on him for failing to do his duty as he had promised. Not that he'd promised on a whim, of course, but he very dearly did not want to see the damage a parental instinct scorned could inflict upon him.

Finally deciding upon that final scary thought, he turned the rheaird toward the snow region and set the booster to on. It blasted off with a huge jolt, making him yell into the heavens at his shoulder pain and curse Martuan's name amongst a string of other words worthy of making a sailor cringe.

xxx

When they finally got through the area with the blocks and lasers and faced the next hallway, Sheelos stopped and observed the area. "Yuan's definitely been here," she said, resting her hands on her hips and looking around. Genis flinched, not having expected that the Tethe'allan Chosen of all of them would be the one to address the elephant in the room.

"Kraine as well?" Lloyd asked, sounding hopeful. Genis let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. This conversation was not going how he'd expected. Then again, they rarely did.

"Kraine's a friend of ours," Colette explained to him, seeming to take his sigh to mean that he was confused at all the different names being thrown around. "So is Yuan."

"It also seems like Colette's interpretation of 'friend' is a bit loose," Sheelos said in contradiction. "Yuan's debateable, but our handsome Kraine is possibly anything _but_ our friend."

Colette went to say something more, possibly in Kraine's defence, but bit her lip instead. It reminded Genis of Colloyd, and again of the fact that Colette and Lloyd truly _had_ been one person once. He looked at Lloyd and noticed an expression of determination on his face. "We have to talk with Kraine."

" _Understatement of the year,"_ he thought as he wondered when they would find Kraine next. One part of him demanded that they set the record straight with him, but the other part of him wanted to avoid it for as long as possible. Finally getting the truth from Kraine meant more than one thing, after all.

He'd mostly confirmed one of those things thanks to his conversation with Mithos on their way to their current location and everything that had happened the previous night with Kraine and Annalicia. Talking with Kraine meant finally getting the truth from his mouth about how Annalicia had met her fate. Confirming the story Kvar had told them long ago back at Luin before Kraine and Lloyd had finished him off together was the part that scared him the most.

"He's here?" he decided to ask, already knowing the answer. Even if he hadn't known that Kraine had definitely been there thanks to the small fact that he had rescued Presea, Annalicia and himself from falling into the water off of the side of the sky platform by using a rheaird, he had picked up on the familiar mana signature of his former brother as soon as they had entered the base. It was slightly fainter now since it had been a little bit of time since he'd been in the area, but it was still noticeable.

"Don't know," Sheelos answered him, shrugging casually. "I guess it kinda feels like it. I'm not particularly great at detecting people's mana signatures in case you hadn't noticed. I just have _way_ too many other talents that I'm sure you'll find out about eventually!" She winked at him and Genis rolled his eyes and looked anywhere but at her. Her attempts to show off seemed to be even more irritating now. He wondered whether it was because he was potentially on the made-up Salvatorian market in her head now. The very thought of her making a move on him made him want to cringe and he didn't want to promote her behaviour.

"Except Yuan's?" Colette asked Sheelos with a smile, ignoring her egotistic display. Whether there was hidden subtext in Colette's words, Genis didn't know. Either way, Sheelos quirked two eyebrows at her. "You mean seeing all of the winded Renegades lining the corridors wasn't enough of an indication?"

Colette looked left to right at the scene as though she hadn't noticed before. Genis couldn't help but let out an amused snicker at her innocence. Lloyd started laughing along beside him after a few seconds, and until Sheelos hissed at them both to be quiet, it felt like things were almost back to normal again.

"Shouldn't we check if they're okay?" Colette asked, leaning down to one. He was still breathing and looked like he was just having a really nice nap. It didn't look like Yuan or Kraine had killed any of them or given them too much permanent damage.

"I don't think that's the best idea," Sheelos replied. "They're kind of our enemies, remember?"

Colette didn't seem entirely convinced. Genis was pretty sure the rest of the group felt similarly. With the knowledge he now had about the Kharlan Heroes and Mithos, he was even less certain anyone they had come into contact with sat purely on the line of evil, _maybe_ with the exception of Kvar.

"Honestly," the assassin-Chosen mumbled under her breath, rolling her eyes and sneaking toward the next corner to poke her head around. They waited for her to wave her hand in signal that the coast was clear before following her down the next hallway.

After running past a few mounds of unconscious Renegades, the group found themselves in a large room that scaled upward toward a door at the very top. Genis had no doubt that Martuan would be waiting for them on the other side. Once again it seemed that they would have to use the sorcerers ring. A device buzzed just a short distance ahead. Lloyd sauntered over to it while he removed his glove, used to the drill by now. The ring buzzed with electricity and he experimentally pointed it to the roof. A bright white ball of lightning gradually flew out of it and sizzled through the air a short way until it disappeared. The range seemed somewhat limited.

Sheelos tapped her foot impatiently, gazing from Lloyd and Colette and up to the door all the way above them. "This is wasting so much time. Can't we just fl-" She stopped abruptly.

Genis watched her expression change gradually. He could almost hear her thoughts. She did a quick turn of the room around her, then glanced back to the top area, then around again. His throat went dry. Apparently she now had the same unsettling thoughts he'd had about the whole base they'd come through so far. She looked at him and he realised he must have been staring. He quickly stuttered and looked toward Lloyd, trying to think of something, _anything,_ to say to change the subject out of his head. He managed a "What do we need to do?" as he left Sheelos' side and approached the two that had once made up Colloyd, but still the question hung there. Would Kraine _really_ have carried Yuan?

Genis set about occupying his brain and helping Colette and Lloyd to solve the puzzle the room presented to them. Every time he stole a glance toward Sheelos, he noticed a lost and somewhat confused expression on her face. If she caught him looking though, she would give her usual wink and smile. The more she did it, the more Genis started to wonder whether her whole personality was a fraud. That seemed like an awful lot of effort though. A few times Lloyd asked her to do things and she obliged for a short time before just standing around again and doing nothing.

Finally when they got the last piece of the puzzle of the room in place and stood on the platform that would take them up to the door, Lloyd turned to her. "What's wrong Sheelos? Are you worried about Yuan?"

Sheelos stuttered. _"In a way,"_ Genis thought, wishing he could step on Lloyd's foot and tell him to shut up about it. Before Sheelos could answer, Colette went on to offer some more reassurance. "I'm sure he might just be having a chat with Martuan."

Genis knew he had to speak up for her sake, like she had done for him that time in Ozette after he'd remembered a little about his and Presea's past. "Or he's already taken the rheairds and flown off toward our boat."

Lloyd and Colette looked horrified at the thought. He absently chuckled at them until he also realised the despairing thought that his joke had seemed plausible. Gulping, he stepped off of the platform with Sheelos and toward the door. A device sat next to it that reminded him of the resort hotel in Altamira. Sheelos looked over it for a second before sighing with relief. "Looks like it's been put into override and we won't need the key cards."

"We needed key cards?" Lloyd asked.

Sheelos stuttered and scratched her head, seeming almost like her normal self for a second. "The guy who let us in- y'know, the Mizuho operative?- Yeah, he told me he only had one set of the cards and gave them to Yuan. It was kinda always fifty-fifty whether we'd actually be able to get in."

"You've got to be kidding me," Genis said slowly, gaping at her. "You mean we could have come all this way and not been able to get to where you said the rheairds were?"

"Afraid so," she quickly answered before pushing a button on the side of the door. It whooshed open to reveal a hangar. "Well come on then!" she exclaimed, stepping through. "Or do you want the door to close on-" She stopped when she turned to her left and stared.

Genis stepped through with the rest of the group to see what had caught her attention. There Martuan was, held to the wall by what looked like some throwing knives, Yuan leaning close to her ear. He straightened up at the sight of them and waved with a guilty smile. While the rest of the group waved back and Lloyd and Colette scouted around their immediate vicinity for signs of Kraine or the rheairds, Genis found himself in prime viewing position for Sheelos to storm up to Yuan and slap him hard in the face. He flinched away at the pitch. That sounded like it hurt.

Colette and Lloyd spun their heads back to look at what had made the sound. Sheelos turned away from Yuan while he rubbed the red hand mark on his face. "Where are the rheairds?" She looked at Martuan with a scary fire in her eyes.

The Renegade leader scoffed a laugh, not seeming the least bit intimidated. "I think you probably can already figure that one out just by the state of this room." She nodded at Yuan. Sheelos glared at the Cerberus. "Get them out."

Yuan did as she said quietly, pulling out four rheairds from the wing pack. Sheelos stepped up to them and reached for Volt's gemstone. He appeared before her and sent lightning bolts flashing from his body into the machines without her even seeming to need to say anything, then faded away back into nothingness. She seated herself on the rheaird closest to her without a word to them.

Genis decided that he needed to follow her example and sat himself on to the rheaird behind her. Lloyd and Colette shared a glance and followed, deciding to sit on one together so that one was left for Yuan. Sheelos roared her rheaird to life and flew upward without waiting through the open top door and into the sky.

Yuan quickly joined the rest of the party before they left to follow Sheelos back to the sail boat. Colette turned on her seat to look back at him and then Martuan. "Will she be alright?"

Yuan nodded and clicked two fingers together. The snap sounded a bit louder than it should have. Genis realised only after Martuan tumbled to floor with a shriek that Yuan had summoned weapons to pin her there. The last thing he saw was her shaking her fists and yelling Yuan's name before the circular opening of the hangar closed behind their hovering rheairds and they were once again out in the fresh mana-filled air of Tethe'alla.


	45. Entwined fates and divided hearts

Lloyd gripped the handles of his rheaird tightly as they made some distance from the base. He could see Sheelos still flying off on her rheaird in the distance. It looked like she was flying in the direction of Ozette. Once they were almost directly above where their sail boat sat in the sea, he drove his rheaird a little closer to Yuan's. "We don't have time to chase after Sheelos at the moment. Gesea was kidnapped by Rodyle and his dragons. We have to find her!"

Yuan nodded in agreement and he sighed with a bit relief. He still felt a bit bad though for Sheelos and for the slap she'd inflicted on Yuan, but he figured they'd work whatever he'd done wrong this time out soon enough.

"You don't need to worry about Gesea," Yuan replied.

All guilty feelings flew aside at his words. "You know where she went?" he asked quickly.

"She's with Kraine," the bluenette answered. "In a manner of speaking."

"Kraine!?" Lloyd exclaimed, mind reeling. "What happened? Is she okay?"

"What do you think happened?" Yuan asked back.

Lloyd tried to remain calm. This was _not_ a good time for the Game of Questions. Colette's hands around him that he'd insisted she put there to make sure she didn't fall tightened their grip. He realised he'd subconsciously leaned closer to Yuan in his frustration and thrown the rheaird off balance.

"Exactly what you think," the bluenette responded calmly to his demanding question. "I went with Kraine to the Tethe'alla base using my rheaird and helped to locate your rheairds. Kraine then found out through Martuan that Gesea had been kidnapped. We made a deal with her and Kraine went to rescue her."

"What is Kraine doing with her?" he questioned next. "We've been so worried..."

He tried to focus on hovering his rheaird on the spot. _"I failed to protect her."_ The weight and the odd shape of the Noishe figurine in his pant pocket made itself known to him again. "She must have been so scared."

"Kraine is doing his best to protect her as well," Yuan answered. Lloyd couldn't look at him. Colette seemed to understand his feelings though. He felt her rest her forehead against his back. "It's okay Lloyd," she whispered softly, just loud enough for him to hear. "Kraine would never hurt her."

"We need to go and find her," he decided to voice. He breathed deeply and peeked over to see whether Yuan would agree. The half-elf didn't look entirely sure of the idea.

"We have other priorities," he started. "It is important that we continue to break the mana links to be able to save Sylvarant. We don't have time to-"

"How can we save the world if we can't even look after those right in front of us?" Lloyd interrupted. "We need to find Kraine anyway to make a rune crest for Colette."

Yuan let out a sigh and gazed up at the dot in the distance that was Sheelos now. "I should have guessed you would be adamant on this. Some things don't change."

"That's right!" Lloyd grinned.

"But Lloyd, do you even know where Kraine went with Gesea?" Colette asked, looking over his shoulder at him and then at Yuan.

Lloyd followed her gaze to him. "You know, don't you Yuan."

"I never said that." The half-elf let the statement hang in the air for a few seconds and cut Lloyd off before he could complain. "But if we were to head in the direction of Meltokio, I think we will come into contact at some point very soon."

"Meltokio?" Lloyd felt confused. "Isn't Gesea still wanted by the Pope as a part of our group?"

Colette turned to Genis to their left. "We'll explain everything later, I promise."

Genis nodded, looking a bit thankful. He'd been quiet for most of the conversation- not that Lloyd could blame him. Most of what they were talking about seemed kind of obscure.

"What would Kraine so badly want to do in Meltokio that he would risk an arrest?" Yuan asked back to Lloyd's question.

"You mean he must have had a good reason?" Lloyd puzzled over it for a bit.

"Oh, oh!" Colette sounded like she had a better question to add. "Do you think he would be going to talk to someone who could help us?"

"Help us?" Yuan asked. "What makes you think Kraine wants to help us?"

"If Kraine didn't want to help us, why would he have gone to the Renegade base with you to get the rheairds?" Colette asked again quickly, grinning.

"Why would he work for Cruxis if he wanted to help you?" Yuan bounced back.

Lloyd found himself stumped on another question to ask. Colette faltered as well.

"Could it be because Cruxis isn't actually evil?" The question came from an unexpected source. Everyone turned to Genis. "I mean, what if there are things going on with what they're doing that we don't know about?"

Lloyd and Colette's head's turned back to Yuan to await the next question. "If you think it's like that, what do you think they're _actually_ doing?" Yuan drilled, delivering a perfect counter.

The brunette and blonde turned again to Genis. He felt his palms getting sweaty. "Um.. uh.." He sighed and bowed his head. "I don't really know."

"Guess the game goes to Yuan again," Lloyd said, sounding as disappointed as Genis felt.

Genis sighed again and decided to try and practice thinking on the spot in the future a little more. He felt Colette gazing at him. She smiled when he caught her eye contact. "It's okay Genis. We were bad at the game when we first started too."

"Thanks," he said, trying not to say it as sarcastically as he wanted to.

"Yeah, don't feel too bad," Lloyd added. "Yuan kind of cheated a bit. He knew you wouldn't be able to answer that question. You barely know anything about what's going on."

Genis nodded, but as he gazed at Yuan and the long blue ponytail of hair flying behind him in the wind as they hovered in the sky above the boat, he actually had to wonder whether he knew the opposite was true. If his (and likely Sheelos') suspicions were correct, then it seemed possible that Yuan might know who he really was- or in the very least, who he had been once.

He lowered his rheaird toward the sail boat after Lloyd declared that they should probably take Mithos back to his home in Ozette anyway before continuing onward to Meltokio. He was kind of surprised that they hadn't brought up his own 'family' again since he was still basically a stranger. Lloyd and Colette had just accepted him into the group like it was as natural as a fish breathing water. A curious part of him noted that as a question to ask Mithos later- whether it was possible that his companions subconsciously knew he was one of them or whether it was just because both Lloyd and Colette were too friendly for their own good and Sheelos was just a pervert Chosen.

A new sense of dread filled him when they landed on the deck of the boat to have Noishe greet them all with happy barks. Just what was he going to tell Mithos about their rendezvous with the Renegades?

xxx

The day grew later and eventually after having enough of Lloyd, Colette and Yuan trying to avoid explaining too much about what had happened, Mithos left them to go to the bridge control room in order to ensure that they were travelling in the right direction. Wanting to avoid their suspicion on him for as long as possible, Genis made his way out to the side deck to allow himself some fresh air and some time to think everything over. He needed to come up with some kind of strategy.

Lloyd had instructed Mithos to take them toward Ozette but had not actually told him that they would be dropping him off there. He clearly felt bad about it- no doubt because he'd been aware at just how well "Gesea" and he had gotten on. Still, it made the most sense. Mithos was their captain, but since they now had the rheairds, he was better off staying out of their troubles.

He let a quiet laugh out to himself as he leaned over the railing and watched a school of fish swim by in the water shallows. Small rainbow colours reflected off of them when the light from the sunset getting lower and lower on the horizon hit their scales. Mithos staying out of the situation seemed pretty ironic. Yuan had definitely cornered him when it came to asking what he thought Cruxis was actually doing. He wouldn't have been able to answer even if he had wanted to.

He fluttered his eyelids and massaged the temples of his forehead, still trying to work out how he'd gotten himself so deep in trouble. A part of him blamed himself for falling asleep when he'd been taken back to the sail boat on the back of Yggdrasil. If he hadn't done that, then Mithos would not have had such an easy time fabricating a story for him and he might have been able to work out a way to explain how he'd gotten himself back to them without revealing Mithos' identity.

He needed to talk to Yuan. He wondered whether he'd just misinterpreted something much more innocent in some ways. Sheelos' reaction to him and as she had seemed to think about things while they were in the Renegade base seemed to point toward what his own thoughts had been though. The Tethe'allan Chosen had looked so mad at Yuan that Genis still cringed when he remembered the look of some kind of demonic banshee in her eyes. It reminded him of Kraine when he was in a "don't ask me any questions" mood. Sheelos was still off on her own somewhere but Yuan hadn't seemed all that concerned. When Lloyd and Colette had expressed their concern, Yuan had quelled it by saying that he knew where she had went and would go to check on her a little while later.

" _Ignorance is knowledge.."_ He wondered whether he would regret going forward and confronting Yuan about everything he suspected. He had to balance the options out before he decided what to do. He had to-

A hand clenched at his shoulder from behind and he almost lost his balance over the railing. He regained it quickly and regarded the near miss with an oceanic grave for a second before turning to see Yuan standing there. He had two eyebrows raised in mix amusement and concern. Obviously he hadn't expected to have startled him. "Genis, could I bother you for a chat?"

Genis realised he must have been so deep in thought about everything that he hadn't even heard the cabin door squeak open or sensed Yuan's now very obvious presence. "Um-" He wondered what to say. "Actually-"

"I'm just going to put it bluntly," Yuan interrupted forceably. "Do _not_ tell Mithos _anything_ about the Renegades or _their leader._ "

" _Uh oh.."_ Genis gulped and stepped back from Yuan. The half-elf had trained a very serious green gaze on him. It reminded him of someone else. He didn't have time to think of who before Yuan continued. "I heard the real story from Mithos about how he saved you from the Dragons Nest. You don't need to hide who you are from me." His expression softened a little. "I must say, I'm relieved that you are both okay." His gaze fell a bit and Genis realised he was looking at his hand. "In a manner of speaking anyway."

Genis clenched his fists, suddenly angry. "You knew about Mithos!? Since when?"

"That's irrelevant," Yuan answered.

"No it isn't!" he argued back. "It's very important. If you knew about Mithos.. then.." he trailed off, still partly unsure whether he actually wanted to go there at this point.

"It's a bit hypocritical for you to judge me on my knowledge considering your _own_ predicament in this," Yuan pointed out, filling Genis' uncomfortable silence as he crossed his arms. "You've yet to tell the others what actually happened at the Dragons Nest because it would implicate Mithos and his cover story."

Genis looked down, feeling ashamed somehow. Yuan was right. How could he be angry when they were essentially hiding the same secret. "That's not the only reason."

"I know," Yuan agreed in the more understanding tone he'd grown used to. "You don't want to tell them what happened with Kraine and Annalicia until you get the truth from Kraine."

Genis felt his face flushing. "Y..you knew about them?"

Yuan sighed and joined him to lean on the railing, his back to the sea. "Kraine entrusted me with looking after Lloyd; but I've been looking after him for far longer than you probably realise."

"You have?" Genis gripped his own hands. "So it really is true. Kraine really is his-"

"-He also wanted me to make sure you and Presea would be alright without him," Yuan interrupted again. "He might not have really been your brother, but he considered you family. I'm sure I don't need to tell you that. You _especially._ "

Genis didn't know what Yuan mean by the 'especially' part, but he felt a bit relieved to hear it regardless. He'd known all along that Kraine hadn't been pretending to care for him though. As Colloyd had once told him- family was family. It didn't matter that they weren't blood. He swallowed and gazed to his side at his friend. It was now or never. He clenched his fists to quell his nerves and turned to Yuan. "There's something I need to ask you."

"Are you sure you want to ask?" Yuan asked simply.

Genis fell quiet for a few seconds, thinking it over. He eventually nodded and focused on the bluenette. "Yuan.. are you a member of Cruxis?"

Yuan smiled and clutched his forehead as though relieved. "No, I'm not."

Genis felt his heart soar with happiness as he examined him for any hint of a lie. He didn't see any, but then again he was no expert on body language. "R...really?" A part of him still wasn't ready to believe him at his word, but for the most part he felt relieved as well. He sighed and held his heart before grinning up at him. Yuan didn't meet his gaze, instead looking somewhere off into the distance in thought. A small amount of worry set in as he waited for him to say what was on his mind, if he ever would.

Yuan closed his eyes. "Not _now,_ anyway."

Genis gasped as the mana in the air welled up next to him. He could feel the hairs on his arms standing on end. He knew this feeling very well. Concentrating on Yuan, he saw his mana signature changing until it felt exactly the way it had before. Like Yuan.. but not like him at the same time. The blue-haired half-elf allowed a pair of ethereal amethyst coloured wings to sprout from his back. They flapped back and forth and made a low humming noise for a few seconds before they disappeared again and the mana signature changed back to the normal one Genis had become acquainted with over their travels through Sylvarant and Tethe'alla together.

Yuan peered at him, a crooked smile gracing his lips. Genis looked down, unsure what to say at first. "I suppose you're entitled to be a little surprised," the older half-elf said casually. "I purposely kept this from all of you, after all."

Genis picked at a loose piece of lint on his clothes. "I mean.. I suppose I saw this coming for a while. I felt your mana signature was different back when I knew you'd been around Kraine, and again in the Renegade base." He was a little bit surprised at the tears that threatened to drop from the corners of his eyes all of a sudden. "This is so confusing! I'm surrounded by angels!"

"Yeah well, we're not _all_ cut from the same mould, you know." Yuan stepped away from the railing and paced a little ahead. "There are conflicting sides to things that are happening at the moment as I'm sure Mithos has informed you." He turned to him. "What do you think of his cause?"

"His cause?" Genis battled with himself on the question in his head. "I'm not sure," he mumbled, meaning to be vague. He still wasn't certain how much Yuan knew. He'd said he wasn't a member of Cruxis _now,_ but did that mean that he had once been? He wasn't entirely certain.

Yuan rolled his eyes. "Fair enough I suppose. It's a lot to take in. Let me ask an easier question. Who's side are you on?"

Genis shook his head again. "I don't know Yuan. I don't want to pick a side. I want to believe in Mithos but I believe in Lloyd's idea that nobody should have to suffer any more, including Mithos and Kraine and everyone."

Even as he said it, things seemed all of a sudden clearer. He'd expected Yuan to get cross at his vague response, but to his surprise the 'former' (apparently) member of Cruxis smiled. "Good. Make sure you remember those words." He stepped past him and toward the door, seeming like he thought he'd finished his explanation. Genis wanted to ask more, but decided to let him go to find Sheelos while he deliberated just what he would have to do in order to help everyone work together. He wondered if there would be a way to help Lloyd understand things from Mithos' perspective. He was sure Lloyd liked Mithos too.

Just as he was wondering how he could justify Mithos' actions to Lloyd as well as partially still to himself, the door to the cabin opened again. The blond seraph in question stepped out and smiled happily at discovering him. "Genis, tell me everything!"

"There isn't much to tell," he answered, hoping it didn't sound too rehearsed. He continued and tried to avoid the rapidly angering expression on Mithos' face and the gradual tightening of his fists. "Actually Mithos, could we start my training to help Presea?"

Mithos' expression softened and he gave an excited smile suddenly. "Okay. We'll start once we're back in Ozette. I'm pretty sure you guys were planning on ditching me there anyway."

Genis glanced away. "No! Well, at least that's not the way we thought about it."

"I suppose not," Mithos said, sounding unsure. "At least I'm sure you didn't think of it like that. The humans are the ones I'm not sure of."

"Lloyd and Colette?" Genis felt puzzled. "They really like you, Mithos. You can't say bad things like that about them."

"Right.." Mithos sighed. "I'll hold my tongue in future, but I still can't help but to hate humans."

Genis lowered his gaze to his feet. "Yeah.. I guess I can understand that too. If they weren't so closed-minded, we wouldn't have to hide. You might not have even needed to do everything you've done."

"I would have still done it," Mithos negated. "A lack of understanding is only part of the problem. The real problem comes from their combined souls."

"Right," Genis nodded sadly. "What does training involve, anyway?

xxx

" _You should never have been born..."_

Sheelos gazed up at the moon from her spot rested up against her favourite rock and sighed. Her mothers words rang true in her head in a new and depressing way. She'd always felt like an anomaly in the world. Being born the Chosen of Tethe'alla and told to live her life in secret while another man called the Cerberus took up her responsibility hadn't necessarily seemed like a bad deal. It separated her from the reality of her fate if she were to fail in her mission to stop the Chosen of Sylvarant and Tethe'alla went into decline.

She'd always justified the actions of those around her with that thought. The people of Mizuho looked at her like a valuable object that needed to be cared for, but not as a human capable of making mistakes and needing to be forgiven for them. Since the incident with Volt, it'd gotten worse. Perhaps it was because she had been accepted for the mission and they'd expected her to fail that they had all insisted that she be called only by the name 'Chosen' in the village.

With all that said and done, being the Chosen still wasn't _all_ bad. She'd met Yuan because of it, not to mention Corrine. She still remembered the first time Yuan had graced her with his head of finely combed blue hair. How could she not?

Nothing more than a child of a woman and a man running from their fate as Salvatorians, she'd also run soon after the snow had been painted red with her mothers blood. Her first night alone in Flanoir would have seen the death of her if it weren't for him. Seeking shelter upon realising that she in fact did not know the first thing about surviving a cold winter night without the guidance of her mother, she'd found herself traversing through the snow field until she happened across the place she now knew as the resting place of the summon spirit, Celsius. Being a nameless cave at the time though, she'd ventured into its depths to find a good place to sleep until morning. She had instead found herself surrounded by monsters. Too weak to fight back and already malnourished, she remembered resigning herself to an early death and thinking it was probably better that way. That was until the Cerberus himself had shown up all hero-like and slashed the monsters into various types of fish fingers.

" _Are you alright?" the mysterious azure-haired man asked, turning from the remnants of the monsters and to her. Shaking, she stood up on her now badly frost-burnt legs and looked over him suspiciously, wondering if he was going to finish her off now too. Life was never so forgiving to throw her any free help._

_Hot tears fell from her eyes but she made sure not to take her them off of him. He took a step toward her and she quickly scrambled back. "What do you want with me?"_

" _Is that any way to greet your savior?" he asked with a cocky snicker._

_She raised an eyebrow at him. "You're not here for anything?"_

" _Not particularly," he responded. "Unless you count saving you." He looked off in the distance behind her and gave a strange short nod._

_**Tink..Tink..** _

_She heard what sounded like a bell rattling from behind her and quickly turned her attention away from him. A fluffy yellow fox-like monster with a rainbow coloured tail and a golden bell around its neck charged right for her. "It's you! It's really you!"_

" _It's.. me?" she tilted her head in question at the softly spoken and yet slightly high pitched voice."Did that monster just talk?" She turned her head toward the mysterious man who had yet to give her his name (not that she had given him hers either) and felt something warm curl around her neck a second later. She jumped back in surprise and fell backward into the slow-moving icy brook that seemed to run all the way into the depths of the cave._

" _Oh no!" the fox cried, using her as a step ladder to get to safety and looking up the man. "Yuan! Do something! She's going to be so cold! She might get pneumonia."_

_'Yuan' rushed over, looking at the fox as he did, and reached his hand out to help her. He pulled her out with little effort. She felt cold for a brief point until a familiar black cloak fell around her shoulders and covered her entire body when she pulled it around to her front as well. The bottom sprawled out along the ground in a circle around her like waves of black water. She'd seen him wearing it. Without it, she could see his actual attire. He looked quite regal- like a knight- without the cloak to cover his body._

_"We'd better get out of here," Yuan said, petting her on the head for a second. "Celcius' lair is no place for the Chosen to be."_

_She blinked in bewilderment at him. How could a man she barely knew have discovered her secret identity as the next Tethe'allan Chosen?_

_Despite feeling relatively safe and warm as she walked beside him and the cute little fox creature, she realised she still needed to tread carefully. "What do you mean, 'For the Chosen'? I'm not the Chosen."_

_Yuan raised an eyebrow. "Of course you're not. I am."_

_She stifled a giggle and made a noise. "No you're not!"_

_"Well if I'm not and you're not, who are we?" Yuan asked then. "Surely one of us must be the Chosen."_

_Sheelos realised she was grinning broadly. "Don't be silly. What does the Chosen have to do with anything?"_

_"It's because Corrine here is a heat-seeking missile that homes in on Chosen," Yuan explained in a voice so even-toned and honest sounding that she actually had no idea whether he was being serious or not. She looked at the fox again, perplexed._

_Corrine looked up at her as though sensing her gaze. "Don't listen to Yuan. I'm not heat-seeking at all."_

_"You don't look like it," she agreed. "Why is Yuan lying?"_

_Corrine made himself comfortable around her neck. "It's because he doesn't want you to cry," he whispered into her ear._

Sheelos sighed and picked up a stick from the ground next to her. She'd introduced herself as Sheelos to them shortly after they'd left the cave and Yuan had showed her his rheaird. He then took her away from Flanoir and to a much warmer spot just outside of the Gaoracchia forest- her current location. Even after Yuan had taken her to Mizuho and she'd found out that he had known the truth about her all along and was actually the Cerberus, she came back to this place whenever she wanted some time to think.

Some footsteps from behind startled her out of her thoughts for a second until she recognised them from all the times they had tracked her down before. "I thought I'd find you here," Yuan said, dropping down and joining her against the rock. "You should really find a more original hiding place if you don't want me to find you."

She didn't answer. She didn't want to look at him right now. "We're heading for Ozette on the boat at the moment," Yuan explained further, leaning forward to make it impossible to avoid his gaze unless she turned away.

"You lied to me, Yuan," she muttered dryly. She wasn't even sure why it hurt so much.

Yuan was quiet. "I know," he responded eventually. "I'm sure you understand better than most that I have a very good reason for my secrecy."

"If you were an angel all along, that means you have a Cruxis crystal," she murmured. "You should have been able to open the Sylvarant seals on your own. You didn't need me."

"No," Yuan shook his head. "I did."

"Huh?" She couldn't help her surprise at the fact that he was being completely honest with her.

Yuan crossed his arms. "Let's just call it a hiccup in the system."

"You really are an angel?" she asked, just to be clear. She turned to him and noticed the redness from her earlier slap decorating his features.

"Why do you think the role of Cerberus is so fitting?" Yuan quizzed back. "Or do I need to show you?"

She grimaced and shook her head. "No, I believe you. It's just.. I wish you could tell me why it was so important Lloyd didn't do too much fighting at the seals, and why you're an angel, and why-"

"Do you still trust me?" Yuan asked, putting a finger to her lips to stop her rambling on with questions. He took it away after a second. "Or are you going to make me work for it again?"

She drew back and turned her head so he couldn't see her blushing. "Do you even need to ask that question after everything we've been through?" She rested her head on her knees. "You don't exactly make it easy though."

"Good." Yuan stood from his spot. "That's all I needed to know."

He went to walk away but she quickly stood and caught his arm. "Yuan, wait."

Yuan turned and waited for her to explain herself. She glanced away, feeling like steam was going to come out of her ears at any moment. She felt like such an idiot. Out of all the times she'd flirted with random cute men, the one time that it mattered, she couldn't even get a single word out.

Yuan shifted out of her grip but didn't move from his position close to her. "Don't say things you'll regret one day, Chosen."

She withdrew her hand right before it proceeded to tan the other side of his face, thinking more clearly on what else he'd said. "You already knew?"

The Cerberus gave her a gentle smile. "I apologise for toying with your heart like I have. I'm sure you're smart enough to have realised long ago that mine is elsewhere though."

"With Martel?" she asked softly.

"Why do you think I never told you her name?" He glanced away. She watched him habitually reach for the ring on his finger and twist it a little. "I'm sure the moment you found out her name that night, you started hating her."

"N-no," she denied. Yuan gave her a look and she rolled her eyes. "You know me too well."

Yuan grinned and rested a hand on her head, just like he had when they'd first met and had done various other times to reassure her of her misgivings. "Come back to the sail boat when you're ready to continue. I know you'll do the right thing."

He was off then, in his usual fashion. Sheelos watched until he disappeared out of sight, unsure whether to feel confused, upset or relieved. She took a deep breath and looked up at the starry night sky through the trees above. _"Guess the Chosen is destined to be alone after all."_


	46. Disconnected at the nucleus

Kraine rested Annalicia atop the floating core of the Great Seed and gently placed the Cruxis crystal Mithos had given him on her chest. It began to shine almost instantly thanks to the mana that still pulsated through the seed feeding into her body. "Forgive me," he whispered as he wiped a strand of pink hair out of her eyes and rested his palm on her forehead. "There's no other way to save you. I will not lose you again. Presea needs you."

She didn't open her eyes but he could see her body starting to turn green. It had been so close before thanks to the Angelus Project that it was no wonder the last strain from the Cruxis crystal would drain the remainder of life from the shell of the girl called Presea. He reached for the evolved exsphere once more and once again pulled it from her body. Clutching it tightly in his hand, he turned away before he could watch the body that had held out for just long enough to save her disintegrate.

xxx

" _Presea?"_

Genis found himself surrounded by red and looked around himself. The scenery was fairly familiar now to him. He could see Presea sitting over in a metaphorical corner with her head in her hands. She didn't seem very happy. Running over to her, she finally looked up. He blinked in surprise when he saw her eyes were red. She looked like she'd been crying. "What's wrong Presea?"

He quickly petted his pockets to see if he had a tissue handy. Dreams didn't seem to allow the transfer of objects from real life unfortunately. Instead he settled down next to her and put one hand around her. "What's the matter?"

"I've seen everything you've seen," Presea said softly. She turned to gaze at him, her blue eyes looking very serious all of a sudden. He tried not to get nervous. "Genis, why aren't you as upset?"

"Upset?" He tilted his head. "About Kraine not being our brother?"

Presea quickly turned her head back to her lap and fell quiet for a few seconds. "That as well, but that isn't what I'm referring to." She rested her hand on her chest. "It appears that while we were connected by the soul, we were not connected by the heart, Genis."

"I don't think I-" Genis stopped before he made a fool of himself. "It's about Lloyd.. isn't it."

Presea bobbed her head once and Genis felt his heart sink. He wondered what to say. It was a pretty delicate situation to be in and he felt himself blushing just thinking of the fact that he remembered how their heart had beat fast all those times Lloyd and Colloyd said things he didn't understand could be misconstrued to mean anything else.

"As a half-elf, I thought I understood my emotions much better," Presea went on. "It seems I misplaced my feelings somewhere they did not belong along the way."

"Colloyd was our first friend," Genis spoke softly. "It was only natural for feelings like that to come up." He was going to add 'especially since Kraine kept his true relationship with us a secret', but he didn't want to force Presea to be more angry with Kraine than she already was. "Our connection with Col was real and at least we know the real reason now."

Presea looked up again. "I suppose you're right. Thank you Genis."

She gave him a smile and he blinked, sure he'd felt his heart do a little flip-flop in his chest. She smiled not only with her mouth but with her eyes as well. "I-i-it's o-o-okay," he stuttered, wishing he could kick himself without her noticing. He bonked himself in the head casually when Presea went to look back out at the 'window' of the Angelus Project. He hadn't noticed it when he'd first entered his dream, but now that his eyes seemed to have adjusted, he could see the familiar roof of the cabin. It was actually amazing that he was sleeping without rolling over onto his stomach and blocking the view for Presea.

Just as that thought struck him though, he felt like laughing at himself. Since he was dreaming the whole thing, it didn't really matter whether he covered his hand or not. But then again.. he kind of found it odd that he didn't really doubt the Presea sitting next to him now was the 'real' Presea and not just a figment of his imagination. It was an odd feeling to describe. He put it down to the instinctive feelings Colloyd basically lived by. He looked over her while he was sure she wasn't looking. Presea flinched from her quiet state a second later and he thought he had been caught staring until she reached for his arm with one hand and pointed up to the 'window' with the other. His whole body went rigid at the sight.

xxx

A dull throb in his neck that he assumed to be the remainder of the pain from the dragon attack awoke Lloyd. He squinted a bit as the light filtering through the room hit his eyes. He rolled over onto his side and only narrowly avoided slapping the sleeping Genis down on the floor just below him with the back of his hand. A low giggle sounded from over on the couch adjacent to his. He glanced over and smiled to see that Colette was awake. "Good morning Lloyd," she whispered. "Did you sleep well?"

He nodded even though he was lying. He'd slept through the night, sure, but his dreams had been littered with dreams about Kraine and Gesea. If Colette knew he was lying though, she didn't say anything.

" _Just what is Kraine up to?"_ he wondered to himself as he shifted his feet over to the side of the couch and glanced over to the pair of twin swords leaned against the wall just underneath the clock. Something didn't feel right. He knew they couldn't afford to spend too much time backtracking around the world, but he couldn't turn his back on Gesea. He'd made a promise to find Duke Bryant with her after all. After everything they'd been through together, he couldn't picture her being happy to leave him wondering whether she was okay and just travelling the world with her brother.

He eyed the now stirring Genis again, feeling bad for what the day would bring. Not only were they going to to say goodbye to Mithos for the time being and return him to his home in Ozette, they were going to have to leave their new silver haired friend behind too. Their journey was only going to get more dangerous with the more seals they broke. They'd only known each other for a day or so and yet he felt strangely connected to him. A part of him wanted to fight the urge to leave him behind. He ended up wondering whether Genis could fight and what kind of magic he used as a full-blooded elf until the door from the bridge opened behind him and footsteps rushed quickly out toward him.

"Darling!" Sheelos greeted him happily, crushing him a little under her usual open-armed hug around the neck.

He tried not to flinch. "Sheelos! Welcome back!" He turned around so that she had to unlatch herself before she was swung over the side of the couch. "Did you and Yuan work everything out?"

She jumped back from him. "Wh-what makes you think it had anything to do with him?!" Her usual grin faded as she darted her eyes from him to Colette. Colette said nothing, glancing off to the door that led out to the main deck. It was making sounds like it was about to open and they could hear Noishe whining. It finally opened and the dog came shooting like a pellet from a slingshot through the gap as soon as it was big enough for him to squeeze through. Yuan followed in after him, nursing some messy hair, probably from attempting to wrestle Noishe (and failing).

Lloyd turned his head to continue talking with Sheelos, only to find her having returned to the bridge. The door shut behind her softly. Genis started to snort and laugh uncontrollably from a morning Noishe shower. With Colette joining his side, Lloyd tackled Noishe while she helped pull Genis from the jaws of a doggy demise.

"That's just Noishe's way of saying good morning," Colette explained, petting Noishe on the head and quickly tracing her fingers to the special part of his neck that he loved being scratched on.

Genis stuck out his tongue and wiped a particularly long bead of slobber from his chin before it managed to reach all the way down to his bare legs.

"I still don't understand it though," Lloyd muttered, looking confused. "It's like meeting new people doesn't phase him anymore."

Colette moved her eyes closer to look at the 'dog's eyes. "Yeah. I wonder what changed?"

"Maybe it's an elf thing," Yuan offered, stalking past them and to the bridge door. He rested a hand on the knob. "Regardless, we are almost ready to disembark and head off on the rheairds to Ozette."

Nodding, Lloyd gazed away from him and to the window behind Colette's couch. Mithos was obviously busy docking their sail boat at the small jetty just a short walk from the Gaoracchia Forest. He hated the idea of having to say goodbye so soon, so he purposely took his time in getting ready. Nobody raised a complaint though and he was kind of glad that everyone seemed just as apprehensive as him.

Once they were all ready to go, Mithos emerged from the bridge with Yuan, a sad smile on his face as he levelled his gaze on each of them. "It's okay guys.. I know."

"We're really sorry Mithos," Colette said. "You said you were from Ozette, right?"

"That's right." Mithos gave her a short nod. "I live in a house right on the outskirts."

Nobody said anything but Lloyd felt the tension in his gut worsen. He didn't remember Ozette very well, but there was only _one_ house on the outskirts of the village. The burning desire to ask Mithos' actual age flared up again but he quickly gulped it down when he remembered Gesea's sad expression when she had told him how long half-elves lived for. Looking around the room at Yuan, who was not seeming to pay all that much attention to what they were talking about, he wondered how old _he_ was. Half-elves were so interesting. He looked at Genis and grinned, then laughed when his short friend gave him the most freaked out look he'd seen since he'd told Gesea he had seven pairs of the same clothes and never wanted to wear anything else.

xxx

A little later as the group disembarked from their rheairds to head through the back way into Ozette, just past Altessa's house, Genis found himself absently wondering about what would be to come. Nobody had said anything yet about making him leave their group. Colette had been overly cheerful toward him though; a classic sign from the days of Colloyd that she was actually pretty distressed.

When the two Sylvaranti Chosen's fell into another random conversation and Mithos quietly walked beside him, Genis had a little time to reflect on his 'dream that wasn't actually a dream' with Presea. They'd both seen it as Mithos crept around them while they slept and looked at Lloyd's exsphere and key crest. He shivered a little. Not that he was sure why it bothered him so much, but Mithos hadn't shown any interest in the exsphere that he'd known of before. He supposed it _was_ kind of interesting though. His mind started to boggle again over Colette's explanation of a woman named Anna inside it who had said she was Lloyd's mother. He hadn't realised he'd summoned a kendama and started pensively juggling the ball in and out of the cup until he felt gazes from two different directions on him.

"Wow!" Lloyd grinned excitedly. "Is playing with those things an elf thing?" He reached for it without thinking. "Can I have a shot?"

"Oh yes!" Colette agreed, clapping her hands together, "me next!"

"Uh.. sure," he replied, handing it over and waiting for it to all go south like the last time he'd tried doing it. Lloyd stared at the ball and cup weapon, his eyebrows furrowing and his teeth biting into his bottom lip. With a quick jolt of the wrist, he tried to get the ball into the cup. It balanced just on the edge the first time but slipped over. He didn't give up though and squinted harder again before making a variety of "hoo-hah!" noises and jolting around.

"Lloyd! Wait!" Genis couldn't stop him from leaning too far forward in time before the ball accidentally hit the rim of the toy and bounced up to hit him in the forehead. "Ow!" the swordsman cried, handing the kendama out to anyone who wanted to take it, finally giving up. Mithos and Colette reached for it at the same time but Colette allowed Mithos to have the first go. As Genis expected he might, he took to it like a duck to water.

"It _is_ an elf thing, isn't it!" Lloyd concluded, grinning at both of them while still rubbing his head.

Genis shared a glance and a shrug with Mithos while Colette had a go. She had as little success as Lloyd, with the added bonus of the string snapping from the handle part and flying off to hit Yuan square in the back of his head. He and Sheelos had been walking up front in silence. Sheelos cackled with laughter when he glared at them in demand to know who the culprit was. Genis quickly clicked his fingers to de-summon his kendama from a distance.

"Scatter!" Mithos cried, laughing and tugging him at the arm to follow. Genis laughed too, forgetting everything that troubled him until they arrived on the outskirts of Ozette. The familiar grave of the only father he'd known when he'd been Gesea greeted him first, followed by the rest of the house he'd left behind to travel with Kraine.

"Well, this is my house," Mithos said to the group when they caught up to the two of them. Genis blinked in surprise and stuttered with the rest of the group.

"Mithos?" Lloyd frowned. "Is this really your home?"

"O-of course," he lied again, glancing at Genis with a scared expression at the looks he was being given by the rest of the group.

"Looks like someone might have lied to us," Sheelos commented, tapping her foot and crossing her arms. "Where are you _really_ from, Mithos?"

There was silence. Mithos backstepped a bit and shook his head. "No, uh, actually.. I-"

Genis spoke up before he'd even fully thought it through. "Actually, I live here. The place was abandoned for quite a long time and so I moved in." On one hand, he felt his soul crush a bit at the instant trust and belief in Lloyd and Colette's eyes at his explanation, but on the other hand Mithos' distress vanished thanks to him. It wasn't like he was actually _lying_ though.

"I'm going to live with Genis for a while and then go h-home," Mithos explained to them.

"Thank you for everything Mithos," Lloyd said while Colette next to him bowed. Genis laughed a bit. They still seemed to be joined sometimes.

"If we ever need a sail boat captain, we know where to find one," Colette regarded to Mithos. She smiled at Genis then. "Is it okay if we come to visit?"

"Of course!" He felt sad just looking at Colette and decided to focus on Yuan. He still had so many questions. He shifted his gaze to Sheelos while Lloyd rambled on about how it was better this way for them to be left behind in Ozette and wondered whether she also knew the blue-haired half-elf's secret and what other things she might now. Obviously not realising anyone was watching her, she darted a quick glance to Yuan. What was even funnier was when Yuan caught her in that instant and she looked away, cheeks turning red. He laughed out loud accidentally and blew his own cover.

Probably knowing what he was laughing at and not wanting to be there when the question was asked, the Tethe'allan Chosen turned on her heel and started to leave. "C'mon darlings, what are we waiting for? Let's go. We've got Kraine and Gesea to find."

"Right," Lloyd agreed, a serious expression in his eyes as he nodded in understanding. He looked at Genis. "I hope we meet again at some point. I feel like we could be good friends." He then turned to Mithos and gave him a polite bob of the head before setting off. Colette bowed her head to them again, waved with a 'goodbye for now!' and followed the group out until they were lost in amongst greenery and vines.

As they disappeared, Genis found an incredibly lonely feeling growing in his gut. He wondered whether Yuan planned on doing something when they found Kraine again. How was Mithos' cover going to stay intact, at least until they saved Presea from the confines of the Angelus Project if Kraine revealed what had actually happened to any of them?

" _Annalicia.."_

He wondered whether his brother-in-law had managed to save Annalicia and the body of Presea. The latter didn't sound very hopeful, particularly because Mithos had ignored the possibility of being able to somehow get Presea back into her first body.

"Everything okay Genis?" Mithos asked, cupping his shoulder. "Let's go and check out the place. Hopefully the door is open!"

"It is," he reassured, realising Mithos didn't know that he'd actually lived there when he had been Gesea. He felt kind of sick as he trod through the soggy grass and up the steps to the door. The house stirred nothing but bad memories of what he and Presea had done. The smell of their fathers rotting corpse in the bed when Kraine had placed the rune crest on his Cruxis crystal had been so overwhelming that his stomach churned again just thinking about it. _"Kraine did a lot to help us. We need to find out the full story from him."_ He thought back to Colette's feelings on him. _She_ at least was entirely convinced that Kraine was a good person. He needed to believe in that as well and hoped he could convince Presea to.

He opened the door of the little villa and stepped inside. A bunch of cobwebs hit him in the face and he did a little dance on the spot to try and get them off. "Hold on." Mithos chuckled as he plucked a large strand of web from his hair and pulled until it was gone. "We should probably clean this place up before we start your training."

Genis blinked out of his stare on the bed where his father had been 'sleeping' and shivered. This wasn't right. He didn't want to stay behind.

xxx

Kraine let out a heavy sigh as he stopped at the gates of Castle Tethe'alla, looking up to where the guards stood. He tugged on the sunglasses he had bought from a travelling salesperson along the Toize Valley Mine route to the south of Altamira covering his eyes and folded them neatly into a pocket on his waistcoat. If he was going to play the part, it needed to be convincing. The uniform of a Cruxis angel would not have done in the presence of the King. After making a pitstop at the beaches of Altamira, the place that brought back so many memories- good and bad- he was ready.

" _Are you with me Annalicia?"_ he asked in his head as he touched the uncrested Cruxis crystal now attached to the front of his right hand. _"Let's go and have a_ _ **chat**_ _with Gabriel."_

He stepped up to the guards at the front gates. They crossed their pikes over one another. "Entry to the castle is restricted to authorised personnel only."

"Do you not recognise me?" he asked. The two guards blinked and looked from him to each other. He let out a sigh. "I suppose I am without my blue wig at the moment, so you are not entirely to blame for your incompetence." He cleared his throat. "I am Duke Regal Bryant and I am here to report to the King of Tethe'alla."

"It can't be!" the guard on the left said, shaking his head as his eyes widened in disbelief. "The Duke disappeared a long time ago. Nobody has seen him for twenty years!"

"If you doubt my sincerity, bring me to the Pope before I see the King. He will vouch for me. That I can guarantee."

After patiently waiting for the guards to make a decision on the matter, he was about to go with plan B when they bowed their heads at him. "Please allow us to escort you to the Pope's chambers. He is in the castle today as the King is feeling quite ill presently."

"It will be my pleasure," he replied dryly, remembering why he had been so glad to leave this life behind. _"Although without my position as Duke, I wonder if we would have met once again?"_ He touched the Cruxis crystal. _"Met once again and had you grow to not hate me, anyway."_

The guards led him through the halls until they reached the Pope's chambers. He got a few double takes from some of the servants along the way but it was likely more to do with the fact that he found himself preparing for what was to come and likely with a scowl defining his features. Synonymous with one another, the guards opened the two doors of the chambers inwardly to show the Pope standing by one of the windows with his hands behind his back, looking over Meltokio.

"Excuse the intrusion Your Holiness," the guard to Kraine's right said with a bow. "We have an individual here claiming to be Duke Bryant. He came to us requesting an audience with the King but we request your approval that he is who he says he is."

The Pope locked eyes with him. "Yes, he is who he says he is."

"R-really?" both guards asked, looking over him with disbelief. He sighed. "Well then," Guard A said, "please allow us to take you to His Majesty. As you are no doubt aware, there are various discussions that are in order."

"Much obliged," he agreed. "Firstly however, I have some matters I would like to discuss with the Pope in private."

The guards looked at 'His Holiness' to make sure it was alright. The Pope nodded and sent them out of the room, closing the doors on their way out with the same fluidity as they had when opening them.

The clock ticked as Kraine stepped closer to the Pope and glanced out of the window. "A marvelous view you have of Meltokio. It is no wonder you wish to take it for yourself by poisoning the King. Humans are such selfish creatures."

The Pope grimaced and crossed his arms. "Wise to everything as always, old friend." He turned to him. "I have my doubts that you came to make small talk however."

Before the Pope knew what hit him, Kraine held him by the neck and against the glass. "You would assume correctly Gabriel. I foresaw treachery from Martuan at some point given the views she has always had on matters, but not from you."

Gabriel snorted. "What you call treachery, I call necessity. We needed the Angelus Project for Mithos' goals, remember?" He gave him a serious look. "Or perhaps now that you are in fact a half-elf, you can not see past your love for that woman and her sister."

"There is a fatal flaw in your judgement," Kraine growled. "You see, it is plain to see that you knew where the real Angelus Project was all along. You are the one who controls the grand cardinals movements after all." He squeezed harder. "There is another reason you want the Angelus Project and I will find out what it is."

He released his grip on the Pope and drew his sword, swiftly resting the tip on his jugular. "Being the Pope of Tethe'alla has made you rusty. I suggest you tell me what you know."

"You've misjudged me this time, Kraine," he said, bringing out a small handheld buzzer from behind his back to show him. The doors burst open behind him. "Duke Bryant! Drop your weapon immediately or we will kill you where you stand!"

Glaring at Gabriel, he dropped his sword and waited for the inevitable. Killing all of the men that quickly surrounded him would have been easy but hardly recommended. A pair of steel handcuffs brought his wrists together. As the captain of the royal guard escorted him from the Pope's room, he felt the new Cruxis crystal on his right hand starting to burn.


	47. Birds of a feather

Kraine tried not to breathe too deeply as the captain of the Papal Knights and the City Guard, along with six other knights, led him along the hallways of the palace to the throne room where the King currently resided. The warmth from the burning Cruxis crystal in his hand would have bothered him if it weren't for the fact that it was a good sign. Not that he wanted to think too much on it for the time being, given the circumstances.

The King looked quite surprised to see him the way he normally dressed but with a different shade of hair. He had revealed his true hair colour a couple of times as a sign of respect to the monarch when they had discussed Tethe'allan business and when he had been dubbed as Duke, but for the most part he always wore the blue wig that George had given to him as way to keep him out of the public eye. It had apparently worked better than expected even now that every man and his dog in Tethe'alla had seen his face at least once. Still, a part of him regretted his limited at best contact with the King. Had he not been so limited, perhaps it might have been easier to have discovered Yuan's identity as the Cerberus far before now. He stopped before the King and bowed his head in respect. "Your Majesty."

"Is it really true?" the King asked in question, raising slightly out of his gold and red chair and narrowing his eyes at him. "Duke Regal Bryant has come back to Tethe'alla at such a time as this?" He hacked a cough. Kraine noted that he sounded like he was in the final stages of his poisoning. They would need to find the antidote soon.

Princess Hilda rested a hand on her fathers shoulder. "Be careful father. You are not well."

Kraine recalled her being a toddler when he'd last seen her. She had grown into quite the beauty and though his heart well and truly belonged to another, he would have been tongue tied did he not prefer to stay his mouth for the time being.

"Regardless of which," the King replied, placing a hand over hers while it still sat on his shoulder, "I refused to not see such an event for myself." He crafted a smile across his face as though it took him great effort. Kraine remembered when the now frail monarch had been young and spritely, when the princess had been nothing more than a twinkle in his eye. He'd 'met' him then as well, but not as "Regal Bryant", the successor to the Lezareno Companies fortune by inheritance, but as "Kratos Aurion," the one to sign and date the said will to "Regal Bryant," his alias for this life time, as recommended by Mithos.

'Kratos Aurion' had retired despite his youthful appearance and 'Regal Bryant' had taken to the limelight. One of those closest to him had not been fooled though, and he had long ago needed to entrust George with the angelic secret to his immortality. Of course, his trusted friend and corporate advisor still knew nothing of why he was an angel or his involvement with Cruxis, only that it was a secret he must take to the grave. He had no qualms that his trust in him on that aspect had been well placed.

Of course, the older generation of people in the company and his associates had addressed him as Kratos Aurion to begin with as well. They had then switched to calling him Kratos Bryant one morning he had awoken, shortly before he had retired. Origin's curse had been helpful for once, allowing him to much more simply convince everyone of his own new alias as his direct descendant, Regal Bryant, a boy kept out of the limelight while he did home schooling and travelled the world in his youth.

The Papal Knight Captain stepped forward and bowed slightly. "Your Majesty, Duke Bryant was caught attempting to assassinate His Holiness the Pope."

Princess Hilda gasped. Both pairs of eyes trailed down to the handcuffs holding his hands together. "Is this true, Duke Bryant?" the Princess asked, her voice not more than a shocked whisper.

The King nodded in agreement. "I too have trouble believing this as truth. We address you with respect and seek to hear it from your mouth alone."

"I am thankful for the respect," Kraine answered, stooping his head. They weren't making things any easier, but the truth had to be told. He flexed his hands and started. "There are many things that I am guilty of, Your Majesty. It was, however, not my intention to murder the Pope. He and I are old friends and have always had a certain way of resolving arguments."

The captain took a step forward in order to defend the pope with the likely response that Gabriel did not see it the same way. Feeling his hand burning even hotter with each passing second, Kraine knew it was time. "There is another crime I am guilty of," he added, interrupting the captain. "A crime I feel I must atone for."

" _No, you're not guilty!"_

He swallowed and tried to ignore the voice that rung through his mind before continuing. "I am guilty of killing a young woman who once served as a maid in my company." The room stayed quiet as though they expected him to have more to add. He breathed deeply and continued at their request. "I offer no excuse for it. The rumours are true. I murdered Annalicia Combatage."

As expected, the King looked disappointed to hear that, but not altogether shocked. Kraine suspected that after all his years in service to the throne, he had begun to see the truth in a persons soul before they even spoke a word. Not that it often mattered; it was human nature to deny their most basic senses, after all. His own father had been victim to an even crueller fate than the King thanks to his inability to believe a conspiracy on his life brewing before his very eyes.

" _No! I can't let you do this Kraine. I will not!"_

He smiled as Annalicia's voice echoing through his head became even clearer and as the exsphere on his right hand glowed brightly and furiously in response. A pleasantly numb and light feeling spread quickly from the base of the Cruxis crystal and quickly travelled through his body. The colour red wrapped itself around the corners of his vision until he found himself looking at the King through a small shrouded looking window. The view of the surroundings outside the looking glass changed and instead faced the guards that had captured him after Gabriel had sounded the silent alarm. They immediately tried to restrain his body, but Annalicia, now in control, quickly ducked under their grasps with the well trained precision the many years of running from Desians had afforded her, and out through the doors toward the light of the main atrium that led to freedom.

"You didn't kill me Kraine," he heard Annalicia whisper in her voice as two of the surrounding guards stepped in her way. "I begged you to end it for me. There's a _difference!_ "

She struggled under the weight of the guards all around her holding her down. His body still feeling weak despite his soul having been displaced from it, Kraine knew she stood little chance. His vision of the events unfolding dimmed. He heard Annalicia scream before the world stopped moving and the chill of a memory from _that night_ crept down his spine.

"Take him to the prison," the Papal Knight Captain ordered from somewhere afar. "We must strip his Duke title from him before standing him on trial before a proper jury. Be sure to take his blood."

xxx

Mithos took his mouth away from the pan flute attached to a woven string of what looked like dried flower stems around his neck and dropped it back into his shirt. Genis looked at him with curiosity, wondering why he had brought it out and blown into it after telling him that he hadn't been very subtle in his preoccupation at what the rest of the group was doing.

"Just watch," his blond half-elf friend responded to his look, a mischievous smile on his face and his eyes glittering with excitement for some reason. Genis found himself even more curious. He craned his head upward to look at the blue sky through the opening in the canopy of trees where a spotlight of light filtered down to them. Nothing all that special seemed to be happening. A hungrily crying seagull flapped past after about a minute, but for the most part he was left to stare at the fluffy white clouds as they floated lazily across the blanket of blue and gradually covered the sun. He had to shield his eyes when they moved out of the way again. An eagle-like call filled his ears and a red shape flew in front of the sun and disappeared a second later. He blinked, sure his eyes had just played tricks on him. Mithos was looking amused, one hand rested on his hip while he also shielded his eyes from the bright sun with the other one. The same song crowed overhead again, this time sounding much, much closer.

A brilliant ray of light shone down from the sun to them while the dust from the patio of the house behind them raised up from its resting spot, gusting around their feet, and as the leaves on every bush and shrub in the vicinity rustled. Genis jumped back a bit when the ray of light curled itself into a small white ball before forming the body of a golden coloured two-headed bird, its primary red coloured wings tipped with spears of what looked to be ethereal purple mana.

" _Mithos the Hero calls,"_ said a voice. Genis stared. The voice coming from the bird sounded so peculiar; as though it carried on the wind around them from all directions.

"Aska, would you please carry us to Meltokio? It is of great importance," Mithos requested.

" _Aska is a summon spirit and is not a ferrying service, even to Mithos the Hero,"_ the bird- Aska- replied, ruffling his feathers and tucking his wings against his lanky body.

Genis felt his heart sink to his knees. "But you have to!" slipped out of his mouth. He decided to roll with it. "If you're a summon spirit, aren't you bound by a pact with Mithos?"

Aska observed him with one of his heads while the other head turned its eyes on Mithos. _"Just because one is bound by pact does not mean one has total control over Aska. Luna fulfils that need while Aska flies freely."_

Mithos growled furiously and stomped his feet into the ground. "Aska! I called you here. Please help us."

" _Aska can not."_ The summon spirit, seeming to think he had made his point clear, began to fade away in typical summon spirit fashion.

"Wait!" Genis cried, looking at Mithos. "We have to do something. We'll never catch up with Kraine if we go by foot."

"I know that!" Mithos snapped angrily, glaring at Aska. "Wait! Please wait!"

" _Aska has no more to say,"_ Aska cawed in response, outstretching and flapping his wings to probably show that he was going to be leaving.

"Yuan said it was important we go to Meltokio!" Mithos exclaimed, sounding desperate. Genis frowned, wondering what had possessed his friend to say _that_ in particular as opposed to a bunch of other possible ways to call the summon spirit of light back. He found himself even more taken aback when Aska's ethereal presence started to turn complete again until the bird was back in full form standing before them.

" _Lord Yuan has said this?"_ Aska asked, casting both sets of eyes on Mithos with extra intensity.

Genis knew he would have crumbled under the stare. Mithos did not. "He definitely said we needed to go to find Kraine in Meltokio."

Aska shifted from one foot to the other for a second, then turned his heads toward each other. Genis scoffed down a laugh at the idea of the summon spirit having a conversation with itself, intimidated by the idea of getting an Aska stare like Mithos had just a few moments ago.

" _Very well then,_ " Aska agreed indignantly, outstretching his wings to the ground.

Mithos skirted around the beast and climbed up onto his back without hesitation, using the natural fold of the bone under the plumage as a stepping stone. "Come on Genis," he called, reaching out his hand. "Hold my hand while you climb. You won't fall, I promise!"

With no argument left to give, Genis gave in and grinned as he raised his foot to lever himself up to Aska's back. Mithos caught his hand and laughed gleefully as he sat behind him. "Let's go Aska!"

"Yeah!" Genis wooed. "To Meltokio!"

 _"Aska wishes to remind you of the dangers of flying without proper protection,"_ Aska said, having no problems turning each of his necks in a 360 degree angle to face the two half-elf boys. They groaned at the same time, each with various glints of excitement showing on their features.

xxx

"Should we be wearing disguises?" Lloyd asked as the group approached the city from the side of the outer wall after dismounting their rheairds. "What if the Pope and his Papal Knights are still putting a wanted sign on our heads?"

"Of course we will be wearing disguises," Yuan responded, like he'd stated the obvious. He realised he kind of had, but a small blossom of irritation rose to the surface of his consciousness. Yuan was keeping secrets again. On the way to Meltokio, the ex-professor had refused to answer _why_ he had known that Kraine would be there. They'd dropped the subject after another game of questions, but the lines to read between for the conversation gave Lloyd nothing new to work with. It was frustrating.

The half-elf dropped the backpack he carried at all times and unzipped it from the top. Lloyd watched keenly, frustrations boiling to the top slowly as the bluenette rummaged through.

"Hold on," Sheelos called to the two of them. She was peering around the corner of the wall that led to the main gate.

"Yeah, come look at this!" Colette waved them to get a closer view. Lloyd and Yuan shared a quick glance and followed, Yuan slinging his pack back onto his shoulders.

Like a group of cuckoo birds all turning sideways simultaneously out of a clock, they all peered around the corner again. Lloyd immediately saw what they were talking about. The front gates had been so heavily guarded the last time they were there that they were pretty hard to forget. The whole premises seemed devoid of any of its usual militia.

"I wonder what's happening?" Sheelos questioned. "Meltokio never sleeps their guards. They have twenty-four hour alternating shifts."

"It appears something quite substantial must have happened," Yuan agreed.

Lloyd grinned to himself and marched on ahead for a moment until Yuan managed to catch him by the white scarf and hold him still. "And just what is your plan when we get in? Have you forgotten that we are all wanted still?"

"I figured they might not see us," Lloyd explained. He slumped his shoulders, feeling dumb. "I guess you're right though. Damn. I've got to start thinking things through properly."

Yuan let go of the white scarf and sighed. "I suppose you're not totally incorrect. We might very well be able to enter the city undetected. We should get a closer look while the coast is clear." He quickly traipsed over to the entrance that faced into the city, Sheelos darting after him quickly to keep up with the action. Lloyd tagged along after the Chosen and Cerberus, Colette at his side. Meltokio, or at least the first district of the city, was almost silent. It was unnatural.

"Something is definitely happening at the castle," Yuan grumbled. Sheelos narrowed her eyes at him but said nothing. He didn't continue on with any train of thought either.

"Where do you think Kraine is?" Lloyd asked, interrupting the silence and looking at Colette.

"Um, maybe he's buying some gels?" Colette asked. "Hmm... no, that doesn't sound right, does it?" She and Lloyd turned to Yuan expectantly. He opened his mouth but stopped when Sheelos elbowed him. "And _no_ , it's not a game of questions!"

"I had no intention of starting a game," Yuan scoffed, "I'd lose."

"Huh?" Lloyd furrowed his brows. "You mean you knew he'd be in Meltokio but not _where?"_

"Yes." Yuan stood and stretched. "Now, listen to my plan. You'll need to go on ahead to the noble district. Stay clear of the castle even if you see a crowd. Go to the large house there with the statues on either side and tell Sebastian that the Chosen sent you."

"You mean-" Lloyd started.

Yuan nodded before he finished his train of thought. "I trust I don't need to remind you that I am the _Chosen_ here?"

"Got it," he beamed, then faced Colette. "Okay. Let's go Colette."

"Take Sheelos too," Yuan instructed.

"What?!" Sheelos let out a cry of anguish. "There is no chance in hell I am letting you off the hook to do whatever you want on your own again!" Her cheeks flushed vibrantly and she stuttered. "I-I mean-"

Yuan sighed and turned away. "Suit yourself." He started up ahead again.

Sheelos turned around in a circle, looking conflicted now. Colette solved her strange problem by walking up to her and gently pushing her in the direction of Yuan. Even though he wanted to know what Yuan was going to do, Lloyd was also glad to have some time with Colette. After all they had been through as one, he really wanted to understand what made her an individual now. The best part, he thought as he grinned like a cat to himself, was that they had no secrets from each other.

xxx

While he held on tight to Mithos with one hand and gripped the warm feathers of Aska with the other as they glided along through the sky, Genis had some time to feel bad about his distraction with Kraine. It had been almost impossible to focus on what Mithos had started to explain to him about what they needed to do in order to help Presea. From what he could make out amongst his fellow half-elf's somewhat nondescript explanations though, basic training involved a few mental and physical exercises to enable the special exsphere to absorb more energy. That energy would eventually allow Presea's soul to much more easily leave the exsphere while the rune crest was still attached once it grew powerful enough to develop a new body for her based on her soul. Even though he still didn't fully understand the mechanics of it, he sort of got it. Mana _was_ the source of life after all. It made sense that a special exsphere like the Angelus Project would be able to be capable of at least creating a body for a soul if enough mana was able to be provided.

"Do you like riding on Aska, Genis?" Mithos asked, turning his head to him.

He nodded and took a deep breath of the air. "It's so different to flying on the rheairds."

"The rheairds are not a natural part of the world," Mithos explained. "Using natures resources respectfully, I think you are more inclined to appreciate the beauty of the world." He turned his back to him again. "We might not be able to fly using Aska again after this though."

" _Aska is only doing this favour as a service to Lord Yuan,"_ Aska was quick to remind them.

"I know that," Mithos muttered. "Thank you Aska." He shook his head. "What I mean is that Sheelos will likely sooner rather than later form pacts with the other summon spirits, including Aska." His voice went vacant toward the later part of his explanation.

"Oh.. yeah.." Genis agreed uncomfortably as the memory of how Mithos had acted in Volt's temple ventured to the forefront of his mind. Mithos had seemed quite distressed back then. He recalled when Yuan had pulled him aside for a while when he and Presea (as Gesea), Sheelos, Lloyd and the then vacant Colette had gone to go and get the rheairds from Mt Fooji. There was no doubt that Mithos and Yuan had discussed many things at length.

Sometimes he still couldn't quite picture the leader of Cruxis and Mithos as the same person though. When the seals and the Chosen were involved, he seemed like a completely different person. In his human child form like he was now though, and as he cackled when the cold tip of a cloud skimmed over the top of their heads, he seemed so comforting to be around. He felt like an old friend despite their relatively recent meeting. It was pretty weird.

Before Genis knew it, they were already on the outskirts of Meltokio. Aska landed on the ground and lowered his wings along the grassy ground to allow them to disembark. The moment his feet touched the ground and he turned to face the summon spirit, he found Aska had already disappeared.

"Nice work Mithos!" he complemented instead to his friend as they both turned from the empty surroundings to gaze at the front gates to the Tethe'allan capital. "You didn't even have to lie to Aska."

"Lying is a cowards way," Mithos grumbled, the chirp he'd earlier had in his voice disappearing and a scowl materialising in its place. "It is also the way of the humans."

"Yeah," Genis had to agree, at first anyway. "Not all humans are liars though. Colloy-uh, Lloyd and Colette are different. Lloyd lies, but its never about anything serious I don't think. Colette, well, I can't even imagine her lying unless it's to protect something really important."

He was suddenly reminded of his own pickle jar regarding Yuan and Mithos and the rest of the world. A part of him wanted to ask Mithos then and there about when he would be allowed to tell his friends the truth about what was going on. Things seemed to be getting more and more complicated as time marched on. It was now only a matter of time before they found Kraine and discovered that Gesea technically existed no longer.

"I understand," Mithos replied, surprising him a little with his change of heart so rapidly. "Gabriel is still a human. He has helped me more times than I can recount and has never lied to me," he went on to add.

"Never?" Genis wondered how he could be so sure of that.

Mithos shook his head. "Never. He is a trusted friend and ally."

"I'd like to meet him sometime."

Mithos quickly shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't let you meet him. Not yet anyway."

"Oh." Genis looked down and shifted awkwardly, feeling like he'd crossed some kind of line. He wondered whether this was how Colloyd had felt whenever he and Kraine refused to talk about their time travelling with Novariel's caravan. "How are we going to get in there anyway?" he asked so the subject could be changed.

Mithos raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? Neither of us are wanted people."

Genis blinked and a realisation hit him. Mithos was right of course. The Pope wanted the 'Chosen' and his friends, but the last time they'd gotten into trouble had been before he and Presea had split. He snickered and continued ahead in fearless amusement.

As they entered Meltokio, Genis stood around near the stairs and crossed his arms. "Why is it so quiet?" A bird tweeted and hopped along the cobblestone ground, pecking at small shoots of grass around the large street lamp to his left.

"I don't know," Mithos said, looking just as stumped. "The last time the capital was this quiet was when..." He trailed off before finishing his sentence and shook his head. "That's not important. What I mean to say is that when something bad happens in a big city like this, usually the castle is the place to get all the gossip." He looked incredibly uneasy then as he started to climb the steps to the middle class residential quarters where Genis still very clearly remembered seeing Rodyle near the fountain. A shiver ran down his spine even now. He followed Mithos up and wondered what he would have said.

A city guard carrying what looked mostly just like a decorative spear approached from the north. Mithos approached him without two cares in the world. "Excuse me mister?"

"What is it young man?" the guard asked, raising the visor of his uniform to reveal the crinkled eyes of a somewhat elderly man. He looked friendly enough. Genis tried to relax himself and smile.

"Where is everyone?" Mithos questioned as he gestured to the city.

"You don't know?" the guard asked, sounding surprised. "Were you playing hide and seek or something while the news spread? Regal Bryant is back in Meltokio and has just confessed to murder."

"H-he has?" Even Mithos couldn't hide his surprise. Genis was glad that he was entitled to show his shock. Unlike him however, Mithos seemed to be able to find the ability to still speak. "What is going to happen to him?"

"He will be tried in court of course," the guard responded. "In the mean time, he's been thrown in jail." He lowered the visor on his uniform again and reached a hand out to Mithos' head. "Don't worry though kiddo! He won't escape. Run along now." He ruffled his hair and laughed heartily while Mithos stood rigid with his fists clenched at his sides.

A little bit frightened to say much, Genis waited for him to calm himself. Mithos eventually took a deep breath and looked at him, a sharp glare from his irritation still lingering in his blue eyes. "Let's head to the Colosseum."

"The Colosseum?" Genis managed to ask, his legs still feeling like jelly from the revelation.

Mithos nodded. "If it's still there, there should be a passage in the waiting room that leads straight through to the dungeon. We just need to sign up and get in there." He made a bee line for the left wing of the city. Genis raced to catch up. "We won't have to fight anyone, will we?" He stuttered, realising he needed to re-phrase to avoid looking like a coward. "Not that I don't think we could kick their butts though!"

Mithos snorted and shook his head. "Nah. We'll get Kraine and escape before they call us into the arena for the match. Getting past the guard should be a piece of cake."


	48. Cruxis, Colosseums and calculations

Genis stood next to Mithos as they waited in line behind a couple of much more able-looking warriors. He hoped they wouldn't get laughed at. All around him people were whispering about Duke Bryant returning and getting pinned for murder. Of course.. he'd figured that part out a little while ago now. Still, the hope that everyone was somehow wrong and that Kvar was just a lying ass had always been a possible silver lining to the story until now. He wished he could drown out the whispers around him and concentrate on being inconspicuous. He stepped forward with Mithos once the last person in front of them finished signing up to the easy arena fight and was ushered over to a spot over on the side wall.

The sign-up lady gave them a crooked smile as she leaned slightly over the desk to face them. "What are you young ones doing in the Colosseum? Want to try your hand at the beginners phase?"

Genis went to nod, but stopped just in time apparently because Mithos crossed his arms and shook his head. "Hmph. Don't make me laugh. We aren't beginners." He side glanced at him. "Right Genis?"

"Oh uh.. yeah," he agreed. Secretly he just wanted Mithos to pick whatever so that they could just get on with it.

The lady giggled until she realised Mithos wasn't joking; then her face just fell into confusion and distress. "There is an uh.. age limit."

"No there isn't, don't lie," Mithos contradicted. "Or I will have you fired."

The poor woman looked all of a sudden terrified. "J-just who are you?"

Mithos didn't answer. He didn't need to. Even knowing him, Genis shivered a bit at the cold glare in his eyes. The woman went back to the sign up book and cleared her throat. "Your names please?"

They gave her their first names and headed over to the waiting area. "Is that room the one that leads to the jail?" Genis asked in a whisper to Mithos as he watched one of the other contestants ahead of them get called in. When the door briefly opened, he could hear the cheering of a crowd. The walls between the rooms seemed to be pretty insulated. He wondered whether that would play a good role in their upcoming prison break.

Minutes started to feel like hours. Genis had to keep telling himself he was much more patient than Colloyd and that he could keep a cool head while waiting. He began lose his cool when the contestant before them seemed to take a lot longer than normal, but once the door opened again and the armoured warrior stepped out with rips in his clothes and bruises everywhere, he jumped up from the bench with Mithos and stretched while he waited for the door guard to call their names.

The muffled sound of the crowd outside in the seats of the Colosseum could be heard all around them, the vibration of excited feet stomping against the stone floors able to be felt from wherever they stood. When the door closed, Genis eyed Mithos, hoping he knew what to do next. "Follow my lead," Mithos whispered, clasping his hands behind his back and stalking past a bunch of tables and suits of armour to the city guard blocking the way through another door. It wasn't of the same wooden variety as the entrance door to the arena. Instead it was a heavy looking iron door. There was no real doubt that they would be going through that door in order to get to the dungeon and find Kraine.

"Excuse me sir," Mithos started, bowing his whole body to the guard. The man grunted in response and pointed away from them to the other door. "Got the wrong door. Go on, the bell's about to sound."

"Oh," Mithos nodded. "Okay."

Genis stared in bewilderment at how easily he agreed and went over to the correct door. "Um.. Mithos?" he asked, following. "We're not going _in.._ right?"

"Actually Genis.." Mithos looked down from his gaze. "We are going in."

Genis stared. "Y-you.. you _lied?"_ Angered words sizzled on his tongue but they disappeared before he opened his mouth thankfully. "Why would you do this Mithos?! I thought you hated liars!"

"I _do!"_ Mithos exclaimed. "This is different!"

Genis frowned at the look on his face. It was like he wanted to say more but he couldn't. It seemed.. odd. Mithos' expression faded and he put on the same kind of expression he was sure he had seen before. It mirrored Kraine almost exactly. Being as subtle as he could, he placed his rune-crested hand in his pocket for a second. "O-okay.." he mumbled before letting out a sigh. "Mithos?"

"Yeah?"

He took his hand out again. "I trust you, okay?"

A loud bell chimed before Mithos made any kind of response. The guard at the wooden entrance door to the arena pulled it open to let in the noise. Genis could see the metal grated gate on the other side and some dangerous looking monsters lurking behind it. Mithos at his side, he unsurely stepped on to the sandy scene of future action.

xxx

"I can't believe they're _here!"_ Sheelos said, crossing her arms and looking toward the Colosseum district. "Jeez." She groaned a bit. "What on earth are you looking for anyway?! We should go after them!"

Yuan didn't answer her for another couple of seconds, but then pulled something out from the deepest reaches of his backpack to show her. She stared at it and then up at him in surprise. He cleared his throat and placed the item on his head, tucking his bright blue ponytail under it.

"Y..you were the Cerberus for way more than just this time weren't you," she mumbled in more realisation than as a question to him. He knew he didn't have to answer. She rolled her eyes and glanced away from him. "Guess I should have known you were way older than you look." Yuan opened his mouth but she quickly shut him up. "Don't you _dare_ say anything about having a thing for older men."

Yuan flinched back, feigning surprise while a grimace broadened across his lips. "I am much more of a gentleman than that Sheelos." He sighed and held his head. "If you must know, yes I am quite a lot older than anyone you'll meet here, save for Mithos."

Sheelos scoffed and quickly realised her error. She stomped her foot on the ground when she caught the gleeful sparkle of knowledge learned flash across his eyes. She'd learned to fear that look. "Damn it. How the hell do you get everything out of me so easily?"

"I've had years to perfect it to a fine art," he explained whimsically. "Why are you acting surprised?"

Sheelos looked over him again and at the wavy red haired wig he had put on. It reminded her of her own hair, except the strands of fake hair fell past the sides of his face and reached to his lower back. "All those photos back at the village of the Cerberus with the Chosen.. they were _all_ you?"

"There is time for this conversation later," Yuan said, clearly wanting to drop the conversation. The annoying thing was that she knew he was right. The Cerberus tugged his backpack on. It looked kind of ridiculous with his cloak. "Sheelos, you do realise that by coming with me that you're putting yourself in danger?"

"Well that'd be kinda stupid of me if I didn't by now," she pointed out. "You're up to something again and I need to know what it is."

"You are better off not knowing," he replied, the grin fading from his lips.

"Uh oh," she murmured, "It's something really serious judging by that look." He raised an eyebrow at her and she raised one right back. "Hey, the 'years to perfect a fine art' thing works both ways _Yuan._ If that's even actually your name."

"Don't be ridiculous," he stated, shaking his head. "My name is Yuan Ka-fai and has been for more than four thousand-" He stopped short and she stifled a laugh at him. "Gotcha!" She poked her tongue out.

An irritated scowl on his face, Yuan quickly moved past her. "Go to my house and stay out of trouble."

"What?" she jeered in question. "You said just before that I could _suit myself_."

"That was _before_ I knew you knew about Mithos," he retorted. "He _can't_ find out that you know about him. Just how much else do you know anyway?" He whirled around and quickly moved into her personal space.

"Right back at you," she interrogated back, her voice going quieter than she would have liked. She wasn't going to let herself be intimidated but she involuntarily stepped back. Neither of them said anything for a time. Eventually Sheelos shrugged her shoulders and let out a breath of frustration. "Fine. You're obviously going to the castle. I'll go catch up with Lloyd and Colette."

Yuan squinted his eyes at her, probably trying to simultaneously figure out why she was giving in and what kind of game she was playing. She just played it cool and grinned. "Can't have my brunette darling being stolen out from under my nose, can I?"

Yuan groaned and waved her to hurry up and leave. She nodded and went ahead, hearing him call out to her that the discussion was merely on pause. She ducked behind a bush that was trimmed in the shape of a cherub and watched and waited for the Cerberus to disappear from her sight. Her best hope was for him to get lost in the crowd of Meltokioans around the castle gates. They all clustered together, practically submerging the papal knights and city guards in their hopes of finding out more information or getting a glimpse of Duke Bryant.

The red-wigged half-elf appeared at the base of the steps that led to the castle and entered the crowd. For a moment she thought she'd lost sight of his vibrant hair amongst the flurry of other cringe-worthy gaudy colours until she saw his familiar cape fluttering in the breeze behind him as he scurried out again from the crowd. Confusion replaced her relief when she realised he was heading instead to the Church of Martel to the left of the main castle entrance. He let himself in with a quick push of the golden door. Curious as to why he wasn't entering the castle as she'd expected him to, but confident that he wouldn't discover her defiance now through the use of his angel senses, she made a mad dash in the direction of the iconic arena in the western wing of the city.

Rushing past a few citizens and almost running straight into someone dressed for arena battles coming out of the weapons store, she entered the Colosseum and found she could enter straight through the barely guarded door to the spectator stands. Despite the drama going on at Castle Tethe'alla, the cheering and almost deafening crowd was as enormous as ever. Eyeing a spot a few rows up from the fence of the actual arena, she pushed past other seat-finders and made her way to the row hers was on. Squeezing against chairs on her left and apologising to people on her right as she waded through the mess of people, bags, popcorn and soft drinks, she eventually found her chosen seat and plopped down.

The loud roar from the battle arena sent shivers down her spine and she craned her neck over the crowd in front to get a piece of the action. The first thing she saw was a giant dragon/bird monster. The thing had no wings, but had bird talons for its front and back legs. Its front legs seemed to hang uselessly in front of its chest. A human rider sat on its scaly grey back, holding a whip. As the rider slapped the whip at the dragon chimera's side, it jerked its head back and spat a blazing fireball out of its shiny scaled mouth. She followed the fireball and watched a small blond boy... _Mithos.._ roll out of the way and summon a short sword from the next dimension.

He backed away though and turned his head to the right. Sheelos squinted but finally found herself able to recognise a head of silver hair and the familiar blue and black dress code that belonged to Genis. He looked like he was yelling something at Mithos but the kid seemed to be ignoring him and just glaring at their adversary instead. Whatever it was that had spurred them to randomly fight in the arena as opposed to maybe coming to look for Kraine, she suddenly got the very distinct impression Mithos had been the one to make the plans. A flurry of icicles flew from nowhere at the dragonbird and sent the rider flying to the ground. He jumped up again and dropped the whip to instead pull a great sword out from the giant sheathe he had attached to the double-shouldered baldric belt that criss-crossed across his front and back.

xxx

Lloyd stood and waited out the front of the house Yuan had directed them to go after ringing the bell, Colette at his side. He smiled at Colette and she smiled back. They hadn't really said much, but that didn't really matter. There were more important things to worry about. Despite what Yuan had instructed to them to do, they'd listened in to the crowd for a little while and pieced together another very important piece of information. It seemed that Duke Bryant was in the city as well. Lloyd's heart pulsed faster against his thinking about it. It really seemed possible that if they could find Gesea and Kraine, they might be able to kill two birds with one stone and find the Duke while he was still in the jail waiting to have a verdict. Amongst the whispers, he'd heard that the aristocrat had killed someone and admitted to the crime.

"It's just like Sheelos said," Colette pointed out worriedly as though she had plucked the thought from his mind.

He nodded and scratched his chin. "I don't know. I'm not sure I believe that's all there is to it."

The lingering thought in the back of his mind was all the more worrying. He all of a sudden wished Colette would read his mind again. No luck though; the door to the mansion in front of them opened before either of them could talk more. A man with greying brown hair, a moustache and wearing a royal blue jacket with white pants and a red tie stood there. He gave them a friendly smile as he regarded them. Lloyd instantly pegged him as Sebastian.

"Can I help you?" the butler asked.

"Hello," Colette greeted. "Mr Yuan said we should come here."

Recognition flashed in his features. "You must be Sir Bud." He nodded at Lloyd.

"Huh?" he blinked. "Sir.. Bud?" He shook his head. "My name is actually-"

"-And you must be Lady Colette!" Sebastian offered a white gloved hand out to her. He leaned his face forward to her hand when she took it and gave it a polite kiss. Giving a stunned and polite giggle while her cheeks went rosy, she allowed him to lead her indoors.

"My name's Lloyd," Lloyd finished anyway as he followed and as Colette looked back at him apologetically. Sebastian didn't seem to hear him though. The butler let go of Colette's hand and quickly closed the doors behind them. Lloyd gazed around himself in awe. The mansion was huge. Brown and cream checkered floors lined every inch of the ground and a large staircase decorated with brass swirls on the risings to the right of the huge room led up to a landing on another floor. The faint scent of a flowery smelling furniture polish wafted around the area. It reminded him of Castle Tethe'alla. The design was quite obviously Meltokian- but it had another flair to it as well. He could easily picture Yuan living somewhere like this, even if he ever actually did. Being the Cerberus sounded exhausting.

"Would you like a beverage, Sir Bud?" Sebastian asked, seeming to pull a tray from nowhere with several selections of cups.

"Uh my name-and no I-" Lloyd found a mug of hot green tea placed in his fingers by the courteous butler. He placed it on the tray respectfully while Sebastian offered the same to Colette.

"Actually, we're on a really important mission right now," he spoke, glad to finally be able to finish a sentence. "The Chosen sent us here. I think he said something about disguises?"

Sebastian calmly placed the tray down before clapping his gloved hands together. It made such a familiar sound that Lloyd half expected wood shavings and dust to magically appear and fly everywhere. "I do apologise Sir Bud," Sebastian said with a little bow at him, "but the castle ball is not for another few months. I will eagerly await the arrival of your formal attire if you wish that to be purchased. The Chosen spares no expense for his honoured guests."

"It seems they spare no expense with him either," he said, eyeing the table in the far corner of the room near the window.

"Those are gifts of a salvatorian nature," Sebastian explained. "As you probably understand, Master Yuan has quite the line up of those that wish to be tested for their eligibility."

Lloyd tried not to think on it too much. Glancing at Colette, he noticed her wince a little as well. Those were memories he didn't like to think about. He realised they were getting sidetracked though and sought to explain what he meant a bit better. Yuan had sent them here for a reason. It struck him only then that his ex-professors request made no sense. He'd been with them almost the whole time since they had gotten back the rheairds and as far as he knew, he hadn't left on his own again. It was possible.. but..

"Damn!" The moment the realisation struck him, he let out a cry of anguish and flung himself for the door. "Yuan didn't want us to be able to walk around without being seen. He wanted us _out of the way!_ " He grasped the door handle and craned his neck back to see whether Colette was coming. She looked concerned but like she was ready to follow. They waved goodbye to Sebastian and left. He bowed respectfully until the door shut and they couldn't see him any more. They faced out to the city of Meltokio once again.

"Won't we be captured if we're seen though Lloyd?" Colette asked in a whisper.

"It's okay," he said with a nod. He was fairly confident his idea would work. "Let's fly into the castle."

"Wow! That's a great idea!" Colette looked impressed and raised her head to eyeball the castle looming over the whole district. The shine of eagerness in her eyes faded after a few seconds and Lloyd felt her scan him with concern.

He shook his head, realising what she was thinking. "I'm feeling fine." He flexed one arm and grinned. It wasn't a complete lie. His neck was still throbbing, but at least most of his body felt better. "That way we won't be seen. We need to find and talk to Duke Bryant. I have a feeling that if Gesea knows he's in the city, she'll probably stop at nothing to find him as well."

She nodded in agreement. "You promised you'd helped her, right? That means we'll probably find Kraine as well."

Lloyd couldn't help but grin. He was glad she was agreeing to his idea and following his train of thought. He knew Gesea, Sheelos or Yuan would have tried to talk some sense into him. She still looked a little bit apprehensive though. He reached for her wrist and startled her accidentally. Blinking back his own surprise at the little 'eek' she'd let out, he pulled her in the direction of the large fence between Yuan's mansion and the next one over. It seemed like the most convenient place to execute his brilliant plan. As soon as they were out of sight of any of the citizens still wandering about, he let the feeling of mana he was used to by now swirl around his body until it gathered at the center of his back. With a light shrug of his shoulders, he felt the mana release and his wings come out.

"Your wings are so beautiful Lloyd," Colette complemented. He laughed and scratched the back of his head, unsure what to say in response. As she summoned her own wings, he did have to wonder just why his wings were different to hers. If Duke Bryant was involved with exspheres and Cruxis crystals, he wondered whether he might be able to tell them more. If they did find him, the first agenda would be one thing and one thing only though- to find out what had happened to Annalicia. The rumour of the murder they'd heard from the townspeople echoed through his mind. He tried his best to shake it off and focus on making the little bit of extra effort lifting off the ground seemed to take look as easy as winning at Dwarven Pot Luck Surprise.

xxx

Genis felt nervous. He had gotten the picture on what Mithos was up to a while ago when he'd seen him duck under the third rounds flying dragon monster and run away from fireballs and shock waves instead of attempting to do his own battles. For all the help he'd been, he might as well have been a cheerleader. Now in desperate need of a gel or two, or just a rest from the fighting, Genis wearily watched with his friend standing by his side as the gate opened for the fifth and final time. An enormous black metal-clad dragon with pointed dark blue wings glided into the arena, a bardiche in one hand and a bladed shield decorated with the colours of fire in the other. Only as he watched it swipe its weapon and point it in his direction did he begin to wonder just how a monster could learn something like that. _Someone_ must have trained it. The sandy terrain rumbled and he felt it through his legs as the monster took further steps toward him. Then it stopped.

"Genis!" Mithos called from the sidelines.

He nodded tiredly, feeling the mana in front of him where the creature stood gradually become thicker. "Guardian!" he yelled, feeling his own mana welling up and releasing it to form a green see-through shield around him. It barely held for long enough to stop the massive set of three fireballs flying toward him, one after the other. After taking the final blow, it shattered and he dropped to his knees.

He didn't have time to sit and gather his wits though. The world around him shook and he only managed to barely get to his feet and back away in time to avoid being skewered by a thrust from the enormous polearm. The dragon knight recoiled its neck backward. This time though, Genis knew what was coming. He jumped backward toward the contestant gate of the arena and waited for the three fireballs to come flying toward him. He just hoped his calculations were as correct as they had been the last four battles.

_"One.. two.. three.."_

All three fireballs flew to the ground and burned in place for a few seconds. Genis observed the monster acutely, feeling his energy finally building up again. _"Now thrust your weapon like a good monster..."_

It did exactly as he thought on command. The dragon knight cried a loud ear piercing noise that sounded like something in-between a screech and roar when it missed its mark this time. Realising the cause, it took some more steps forward, its yellow bird feet leaving lines where the gnarled claws on each toe scratched against the sandy ground. Standing in place once again, it recoiled its neck and got ready to use its twice-old attack. Genis readied himself to cast guardian, but felt relatively confident that the fireball wouldn't hit its mark.

_"One.. two..three.."_

He grinned to himself when the pattern completed itself just as he'd expected. The weapon swipe came in a few-

"Ah!" He let out a surprised yelp when, by a stroke of lady luck somehow, he found himself being only _just_ far enough away to avoid a quicker than normal slash from the weapon. It was so close that his hair rustled as the sharpened tip flew past his face. The dragon flew back slightly from him then, which he found odd. Smoke flared from its metal plated nostrils and its eyes bore onto him with desire to kill. Genis breathed heavily as he glared right back. The only way to stand a chance was to wait for an opportune opening. He began to mumble the enchantment for lightning, choosing not to use his kendama to focus this time since he needed to watch for the movements of the beast as it stomped its feet into the ground in rage at him and squawk-roared again. Then without warning and completely out of his attack pattern, the bladed shield he was holding spun out of his hands and toward an unsuspecting Mithos. Genis didn't even have time to mouth a warning and Mithos barely had time to turn his head before the defensive weapon hit its mark.

Looking down at the shield as it fell to the ground at his feet and the blood quickly seeping through where it had hit on his white tunic, Mithos choked a few unintelligible words before falling face-first into the ground. Genis stared, unable to believe his eyes. The dragon knight roared and raised its weapon, stepping up for a final assault. It seemed Mithos had irritated him.

"No!" Genis cried. He didn't know what to do. There was no way he could reach his half-elf friend in time. Focusing somehow in the moment, he mumbled the words to the incantation faster than he thought possible. The spell was going to be weak but it couldn't be helped. "Lightning!"

The reserves of mana he'd built up before when observing left him and a dark cloud appeared over the dragon knights head. A single bolt of purple coloured lightning descended from the cloud to knock it off its course of attack. Genis gulped when the giant lug of a thing turned its head and screeched. It turned fully to him. Summoning every last ounce of reserve energy he had in him, he parried away before three fireballs flew in his direction and skidded on a right angle toward Mithos. In the back of his mind he just kept trying to reassure himself that there was no way that the four thousand year old leader of Cruxis could be killed by an arena monster.

"Mithos!" he cried, seeing the dragon lift the bardiche in its hand to his friend again, intent on a strike with a finishing blow this time. Mithos showed no signs of moving. Genis leapt into the air from one foot toward the fallen angel hero and found himself catching him by the back of his cape mid-jump and as he fell. They both went sliding across the ground, just out of the dragons reach, from the force.

When he felt Mithos quiver slightly under him, he heaved a sigh of relief. The comfort didn't last long though. The crowd around them roared with excitement and the searing heat of what he knew must have been a fireball hit his back, followed by two others. An odd tingle started at his hand where the Angelus Project sat. From there it travelled up his arm. He remembered the feeling from his bad memories of a night not so long ago still. Everywhere fell quiet. He slowly opened up the eyes he'd been squinting closed in wait for the final blow to finish them and saw the world had turned black and white.

Mithos groaned and shifted to face him. He looked incredibly pale and his eyes were only really half open. An odd smile broke across his face, followed by a low laugh. "Fancy this.. _me.._ getting knocked out by _that."_

"Yeah," he mumbled, only managing to say anything through the numbness in his body and especially near his shoulders and back out of sheer confusion for the situation. He looked around himself. People were standing with their arms raised and their mouths open as they would when in the middle of yelling and cheering. The giant shadow of the dragon knight about to finish them stood frozen in time as well. There was no other explanation. Mithos had stopped time somehow. He looked back at his friend speechlessly then.

Mithos was still smiling. "You'll need to get out of the way in a second, but welcome to Cruxis Genis."

 


	49. The pain of preserving a poker face

"Hey! Are you okay? Can you hear me? Gosh I hope you're not dead."

A light and honeyed voice buzzed in his ears but it was actually the acute shiver going down his spine that finally resuscitated Genis. He took a deep breath and quickly stood, realising that the cold metal under his bare arms and legs seemed to be the culprit. Darkness surrounded him almost entirely, the exception being a small strip of light coming from what looked like a crack in the door. He paused and thought hard for a second, trying to recollect what had happened. He drew a blank and quickly came to the conclusion that he was suffering from amnesia.

Getting frustrated at his lack of memory currently, he tried to discern his surroundings to see if that would give it a bit of kick. Aside from the darkness that his eyes were slowly adjusting to, he could also hear an odd grinding noise. He thought he'd heard it before. Past the noise, he could make out the sound of cantering horse hoofs. The whole room he'd awoken in jolted suddenly, sending him to his backside with a gasp.

"Are you okay?"

Startled by the voice and realising he'd forgotten in his vague state to investigate who it was coming from, he whirled around. It sounded like it was coming from somewhere behind him. Almost out of habit, he set about concentrating to get a read of the mana signature of the person in the room. He found it almost immediately. It was a rather strange one though- not the usual type you would find coming from a half-elf or a full-blooded elf. It wasn't a typically angelic one either. Surrounded by angels now, he'd figured out some similarities in their mana fingerprints and felt confident in comparing them.

Something tugged in the back of his mind when he thought about angels. He squinted one eye closed to think harder again, but it still appeared his brain didn't want to cooperate. He sighed to himself and cleared his throat. "Hello?"

He heard a sigh from close by, where he thought the person was standing. "Thank goodness," the boy said, sounding oddly relieved. "That might have been really bad."

Confused, Genis took a few blind steps toward the voice. He opened his mouth to ask who they were and more importantly _where_ they were but quickly choked the words down when he found his face colliding with cold metal. Squinting hard and reaching his hands out to feel around, he found solid metal bars a couple of inches apart from each other, protruding from down near his feet on the ground to somewhere higher than he could reach. His eyes adjusting much better now, he could see dark shapes of what looked to be various large boxes surrounding him on the left and right and a clear walkway from his location to the slit of light at the end of the room.

A light throb in the back of his neck forced him to slap it like he was trying to kill a mosquito. The throbbing subsided again, but he could feel a tiny raised lump. Another flash of memory came to him. The picture of a _very_ familiar caravan. Without even realising in the moment of memory, his hand had trailed down to the Angelus project on his right hand and started tracing around the bumps on his skin from the rune crest that lay underneath it. The memories finally started to spur.

The circle of the arena came to mind, everything still black and white from when Mithos had stopped time. Mithos' words had surprised him then. He thought about them and felt like he was hearing them for the first time again.

" _Welcome to Cruxis Genis,"_ Mithos had said.

He shivered. He hadn't been able to form a proper sentence after that.

" _Very funny Mithos," he said, giving an unsure chuckle._

_Mithos closed his eyes again and rested his head back to the ground. "I'm okay," he mumbled as though half asleep. "Just need to rest. I'll heal faster..."_

" _W-wait a second! Mithos!" He shook him. "What in the world am I meant to do?"_

He remembered the cheering of the crowd returning at that moment. It hadn't lasted very long though before a unanimous shocked gasp swept around and out of almost every spectators mouth. The shadow of his and Mithos' dragon knight assailant had also started to move again. With only a second to act and his back aching even more than it had been during the last couple of fights, he'd somehow mustered his empty reserves of strength to lift the unconscious Mithos into his arms.

It had seemed impossible to get far enough away in that split second. Feeling the hot breath of the dragon, he took a flying leap off to the side, barely able to lift Mithos. The only thing was though, he'd expected to land and probably graze his elbows in the fall. The crowd's eyes all fell on him at that point; not that he could have blamed them. He _had_ been hovering up in the air several metres from the arena floor after all. Even though the worry of Mithos slipping out of his aching arms had been a concern, he hadn't been able to stop himself being preoccupied with something else.

" _I had wings.."_ Despite realising the boy in the cage was looking at him through the darkness, he stole a quick glance over his shoulder. He saw nothing of course, but not too long ago it had been quite different.

Floating above the arena and all the gasping and pointing civilians, he'd turned his head to see tendrils of sparkling and silver coloured mana flapping in mesmerising beats behind him, curling around themselves on the edges like the dog-eared pages of a good book. Examining the blood stain on Mithos' stomach and hovering back down out of fear of dropping him and making the damage worse, he simultaneously eyed their dragon knight assailant. The towering beast of a monster had looked pretty confused that he'd missed his chance at killing them again.

The moments that followed had seemed pretty hopeless. He hadn't known what to do. His mana reserves were well and truly exhausted and his body ached in the parts where it wasn't completely numb. Once he'd put Mithos gently to the ground, his own knees had given out underneath him. Just as the monster stomped toward him, nostrils flaring again, a whistle had sounded. He remembered feeling quite relieved when the horn used typically for the end of the match blared as well.

The crowd started to clear almost immediately. A few of the people in the front seats seemed far less happy with the outcome though and were yelling things about wanting their money back since the fight hadn't ended with him being beaten to within an inch of his life. His relief faded to confusion pretty soon though when a man wearing a yellow and red mask with feathery hair decorations stepped into the arena through the now raising monster gate and approached them. The dragon knight lumbered past him, paying him no attention and pretty soon disappearing through the open gate into the darkness.

" _Are you okay?" the man asked, reaching a hand out to him. "I'm sorry the battle couldn't be ended quicker. There is a strict time limit on battles. Looks like you escaped mostly intact though."_

Looking back on it, Genis wished he'd had the sense to recognise the voice through the mask. If he had, and hadn't been more focused on instructing him that his friend needed some medical attention, he might not have ended up in his current predicament.

" _Yes yes, I have already taken care of that. You might want to put your wings away though and come with me. I can get you out of the city without being seen."_

He'd felt unsure about that, but given the fact that he was likely to not be able to escape even to the outer part of the Colosseum had swayed his judgement somewhat. He'd figured if he could use the help, he might also be able to use it to his advantage to be able to get closer to Kraine. If this person had a deal with the arena, he might have been able to grease a few wheels to allow some visiting hours in the jail. Just maybe.

Unfortunately for him, life didn't want to work that way. The moment the man in the mask led him out to a grassy patch just behind the back of Meltokio and beyond the wall, he had tried to turn and run. Not seeing the face of his 'rescuer' didn't matter any more after that. He would have recognised the enormous gold and white trimmed wheels and bright orange decked carriage anywhere. He might have gotten away if it weren't for a combination of weariness to the point of almost fainting and for the needle he'd had injected into his neck the moment he was overpowered before he could squirm out from under his attacker.

His pulse quickening as the remainder of his short term memory returned, he listened once again to the familiar sounds around him. It was hard to believe that the same noise of horse hooves against gravel and the slight vibration of the floor that had once put him to sleep like a baby now gave him the intense desire to run like a coward and not look back. Trying to distract his thoughts so that he didn't end up hyperventilating, he squinted back at the boy in the cage near him. He could make out that he had long hair that was tied back in a ponytail like Yuan's.

Seeming to know he'd looked at him again (whether he'd been watching him space out for those few moments as his memories returned, he didn't know), the boy waved a hand in greeting. "I was getting worried you weren't going to wake up before we get to wherever that man is taking us," he said with oddly cheerful tones, raising his voice at the end of his sentence. Genis quirked an eyebrow. The boy moved closer to the edges of his makeshift cell and looked toward the thin strip of light. It shone through a small part of his hair, revealing it was of a green hue. "He got both of us good and proper didn't he."

"Tell me about it," Genis groaned, deciding all in all to take comfort in the fact that he wasn't on his own. "How did he get you?"

"Oh." The boy sounded a bit uncomfortable with the question and there was a moment of silence between them. "Well, I can't go into the details with you but basically that guy who I heard the kids call Novariel was on his way into the city for something and spotted me when I accidentally forgot to hide my tail."

"Y-your tail?" Failing at being casual, Genis tilted his head and wished even more that he could see his new company a bit better. Green hair and a tail? He was not of elven lineage, or even dwarven. He didn't seem like a Katz either.

The boy gave him a broken laugh at that. "Yeah, I have a tail. Don't ask why though. I promised someone very dear to me in the name of Martel that I would not reveal my secret to another soul without express permission."

The mystery was deepening. Genis blamed Kraine's insatiable hunger for the facts on things for his own embedded need to know more. Living with a teacher had always been a blessing and a curse in equal measures. He just thanked his prism stars that he hadn't gotten sucked into being a maniac when it came to ruins. That was a defining feature of nobody else except his former brother.

Dropping the subject since it seemed like he was going to be left with very little response, he shifted his gaze down to the dirty floor. He could see a plate with a few pieces of dry bread and a tomato that looked like it was getting ready to either be thrown away or thrown out of sight. Either way, it looked like a fetch toy for Noishe. It was a good thing he wasn't hungry.

Gazing back to the boy, he wondered how long he'd been there. "Do you know what he's gonna do with us?"

"Beats me," the boy quickly answered. "If I had to guess though, it's something to do with selling rare creatures. I've heard them asking some passers-by's about the summon spirit Aska occasionally."

Whether it was all in his imagination or whether the boy was digging for him to tell him why _he'd_ been kidnapped, Genis felt like he was being asked to tell his new secret to him. He kept his mouth shut though and tried to feign ignorance. The boy didn't seem to mind either way and reached a hand through the bars of his cage to the tomato on his own plate. With a quick sniff of Lloyd's most disliked fruit, he took a big juicy bite. "Can't altogether complain I guess," he said in-between sloppy sounding munches. "At least he's feeding us. I'm sure lots of prisoners have it worse."

"I guess?" Genis replied, trying not to cringe and wishing he had a subtle way to block his ears. Unable to stand it, he decided to speak up. "Um, you _do_ know that the tomato is probably rotten right?"

The strange boy looked at the red fruit in his hand for a second, shrugged, and continued to eat. Genis cringed again and looked toward the strip of light. Just as he did, it got wider on both sides and a bearded man he recognised immediately stepped inside. A dangling light bulb from the roof buzzed on. Novariel smiled a merchants smile full of deceit right at him. He couldn't believe he'd once been fooled into believing a man like him could have been caring. Of course, until he'd discovered he and Kraine were half-elves, he'd shown them respect. They had very quickly after meeting him realised the need to be careful and keep their mouths shut about their dislike and disagreement with the way the Worldwide Survival Project operated and oppressed those that thought and felt differently though.

"You're awake, little angel," Novariel whispered, his usual deep voice disturbingly quiet. He approached closer and leaned down, resting back on his ankles. Genis realised he had a stick in his hands only when the man poked it through the bars at him. He shrunk away to the back of the cage, more surprised by a vicious sounding growl coming from the boy in the other cage all of a sudden.

"Leave him alone!" the boy bellowed. "He's just a child."

Novariel's eyebrows both raised as he said that. Quickly rising from his spot, the merchant and travelling caravan owner stalked over to the green haired boys cage. "Just a child, you say? And you are not?" He leaned over the cage with his hands on his hips and peered inside.

xxx

"Kraine!" Lloyd growled from the cell opposite him. "Why aren't you saying anything?"

"Please Kraine," Colette said in an attempt to maybe persuade him, even though it had not worked the last hundred times she and Lloyd had both tried. They could see the auburn haired seraph slumped against the back wall of the cell he was in. He gave no indication of a response. The only time they had even seen a flicker of movement from him had been when they had first been led in by the guards of the castle. He was, of course, quite surprised to see that they had also been captured for break and entering the place that happened to have a reputation for having the highest security in all of Tethe'alla.

Lloyd desperately gripped the enormous lock on their cell door and tried to poke around inside again with the small piece of wire the guards had not found when they'd searched him before locking them up. He was met with failure once again and retreated. The locks on their shackles had been a piece of cake; the lock on the cell door was nowhere near as simple however. Grumpy, he crossed his arms and trained his best glare on Kraine. "What did you do with Gesea? Is she okay? At least tell me that."

The seraph gave no response. Lloyd let out a cry of frustration. Nobody but he, Colette and Kraine occupied the jail. The truth stared him right in the face and yet he still did not want to believe it. Kraine was one of Cruxis. He had done a lot of things, both good and bad. He'd befriended them, been his teacher for three years and helped him become a better swordsman. He'd consoled him in his misery about exspheres and about his inevitable fate as the Chosen. He had betrayed them. But _this?_ The rumours from the people about Duke Bryant whirled around his mind.

"This doesn't make any sense!" He struck a fist against the bars of the cell door angrily. "Annalicia.. she was yours and Gesea's sister! You can't have... you can't be.." He couldn't finish his sentence- not because his voice wouldn't let him, but because he didn't want to believe it.

"Lloyd?"

Colette tapped him on the shoulder and broke him out of his very jumbled and confused thoughts. Partly glad for the distraction, he nodded, knowing what she was going to say. He'd heard the footsteps coming for a while toward the door but mostly ignored them. Slipping his makeshift lock pick back into the pocket of his trousers and helping Colette put her shackles back on without locking them again, then getting her help to do his own, he waited for the door to the exit of the jail to open.

The noise of the muffled crowd he and Colette had deduced probably came from the Colosseum grew louder again when the jail door creaked open. Two pairs of footsteps could be heard. He squinted, knowing he recognised the shape of one of them. It wasn't until he saw a very familiar head of blue hair as the two figures walked out from the dark hallway that led into the jail room that he found his worst fears realised. The half-elf cast a quick glance in Kraine's direction, then in theirs. He didn't seem all that surprised. Lloyd wasn't surprised either though. Yuan had a great poker face- almost as good as Kraine's.

Yuan patiently waited while the guard patted him down and then asked him to remove his cape. The ex-professor sighed loudly and turned his back toward Lloyd and Colette. Lloyd stared as he watched him summon a short dagger from the next dimension. With the other hand, he quickly counted silently down from three fingers and with the finesse of a trained assassin, backflipped away from the guard and threw the dagger at him. Even though it'd only seemed like a short and relatively weak weapon, Lloyd found himself amazed beyond words when the guard collapsed to his knees and then to the floor.

The half-elf leaned down and rummaged to take the keys off of the guards belt. Pulling the whole ring off, he threw it in their direction. Lloyd caught it and again released himself from his shackles by pulling his arms apart with a little bit of force. With a grateful nod at Yuan, he immediately started to try the first of about thirty different keys on the lock. It didn't budge. Sighing and trying to remain calm when the sounds of rushing footsteps converged on their location, he skipped the second key because it was not made of bronze like the padlock itself. It was also way too small.

Several more guards, this time dressed in papal knights attire came barrelling into the jail, spears and swords raised. They stopped just short of Yuan and pointed them all in his direction.

"Chosen, do not make this worse for yourself. Once the news passes through the hands of the king when he is well enough, you already face permanent exile to the South East Abbey for your deeds." They bowed their heads at the guard he'd already apprehended, then back up to him.

"Sorry, but I don't have time to waste by going there," Yuan smart-mouthed at them. Then, more quickly than Lloyd had ever seen anyone cast a spell before, a magic circle appeared at his feet. Mouthing the name and not actually calling it loudly, he sent a large crackle of lightning magic straight at his would-be assailants. At first it didn't look like it was going to do much. They laughed at how slowly it made its way to them. As Yuan stepped backward very quickly and clicked his fingers though, all they had a chance to do was stare before an explosion of his signature magic knocked them to their backsides.

"Got it!" Lloyd exclaimed finally when Yuan snapped his head in their direction, about to ask why in the name of Martel they hadn't escaped. He turned the key and heard the relieving click he'd been expecting since he'd poked it into the lock. Helping Colette out of her handcuffs, he pushed the cell door open and they both ran behind Yuan. Lloyd glanced to his left and saw Kraine's eyes were actually on him. He flinched at the worn look he gave him and simmered with pent up rage at him once again.

Yuan turned to them and said something about escaping through a vent but he barely acknowledged at all. Instead he darted for Kraine's cell and unlocked the door using the same key he'd used for his own. He reached a hand to his chest and pulled him so that he had no choice but to look up at him. He almost dropped him when he felt how _hot_ he felt. "Kraine, tell me the truth! Who _are_ you, really? Is it true that you're really Duke Bryant?" His chest constricted even thinking about the next question. It had to be asked. "And if that's true.. did you.. did you have involvement in.."

"He did, but he didn't kill me because he wanted to!"

Lloyd dropped Kraine immediately at the mismatched voice that had come out of his mouth.

"Lloyd! We can't stay here!" Colette called, poking her head into the cell. "I can hear lots of footsteps coming. We're going to be in a lot of trouble if we don't leave now."

Lloyd still had no words, even when Yuan grabbed him by the arm and hurled him away from Kraine and out of the slammer. "Don't worry," he clarified, seeing what must have been confusion written all over him. "They can't do too much to me without royal permission. I'll make sure _he_ doesn't get left behind here." He pointed at the seraph.

Swallowing his emotions down while giving Kraine one final look, Lloyd summoned his wings and flew with Colette up into a square shaft meant for air ventilation just a few metres above them.

Yuan scrambled into action as soon as they were out of sight and helped Kraine to his feet. "Do you have any idea what you're putting me through just to come and save your hide?!"

Kraine kept his eyes downcast. "Yuan, we have a bit of a problem."

Yuan blinked a few times, but quickly regained his composure and smirked. "So the _laussa'urk_ did do it. He should have known better."

"You would do the same for Martel," Annalicia whispered. "That's the name of the woman you love, right?"

Yuan rolled his eyes and helped 'her' out of the cell. "Trust you to be interested in my love life at a time like this. Don't know what he saw in you."

"Is that any way to talk to a lady?" she said back, raising 'her' eyebrows. Yuan had to look away quickly- the voice and personality coming out of Kraine's mouth was just too funny. He didn't dare to give away his poker face so easily to such a woman.

"Regardless of which," he started again, snapping his wings out and flying up into the shaft, a little lopsided with him/her leaning onto him. He couldn't sense the Lloyd or Colette's presence. They were free to make their escape without being questioned too abruptly via the route he'd inspected earlier. "You are ill. I've seen that look in your eyes before."

"Oh I am not," she muttered, sounding sleepy. "It's just because of these darned Cruxis crystals. We need to find a way to get Kraine to come back."

"You think I have some magical way to make everything correct?"

"You do."

"I'm afraid you're mistaken, woman." He groaned shortly after, knowing she was giving him a look that might have been a lot cuter had it been on a woman's face as she crawled behind him while he pulled her along by the arm. "I have suspected it since before Kraine left for the tower. You have the Ozette flu. If we can make your body better, it will make it easier for you to pull his soul back to where it should be." He paused, feeling somewhat uncomfortable. "I'm not sure I want to be in the vicinity at the time you succeed though."

"I'll deal with that when it comes," she replied, looking at the un-crested Cruxis crystal. "You won't hate me for too long, will you beloved?"

Yuan glanced behind himself and noticed she had stopped crawling. Trying to pull her through the shaft would be almost impossible if she didn't at least do some of the work. He was about to snap at her when he realised why. He could hear the guards and papal knights in the jail house blowing their whistles to sound the alarm for escapees.

When she looked back ahead at him, he saw Kraine's face was drooping quite a bit. He sighed and gestured for them to keep going. "Hurry up. I know a place we should be able to hide."


	50. Serious situations as the sun sets

Genis felt really bad. His hands clenched by his sides while he watched Novariel talk down to the boy. He wasn't a pushover though and actually had quite the vocabulary of non-vulgar words for someone who looked around the same age as him. Then again, Novariel had made a good point when he had first approached him. Just _what_ did he mean, calling _him_ a kid when he appeared to be one as well. _"Then again.. appearances can be deceiving,"_ he thought, thinking of his long life.

Another thought struck him then. _"Did_ _ **I**_ _actually live that long? Or was it Presea?"_

He had no memory of course of it randomly dropping into a body. That wasn't surprising though- Mithos had explained that Origins curse did that to everyone. Everyone except Kraine anyway. The boy wasn't an elf, dwarf or angel, but he supposed he could have been some other kind of rarer long-lived creature.

Eventually the merchant gave up and returned to the outside. The caravan hadn't stopped moving. Genis assumed quickly that one of the children were driving as well, though he hadn't heard their voices. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked the boy once he was sure their kidnapper wasn't going to return any time soon.

The boy looked up at him and shrugged his shoulders, a grin on his lips. "It's actually kind of funny that he thinks he's got everything under control. He's not very smart."

"Smart enough to catch us apparently," Genis muttered under his breath.

"He cheated," the boy replied simply. Genis snorted and nodded, though a part of him was a little surprised he'd heard that over the noise of the carriage. He placed his hands on the bars of the cage. "You're right though. He doesn't realise what I can do."

Getting a little bit of a buzz at revealing his secret, he used his bare hands to easily force the metal bars of his cage apart until they were wide enough for him to step through sideways. Being careful to be as quiet as he could, he stepped over to the boys cage and did the same thing. He stepped out, smiling gratefully. Genis held out his hand. "I'm Genis by the way. What's your name?"

"My name?" the boy asked. He looked to be thinking. "Eonish." He took his hand. "Or you can just call me Eon. Eonish sounds so..."

"Ancient?" Genis asked, quirking an eyebrow. "You're strange, Eon."

"Says the kid with the super strength and seraph aurgghhh..." He stopped making sense suddenly but it was too late. The two of them said nothing for a time.

Genis clutched his wrists together nervously. "How do you know that Eon? You can see mana signatures?"

"Um.." Eon mimicked his pose and uttered a slight uncomfortable whimper. "I'm really sorry but I can't tell you. Don't worry though; your secret is safe with me." He whirled around before Genis had a chance to respond. "We should hurry away from here. We're not safe."

"No kidding," Genis replied.

Together they headed to the front of the carriage. Genis summoned his kendama but decided to get a look at the trajectory he would need first before chanting. Pulling the curtained exit open just enough to see through, he immediately saw Novariel riding on a black horse with a fluffy white tail. His eyes scanned over to the person next to him. He opened his mouth to gasp as his eyes fell on her red haired top knot. Eon clapped a hand to his mouth and pulled him away from the opening quickly.

"I-it's..." he blinked, doing a double take quickly and then back to Eon. "She's one of my friends!" he explained in a harsh whisper to him.

"Not at the moment she isn't," his new strange friend mumbled back, eyes downcast and hands slipping into his pockets. "A friend does not let another friend be put in a cage. Especially one as dark as this. I hate cages." His whole body tensed and shivered like he was recalling something. "We really need to get away from these people."

Still having difficulty believing his own eyes, Genis gazed back to Sheelos once again. The red head was riding along on a white stallion with a curly brown tail next to Novariel. It was kind of strange seeing her being so quiet, but it was definitely her. A quick search of her mana signature told him all he needed to know. Humans didn't really have a mana-signature, but although she hadn't said it, Sheelos used an exsphere. The tool made from the suffering of people at ranches always gave off a unique mana print. He supposed it was because souls still lived inside them.

He shook his head. "I'm not sure we're going to be able to do that. If we get off the carriage while it's moving, we'll be dragged under the wheels and crushed to death. Besides, there's more to this than it seems. There must be."

"Huh?" Eon tilted his head. "Why?"

"Ignorance is knowledge," he replied softly, backing away from the door.

Eon's confused expression fading, he paced away as well and to the cage that he'd been broken out from. He ran his fingers along the curve of the bent bars in one direction, paused, then rubbed them back in the other direction. Genis wondered what he was thinking about.

"The creed to appear or sometimes actively try to remain ignorant to the truth standing before you in order to pursue the quest of greater knowledge," Eon said, making his thoughts apparent.

"Y-you know what it is?" Genis couldn't help his stunned response. "I didn't know it was something other people knew."

Eon shrugged like it was no big deal. Genis felt even more curious. "A woman I used to know used to use it herself. It served her well over time," Eon explained, then gave him a short nod. "So if you believe there is more to this story, I think it's important we look for it. I'll trust you."

"Really?" Genis asked. For what felt like the billionth time, Eon surprised him. "I mean, don't take this the wrong way Eon, but isn't it kind of stupid to trust someone you just met?"

"So I shouldn't trust you?" he asked in perfect rebuttal without even seeming to need to think about it. "If you'll feel better, I can wait to trust you until you tell me more about why we should wait to try to escape." He turned away from the bars to face him.

"Uh, okay?" A bit intimidated by the sudden undivided attention he was getting, Genis looked at the kendama still in his hand. He hadn't unsummoned it yet. Doing a few quick rounds to get the ball in the cup helped clear his mind as it always seemed to. He recalled when Sheelos had defended Presea and he in Ozette and forced the others to see the strength that they hadn't even been sure existed in their own hearts. "Something is going on that we don't understand. There's no way that Sheelos would do this to me. She's a pervert and annoying sometimes but..." He trailed off when Eon stopped looking at him and padded past him to the cloth door once again. "Hey! I thought-"

The whole caravan ground to a halt all of a sudden and the background noise fell quiet. Eon put a finger to his lips to tell him to hush before nodding his head toward the opening. Swallowing as he approached and a little nervous to find out why they'd stopped, Genis looked through the gap. It was much more difficult to see what was going on this time.

He recognised the backdrop right away. They were on the Grand Tethe'alla bridge. Sheelos was still seated on her horse, albeit looking a little more relaxed. He could see Novariel talking to two Papal Knights just in front of them and a lady with long blonde hair in a blue uniform. She was leafing through a bunch of papers while Novariel smiled and chatted to her about the weather. Just as he was wondering whether they might inspect the contents of the carriage and whether they should stick to the plan to wait and see or make a break for it, Sheelos turned her head to look directly at them. His body temporarily paralysed from the surprise, he stared back into her brown eyes.

xxx

The bright sunset orange of outside hit their eyes as they neared the exit. The shaft just ahead funnelled into a wider arc and took a direct ascent upward to freedom. Upon reaching it, they were finally free to stand and stretch, letting out various relieved sighs and groans as they did. Colette elongated herself so much in the enjoyment of it all that she almost fell backward. Having predicted it with scary accuracy, Lloyd caught her arm and held her steady.

She laughed and looked upward again. "Are you ready?" she asked rhetorically.

Lloyd nodded anyway. "You go first."

"Oh," she looked like she wanted him to say he would go first. A bit embarrassed, but ultimately deciding his confidence as a man needed to be kept intact, he cleared his throat. "My wings are a bit bigger than yours and-"

Colette's eyes widened. "Oh! Right! Of course. They feel kinda weird when they touch things, huh."

"Y-yeah." He accidentally stumbled on the word, wondering whether she was saying that from a memory of when they had been one or whether it was something more recent.

Regardless of which, she seemed to think his argument mattered and took flight to the top of the shaft. She disappeared out of sight. "I'll be on the ground," she called back, poking her head back over the edge of the shaft to look down on him from above. She gave him a sweet smile and left him to his own devices. Summoning his wings, he flapped them to get some lift off of the ground and then tucked them in as far as he could without over-stretching them to be able to glide up to the top rather than flap.

When light hit his eyes properly, he had to blink a few times to get used to it again. As expected, the sun was well and truly on its way to setting. They likely only had half an hour left of daylight, tops. The shaft they had been instructed to crawl through had led to the back of the roof of the castle. They'd climbed higher as they had kept going forward. He perched on the curled edge of the shaft and peered over the wall that surrounded Meltokio. Colette was waving both hands at him from a spot of brown grass on the ground below amongst greenery. He waved back and stood to stretch his wings. As he did and his eyes caught the sight of the dark hole they'd come out from, he fell back into the thoughts that had been pestering him since leaving the jail.

" _I didn't imagine that, did I?"_

He stared into space, thinking back to the voice that had come out of his once teachers mouth. It rung in his head so clearly still, but he didn't hear the words- only the voice. He'd recognised the voice. He was sure of it, as sure as he was his favourite colour was red. It was the unmistakeable voice of the woman- his mother- from his dreams.

Why, of all people, had _her_ voice come out of Kraine's mouth? He let out a frustrated cry and scratched his head furiously. _"That doesn't make any sense!"_ It didn't seem possible. He raised his hand to much more easily train his eyes on the special exsphere his mother had died for, still embedded in the key crest on his hand. It had been there for a very long time. Colette had spoken to his mother while she had been trapped in there as well.

Half-heartedly concluding that it had to just be some weird coincidence, he gazed back to Colette. She'd had her wings away again when he'd seen her down there before, but they were out again now. "Lloyd!" she called, waving both hands at him. "What's wrong?"

He realised all of a sudden that he was probably worrying her. "Stay there," he called when she started to flap. "I'm coming!"

With one final stretch, he tilted his head from side to side to try and loosen the stiff feeling in his neck. It didn't seem to want to budge. He wondered if he'd slept wrong or something or if it was just him still recovering from the dragon attack. The wind whistled through his hair as he glided down to Colette to join her on the grassy ground.

"What were you thinking about up there?" Colette asked curiously.

"Well uh.." he stuttered. It wasn't exactly an easy question to answer. He didn't really know the answer either. Her question had been enough to bring all the questions of just a few seconds ago back into his head though.

By the look in her blue eyes as she watched and waited for an answer, Colette was growing more and more concerned. "Are you thinking about Gesea?" she tried to ask. "We didn't end up seeing her. I'm really worried about her."

He nodded because it was easier than explaining. His eventual thoughts would have probably led to her in a few moments. He hesitated quickly after though and heaved a sigh. "Colette?"

"Hm?"

"Did you hear what Kraine said to me back in the jail?"

Just by the look in her eyes, he knew she hadn't. It was still a bit creepy how it felt like looking at himself in a mirror. The longer they remained split though, the less he found himself thinking of her as once having been a part of him. Colette was her own person, just like he was his. He wasn't sure what else to say and just kept walking ahead. The big patch of brown faded into green aside from two separate lines that went in the same direction, likely from the wheels of some kind of travelling merchant caravan.

"Either way," Colette said, "Kraine will be able to tell us more when we see him next I think." She nodded in the positive way he was certain that only Colette could. "Anyway! Yuan said we should meet at the big peach blossom tree just past the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge." She pointed ahead. He followed her pointer and nodded. It was pretty easy to see. The trail from the merchant caravan went in the direction of the bridge and the tree stuck out like a sore thumb just behind it.

"Let's go!" he said cheerfully, deciding to properly try to put his questions out of his head. There was no point in dwelling on something that made no sense. His dreams changed anyway, it seemed.

xxx

The sound of fire crackling nearby filled his ears. Mithos opened one eye and then the other very slowly to look up at a roof laced with intricate golden patterns in a wooden finish. Something kind of warm and wet sat on his head. He sat up slowly and let it fall to his lap. It was a wet hand towel. He was bandaged around where he remembered being wounded from the dragon knight. Even thinking of that made him scowl and wish he'd allowed himself to lose his temper just a little bit. He thought of the silver wings that Genis had conjured and smiled to himself. He'd been right in assuming the Angelus Project had been very close to its next stage. Now all he could do was hope Genis would accept his offer.

" _Speaking of Genis,"_ he thought, glancing around the room. He remembered feeling quite faint when he'd been talking with him. It seemed he'd ended up blacking out before the end of the fight at the Colosseum. Genis wasn't anywhere in the room presently, so he turned his attention to figuring out where he was. He saw very little around the bedroom that told him much, but even just by the smell of it, he knew it was still Meltokio. The streets were so different now that they had been prospering for so long. Emissions of all kinds slowly destroyed wild life and the trees that he'd once marvelled were almost all gone. The nostalgic clay buildings of old had also been torn down by the greedy humans, to be replaced by the unfeeling cold bricked buildings, dressed by all kinds of furnishings. The only part of the city that looked the same was the peasants quarters now.

He wondered if he was alone. Doing a quick scan of the area, initially he thought he was. There seemed to be some humans around, but not in the immediate vicinity. The next moment, a small 'blip' appeared on his metaphorical mana radar from somewhere close. A door quietly opened and the signature came more strongly to him. A human signature, but with something else mixed in. Uncontrollably grinning as he recognised the small amount of mana fingerprint immediately, he turned his head back. "Gabriel!"

The human seraphim chuckled lightly at the childish expression on the boys face. "Now now Mithos, you act as though you haven't seen me for a millennia!"

Mithos crossed his arms and pouted. "Well it _has_ been ten years! Pronyma gets to talk to you _way_ more often."

"The sad truth," he agreed, taking his white and gold robe off and hanging it on a golden hook near the door. He rolled his shoulders. "That thing gets rather heavy after a while."

He now wore a simple tunic made of green fabric under it with brown pants that loosened or tightened at the bottoms via a black intertwined lace. Just seeing it made Mithos fondly remember the old days- one day in particular.

Gabriel took his pope hat off too and looked at it. "So does this blasted thing. What do these people plan to do with their monarchs? Sentence them to a life of stiff necks?"

Snickering, Mithos shrugged his shoulders. Gabriel continued to pace around the room. "I take it that you have heard about Rodyle's treachery?"

"I not only heard about it, but I saw it for myself." Mithos let out sigh. "I expected it from him one day. All that knowledge would have to make you want something for your selfish gains. He seemed the type."

"You're a smart kid," Gabriel joked.

Mithos rolled his eyes. "That joke stopped being funny about three thousand years ago." He kneaded the wet towel that had been on his head with his hands. "What happened anyway? How did I end up here?"

"You were injured in the Colosseum," Gabriel replied, raising a curious eyebrow at him. "Or did you lose so much blood from not doing anything in the fight that you lost your memory?"

"No!" he denied. When Gabriel gave him a wide-mouthed grin full of glee and raised his eyebrows up and down, he realised he'd bitten to another one of his bad tasting jokes. He groaned and slowly stood from his bed. The wound didn't feel too bad. Then again, he did have a pretty good habit of healing more quickly than the others. The minus side was that his body, being stuck with that of a child even when in his 'adult' form, was far less durable than his adult bodied friends.

"A _caravan salesperson_ by the name of Novariel was going to bring you to a doctor before he made off with the half-elf Angelus Project kid," Gabriel finally explained.

"His name is Genis!" Mithos snappily corrected. "And what do you mean? You let him leave with him!?" He rushed closer to Gabriel, glaring. Unfortunately for him, the human wasn't the least bit intimidated. He'd received the same indifference from Kraine and Martuan in the past as well.

"Calm yourself," Gabriel warned. "We're immortal, not invincible. Keep moving around like that and you are destined to faint again." When Mithos didn't show a hint of a smile at his humour, he decided to get to the point. "My apologies. I realise you have grown close to him."

Mithos felt his cheeks get hot and looked away. "I-it's okay. I know you didn't mean it in a bad way. You're not like all those other humans."

"In more ways than one," Gabriel agreed. "As I was saying; I stopped him from taking you to the doctor. Considering your leanings, you were one blood test away from being a victim of the caste system. I also discovered Novariel is being paid by someone to kidnap Genis and deliver him to a remote location. He would not say where, but I figured it might be a good idea to set our dear spy on a mission of discovery. I suspect Novariel might have a deal with our friends, the Renegades."

"Can she be trusted?" Mithos asked. "We know Mizuho have links to the Renegades now. It is likely she has known who the leader is for some time."

"This will be her test. Once she has fulfilled her _mission_ , she will be forced to make the choice on whether she will tell us all that she knows, or whether she will remain loyal to her people."

In an odd way, Mithos found himself feeling oddly strange about the pretty unsurprisingly conniving plan Gabriel had hatched. His friend seemed to notice his internal conflict, so he decided to just come out with it rather than endure an eternity of persistent questions. That part of Gabriel's nature seemed to come out only during their conversations though. He had never appeared in the same range of annoying traits to the others. He guessed it was probably because he knew he wouldn't get away with it like he did with him. The human had always had that (annoying at times) impact on him. "I suppose I'd respect her loyalty either way," he explained. "Betraying those close to you is never easy, even if it is for a good cause."

Gabriel bobbed his head in understanding and turned to a set of decorative spears on the mantle above the crackling fire place nearby. "Indeed. For now, we must wait and see where her loyalty lies."

xxx

Yuan stood first, then turned to help lug Annalicia to her feet as the crawlspace around them opening up into its signature standing space that funnelled out to the top back of the castle. Groaning and grimacing from the tearing sensation across his shoulder, he pulled her up.

"You sound like an elderly man when you do that," she commented with a wide insinuating grin.

He coughed to hide his snort at the hilarity of the expression on the usually quite emotionless mask of Kraine. "If you're going to tease me, I could easily just leave you here to fester with your Ozette flu."

Annalicia coughed a bit. He narrowed his eyes at her, wondering whether it was on purpose to make him feel guilty, or whether it was something else. His answer came quickly though when she crossed her arms across Kraine's chest and pouted. "You'd never leave us here."

The woman inhabiting his body had an odd way of shining through. Since it was likely that Kraine was able to see and hear everything, it amused Yuan even more to wonder whether he would express his mortification at the way she'd acted in his body by the time he got out. He certainly looked forward to having ammunition for a good tease and maybe a bit of leverage if he could get Annalicia to spill some more personal beans.

She coughed again, only this time it sent a cold shiver of recollection up his spine. This time it was the real deal. She held her head and would have fallen backward if he hadn't been able to react quickly enough to catch her arm. The virus was taking its toll. He had to keep her distracted so that she didn't become a dead-weight woman in a male body until he was able to have other means of carrying her.

While Annalicia looked up at the orange light pouring in from outside, he made his way over to the slightly lighter shade wall on his right. Clawing his fingers into a small gap at the side and pulling, he revealed the secret passage that led to an area that connected with the laundry chute of the castle. From there, they could access the garden and meet with the green and white fluffball...among a couple of other things.

He expected the woman to look impressed, and she delivered. With one eyebrow raised in curiosity and with a few fingers tapping her elbows while she had her arms crossed, she looked the most like Kraine with the face she was currently pulling at him than she had in a while. Sensing an incoming avalanche of questions, he wondered if she might enjoy a good Game of Questions as much as Kraine.

"May I ask you something, Yuan?" she asked, being more surprisingly polite and vague than he thought she should be. Her countenance changed immediately after as she placed her occasionally quivering hands on her man-hips. It didn't have quite the same effect as it would have had while she used Kraine's body, he was sure.

He waved the question away, trying to seem nonchalant. "Would my saying no stop you?"

He pivoted on his heel to face back to the passage he'd opened for them to secretly grin at how predictable she was and used a wave for her to follow him as a cover. Taking a couple of steps into the next area to complete the act, he turned to her again, only to find her slumping forward a little and breathing heavily as she took baby steps toward him. A look of sheer determination on her face, she looked like she really thought she could do it on her own. Of course, he didn't intend to let her drain her energy when the hardest part of their journey was yet to come.

"Why aren't we following the children?" was the first question that came out of her mouth once she took his support of her failing body for granted.

He decided to pursue a game of questions. "How would I explain how we were able to get into here to begin with?"

"That isn't all though, is it?" She shot him a knowing side-glance and he scowled. She was good. He was already almost cornered. He wasn't going to let her win that easily though.

"Do you believe there is another reason?"

Like she was expecting his question, she quickly made a comeback. "Was there someone else you were looking for?"

Pausing in step for a brief moment and then quickly moving to try to downplay it, he cleared his throat and continued. "Who do you think I was looking for?" He wondered how she had managed to suspect he had conversed his plan with Noishe and whether she perhaps had more of an eye for noticing things than he'd realised.

"Perhaps a red haired Chosen woman, clearly in love with you?"

She said it in such a matter-of-fact way that he refused to give her the satisfaction of surprise at her almost-not-a-question. She did strike a complete excellent point though. Sheelos had not been with Lloyd and Colette. He hadn't been expecting either of them to be in the jail either. Knowing Sheelos, she had probably gone off to spy on Genis and Mithos near the Colosseum. He didn't have time to worry about her though. She would definitely get the picture of what had gone on soon enough if she hadn't already, purely from word of mouth. The tabloids were probably already running hot. He decided he would send Noishe to find her at a later time.

Realising that he hadn't said anything for perhaps too long, he quickly questioned back with "In love with me?"

He didn't really want to go into more detail about the other insinuation she was making with her comment. Showing that he and Sheelos had history was one thing, but revealing that she had been involved in some of the deeper secrets to do with his mission was still a big no-no. He'd probably revealed far too much to Kraine as it was. Still, a small part of him definitely felt the guilt of using her feelings as a bypass away from the unwanted.

"Just how much does she know about you?" Annalicia asked, catching him off guard yet again. He was glad that they actually had to stop for a minute anyway to focus on the task at hand while he thought of a good way to answer. She apparently had her eyes on the prize. He wondered if it was simply the uncanny senses to emotions women seemed to be gifted at, or whether Kraine had actually observed everything and used his "Ignorance is knowledge" creed as a reason to keep his questions to himself. Either way, it was an aggravating turn of events.

Dropping his backpack and quickly unzipping it, he rummaged through until he found a rope. Then, snapping out his wings, he flew up the shaft until he found the small crawlspace in the side that led into a slow downward slope. A small hook sat in the wall on the side of the opening where a door had originally been. What use it might have been, he had no idea, but he had made quick work of it the last time he'd needed to make a quick escape from the castle. That usually happened when he was sometimes stuck in the castle on official matters and needed to avoid being sensed by an occasionally visiting 'Duke Bryant'. He did a quick loop around the hook with the rope and finished it with a sailors knot. He tugged it a few times to make sure it was secure.

Now came the hard part. He knew just by the pain in his shoulder and the smell that occasionally wafted up his nose that his wound from Martuan had started to open up yet again. Carrying a fully grown man once up into the shaft had been one thing, but there was no way he would be able to do it again unless he wanted to faint from blood loss. He hovered down to Annalicia. She was leaning against the side wall, eyes barely open. "You need to grab the rope and climb."

The look on the 'mans' face said all that needed to be said, for once. Yuan doubted it would have been so obvious if Kraine had still been the one behind the mask, so to speak. Despite the story her expression told, Annalicia clasped one hand around the rope and gave it a few weak tugs. Even doing that seemed to take all of her energy. She fell to her knees, shook Kraine's messy head of brown hair and punched a clenched fist into the ground. "My mind says yes but my body is saying no way in the seven hells am I getting myself all the way up there."

Yuan deliberated his next thought carefully. Regrettably there didn't seem to be another option at this stage. If she were able to at least lighten her weight, he might be able to pull her up using the rope without too much further injury.. hopefully. "Why don't you just pull out your wings?" he asked. "That should make things a lot simpler."

Annalicia met his gaze and blinked. "My w-wings?" A discomforting smile appeared on the lips of the seraph. "That's right. I would probably still have wings thanks to this thing." She waved the hand with the crested Cruxis crystal on it a bit and then tilted her head. Yuan watched her eyes trail past his and behind him. She was looking at his wings. Suppressing a self conscious shiver, he waited as patiently as he could muster until she was done.

Eventually she looked back at him. "So how exactly do I make them come out? Is it something to do with mana?" She squinted a bit. "I _think_ I can feel the mana somewhere in my body, but it feels kind of numb. Not like how it did in my body."

She sounded slightly more energetic now that the prospect of having wings had been brought up. Yuan sighed inwardly. "I suppose even with your spirit in his body, you must have to summon them the same way. Just think about the strongest emotion you can think of and your mana should come forward."

"Emotion? Is that the same for all the angels?" She tilted her head one way and then back the other again. "Kraine never told me that was how he did it."

"I suspect he never told you many things," the half-elf muttered, then decided to add "for your own safety."

"You might be surprised," Annalicia said before closing her eyes. The strongest emotion she could think of was torn between three times with three separate but not altogether opposite feelings. The first being the first time she had ever met Kraine.

She remembered it all too clearly. As a girl of only seven, she had been forced to follow her fathers instructions on everything. The newest came as a direct order from the Pope apparently. She'd found out that her father had offered her as a subject in an experiment to make her stronger in exchange for their freedom as half-elves... though she now knew she had not actually _been_ a half-elf at that time. Her father had tried to justify his agreement on the matter with the fact that their mother had already been taken 'away on a holiday', but she hadn't really understood what that meant until she'd been much older and forced to see the world through the eyes of an adult.

She'd decided to worry her father a little to try and get him to understand that she didn't want to be an experiment. She left the confines of Ozette and the Gaoracchia forest to go for a swim in the sea to deliberate what she might have to do for herself and her younger sister Gesea if her father continued to go about his ways. What she hadn't counted on was that she would easily be swept out to sea by the rough tide that evening. She hadn't even had a chance to resist. To this day, the crash of the waves and the gurgle of water still filled her ears when she thought about it.

She remembered being swept underwater before being able to take a breath more than once. The once warm feeling ocean around her had quickly changed to feel like an icy death trap. When a large wave crashed over head and she had trouble rising to the surface again, she remembered resigning herself to the idea of death. That was at least until a hand reached through the water and plucked her from it with ease.

The first thing she remembered feeling was the warmth and safety of his body as he clutched her tightly to him. Confused at why she couldn't feel water around her, she remembered shifting in his arms so that she could get a good look at her rescuer. Looking up, she looked past the normal figure of a somewhat handsome man to see a sparkling blue light behind him. She'd been so surprised as she watched his wings flutter as he flew, that she'd actually thought she had passed into the netherworld until he put her back down and she felt sand from the beach cake in-between her toes. He hadn't said much to her after that except to forget she ever saw him, but he had been the most perfect thing she had ever seen in her life.

Convincing herself that she had a guardian angel, she went back to her life in hopes that everything would turn out okay and that she might one day meet him again. At the age of eleven, she had been taken to an unknown laboratory and been given the Angelus Project, then whisked back to her home and told to tell nobody. The second strongest emotion came from what came later when she had been forced to go and work for someone who was involved in the project and wanted to observe her progress with the exsphere. The searing anger and hatred mixed in with confusion she had felt when she had met 'Duke Bryant' was impossible to ever forget or describe. She hadn't known the full story or much about him back then of course.

Lastly, her son. Her son Lloyd being born into the world despite all the complications it had. She had never been so happy in all her life. Kraine had smiled more and more with every day their little Lloyd had blessed them with his presence. He'd been an especially proud father when Lloyd had learned to call him dad or when he had taken his first steps which had turned into a running bound straight for his legs to give him a cuddle. Her love for her family never ceased.

"Well done," Yuan said, snapping her out of her memories. She opened her eyes and turned her head. Instead of the blue and rounded wings that she expected to see fluttering behind her, she found some sharp and pointy wings of blue and red hues.

"Just what did you think about to get ones looking like _that_?" Yuan asked, raising an eyebrow. She gave him her best mysterious smile and watched him turn away. It was hilarious how much it creeped him out to see expressions on Kraine's face. He seemed to think he was hiding how much it bothered him, but he was easy to see through. A lot like Kraine in some ways, but in other ways completely different. Still as much of an enigma though.

Yuan waited for Annalicia to climb up to him. At first she seemed ready to tackle the world with her new set of wings. He watched as she experimentally flapped them a few times. She looked at the rope for a few seconds and then up at him, her wings flapping even harder. He stared, realising that he hadn't explained that flying was not a good idea in her state. Before the words could leave his mouth, she attempted it. She lifted off of the ground and tried to fly up to his location. He leapt off of the side of the hatch to catch her when her wings quickly lost their vibrant hue and faded away into nothing. Cursing loudly as the very thing he'd been trying to avoid with his arm took its toll on him, he carried her to the top and put her down. He could feel the sticky trickle of blood pouring down his chest and side from the wound.

"Just go down the chute," he snapped at her when she tried to apologise. He shoved her a little harder than he knew Kraine would have appreciated and she went sliding. He quickly used first aid to heal the flesh wound, though he knew it wouldn't last for very long without real treatment. The slightest wrong movement would have it open up again with twice as much pain as the first, second and third time.

After getting a sleepy earful from Annalicia at the bottom of the chute, he allowed her to lean onto him while he led her through the small connecting room to the outside garden. It was good to get some fresh air when they reached the outside, but he hadn't counted on the fact that it was almost dark already. She gasped suddenly when they turned a corner, almost flinching away too far and falling. He put his fingers to his lips, shook his head and approached the woman who was standing with her back to them currently. She turned when she heard their footsteps.

"Cerberus," she whispered. "I'm deeply sorry for everything that has occurred."

Kraine's body relaxed a bit, signalling that Annalicia realised that Princess Hilda was not their enemy in this if she knew that he was the Cerberus.

"I'm sorry to have troubled you with the burden of allowing us to escape," Yuan replied. He reached under his cloak and into a sealed pocket to bring out a small vial of yellow liquid. "Please give this to the king."

"This will cure him?" she questioned, shaking the little bottle. "How do you know?"

Yuan remained quiet. Annalicia wanted to know as well but she didn't dare open her mouth. Even if the princess knew that they were escaping, it was pretty unlikely she would expect a woman's voice to come out of a man's mouth. A small seed of regret settled itself in the pit of her stomach as she wondered why Lloyd had seemed so stunned. Did he remember her voice? She frowned hard a couple of seconds later when she felt guilty, but couldn't quite put her finger on what she'd been thinking about before. Princess Hilda apologised for prying and quickly made herself scarce after a short bow to the blue haired Cerberus. Yuan then side-glanced at her. "Good. You're still conscious."

She coughed and nodded. "I take it you're planning on putting us on a rheaird?"

He scoffed and she shot him an annoyed look. "Not while you're in this condition," he elaborated. "Noishe is a far safer bet. At least he'll be able to catch you if you fall."

"Catch me?" Annalicia frowned, confusion setting in.

Yuan grimaced and glanced down at her hand. She wondered what he was on about. Last she checked, Noishe had four legs that preferred very much so to stay planted to the ground. She felt the mana well up around Yuan and watched as he put his fingers to his lips. A loud whistle, louder than what was normally humanly possible, blew from his lips. He hushed her when she tried to ask what he was thinking, almost bursting her eardrums. He seemed to be expecting something.

A little time passed and still nothing happened. Creasing his eyebrows as he gazed around the sky, he blew using the magic whistle again. Annalicia managed to block her ears this time. Time passed and nothing except the sun setting changed. It was almost completely set on the horizon now. Yuan looked quite worried all of a sudden. "Damn it Noishe. Where are you?"

"How was he even meant to get here?" she finally managed to ask. "You _do_ know he's a dog right?"

"Of course I do," the bluenette retorted. "That's not _all_ he is now, though."


	51. A slip of the tongue is worth two in the moonlight

Yuan expected Annalicia to ask him to elaborate but she had started to look kind of zoned out as he had finished his last sentence. He reached into his cloak for the second time in as many minutes and took out the wing pack for the rheairds. It was by far not the best choice given the situation. Rheairds were noisy and easy for Renegades to spot, not to mention the papal knights and the city guard. Not that the papal knights would capture him unless he was discovered in a public place though. Using Noishe would have just been much preferred.

"Well?"

He snapped out of his thoughts when Annalicia spoke. She raised Kraine's eyebrows a him and tapped her foot. "Aren't you going to explain what you meant by _that's not all Noishe is now_?"

"No," he decided to comment, just to be clear. "I don't want to repeat myself."

She fell quiet. He felt a little bad for making her question herself. She couldn't help what her body was doing. "Forgive me," he muttered in reluctant apology, "we are going to have to take our chances with the rheairds since Noishe is not coming to his call."

Annalicia wanted to keep interrogating him, but withheld herself when she saw the concern written all over his face. Not that she could blame him. She had grown deeply attached to the Protozoan during her time spent with him as well. Kraine had told her that Noishe was a rare species; one that had walked the land since the beginning of the world. He had told her that he had witnessed one of his evolutions during the war from a bird called an Aeros into a dog called an Arshis and that Protozoans evolved every four thousand years or so. She vaguely wondered whether Yuan would tell her about the war if she asked him. Kraine had always been so tight-lipped about it.

" _It is better that way."_

Kraine's voice echoed in her head all of a sudden. She almost jumped a mile. "Where have you been?" she asked, looking at the Cruxis crystal on her hand up close. "It has been a while since I heard your voice. I was starting to worry."

Kraine didn't respond again, to her disappointment. She was quickly distracted though when a single rheaird flew out of the wing pack pouch Yuan pulled open and to a spot not far from her. It quickly quadrupled in size. She startled back after a quick blink when another flying machine materialised directly in front of her. She looked at the Cerberus, wondering whether he intended her to fly on her own. She'd never worked a rheaird before and she didn't exactly think she was in any condition to learn either. Yuan didn't seem too worried about it, so she stubbornly decided to get on with it. When she reached out to the rheaird standing right in front of her though, she almost toppled over. Her hand went through it. She blinked again and it was gone.

Yuan wearily watched Annalicia reach out to thin air, his worst fears becoming realised. The Ozette flu riddling through Kraine's body was progressing. He watched as she tapped her own head in the same way he had seen Lloyd do more than once before walking up to the rheaird he'd summoned. She touched it gingerly as though testing whether it was solid, then appeared to want to get on. She stopped just as she slightly raised one leg in preparation and gazed around blankly once again. For a brief moment as the blue eyes of Kraine fell on him, he saw no semblance of recollection in them. He readied himself in case she tried to do anything rash. Luckily he didn't have to do anything before she blinked back to reality and gave him a weak smile.

Letting out another breath of relief that he wouldn't have to explain another mishap to Kraine, he watched the man's eyes widen to a size larger than he thought would ever be possible. Annalicia let out a gasp of rather unfitting happiness and pointed to somewhere behind him. Before he knew it, she had shifted past him to seat herself down in front of a bed of pink lady thistle. "Wow, it's so pretty!"

She helped herself to a branch on the ground near the bush and then leaned forward to smell the fresh blooms. Yuan tapped his foot and cleared his throat, trying to be patient with her. She couldn't exactly help what was happening to Kraine's body after all. The symptoms she was showing were so similar to the last time he had witnessed the disease that he couldn't help but shudder. Back then, it had first seemed like a regular cold. Not much had been known. Now at least he knew how he would be able to help her. First he had to get her out of Meltokio. He scowled to himself. They were _very_ far off track from their quest.

"Annalicia," he said sternly. They couldn't afford to waste any more time. She paused in her position smelling a flower for a few seconds. He watched and waited for her to hopefully come back to reality. Luckily the spell of the sickness that put her thoughts in disarray didn't last too long. She shivered a little and let out a breath when she came to. He also shivered, more memories of the past coming to the forefront of his mind. He shook them off and moved closer when he saw that she was having trouble finding the strength to stand. Amidst a coughing fit of hers, he looped his arm around hers and helped her up.

She stumbled a lot as he led her to the rheaird, making him dread the coming journey over the city wall. His limit with his arm injury had already come. He knew all too well that any further aggravation would cause things he still needed to do to become a lot more problematic. Annalicia muttered something, but he could tell just from her expression that she was in a new daze. Pulling her onto the rheaird, he then adjusted himself so that he could reach past her to the handles. The magitechnology roared to life as he commanded. Trying to make sure he kept it as steady as he could, he let it lift to the clouds as high as he dared before directing it over the edge of the border of Meltokio and toward the peach blossom tree he where had instructed the children to wait. He could make out Lloyd's bright red outfit and the blond head of Colette from their current distance.

xxx

" _My love,"_ came Kraine's voice in Annalicia's head. She had been amongst her thoughts but when she tried to think of what they had been, she could hardly recollect anything. She'd felt this feeling before. Jumbled thoughts and feelings all over the place seemed normal now- her body was failing her once again... only this time, it wasn't _her_ body. She waited for Kraine to continue, sure she had acknowledged she had heard him.

_"_ _If Yuan is correct and it is the Ozette flu.."_

She wondered what he was talking about. She was about to ask him to elaborate on why he seemed to think she was sick when he continued anyway. " _You must get the white Fandalia flower from the top of Fooji mountains. That is the only way to cure it."_

"Got it, Fandalias," she muttered, feeling dizzy and closing her eyes.

The gurgle of water surrounded her all of a sudden. She gasped and flung her eyes open to see water all around. Looking back at Yuan, he looked unconscious. It was no wonder. Angels couldn't swim after all. Grabbing him by the arm, she kicked her legs and tried to kick off of their obviously sunken rheaird to the top. She only barely wondered why she could breathe underwater before the thought perished. An odd unintelligible string of words entered her ears as she tried to move from her spot. It was like she was stuck there. She looked back at Yuan to see if he was okay and let out a muffled scream. Instead of Yuan, she saw a grey and white shark with an enormous mouth widening into a big toothy grin at her with every second that passed.

xxx

"Lloyd?" Colette asked, catching his arm and stopping him from continuing to pace.

The swordsman in red out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding while deep in his thoughts and looked into her eyes. He knew he was still worrying her. "Sorry. It's just that Yuan's been taking so long!" He turned his head back to look at the walls of Meltokio shortly off in the distance. "I mean, I know he had to get out of there with Kraine and everything, but it's so _boring_ waiting here." He tapped his foot without meaning to.

"No, it's not that," she said, pointing up. "Can you hear that?"

Lloyd looked up to the sky and listened. At first he wondered whether she was playing a trick on him, but then remembered this was Colette and that he actually _could_ hear something; the light metallic buzzing sound that unmistakeably belonged to a rheaird. Through a bunch of cloud cover, he could see a dark shape illuminated by the moon.

xxx

Yuan cried out as the woman in Kraine's body tried to struggle away from the rheaird. The machine lurched left to right while he did his best to prevent her from going overboard. He cursed at her in all the dirty angel words he knew for her to stop lest she kill them both. She didn't even seem to hear him, much less pay him any heed. She instead continued to thrash, this time in an upward motion. She looked oddly like she was trying to swim away from him.

Considering how weak she had been while they had been traversing the castle, he was surprised at the strength she displayed in her resistance of him. Having always been able to match strength for strength with Kraine helped a little when keeping her from going overboard, but her movements were getting more bizarre and unpredictable, and his ability to focus on driving while fighting her was suffering more and more. She lunged off to the side and sent the whole rheaird around in a 360 degree angle. For a split second, Yuan had hold of her. Then, like an arrow had suddenly pierced into him, the pain in his arm sent his vision dark and she slipped out of his grasp.

xxx

Lloyd immediately took a startled step backward as he and Colette observed the one shape above the clouds split into two. The shape that had separated from the first emerged through the clouds first, a red and blue glow behind it. He squinted as he recognised the shape of the hair even without being able to see the features. "Kraine!" he gasped to Colette.

"What is he doing?" Colette asked. "I didn't know he had red in his wings."

"He didn't," he answered, his eyes darting from the shape of Kraine to the other shape as it flew through the clouds. "But if that's Kraine, then that's Yuan!" He watched as the shape of Kraine slowly got easier and easier to recognise. The shape of Yuan on the rheaird moved closer to the seraph and he flitted away quickly with his wings before starting to freefall again.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," he said, drawing his wings. It looked like Kraine was trying to get away from Yuan for some reason. He shook his head. That couldn't be it. Yuan had rescued him from the jail in Meltokio after all.

"Me too," Colette agreed, her hands crossed against her chest as she continued to watch and wait.

"Lloyd!"

Just as he was considering flying up to them, a voice stopped him in his tracks. As clear as the sky was blue, he heard the same voice he'd heard earlier- the voice of his mum. A cold shiver shot down his spine. Colette, having definitely heard it this time, let out a surprised gasp. He couldn't think straight after that. The voice had most definitely been outside of his head and had most likely come from the seraph flying above them. He watched as Yuan tried to steer the rheaird to catch Kraine and as he failed when he flitted out of the way yet again. The clearer their figures got, the more they could see what was going on.

Making a decision, Lloyd looked at Colette. "I'm going to check on them!"

She didn't tell him to wait. She was still in shock about the voice she'd heard, he guessed. Flapping his wings a few times, he lifted off of the ground and up toward them. The figure of Kraine became more pronounced even when it became harder to fly higher. He realised he must have been falling at a pretty fast rate. Yuan continued to chase after him with the rheaird. He could see it clearly now. Yuan tried to catch him to hurl him onto the machine and he struggled away and continued to fall toward him. Yuan finally caught up with him again, but this time Kraine twisted in mid-air and landed a blow straight to the half-elf's stomach. Knocked off balance by the sudden blow, Yuan himself went flying off of the rheaird.

"Lloyd!"

He heard his mothers voice again and found Kraine just a couple of metres above him a second later. "Are you okay?"

His lips moved and the voice of a woman came out.

Lloyd stuttered and flinched when Kraine reached his arms out to him. "K-Kraine?" He tried to struggle out of his grip, knowing that Yuan was getting closer and closer to faceplanting into the ground. "Let me go Kraine!"

Kraine didn't even seem to hear him. When he got a good look into his eyes as they floated slowly down to the ground, he didn't see his teacher of three years or the man that had trained him and betrayed him. He saw someone else entirely. "It's okay," Kraine whispered to him while he tried to struggle against the older man's strength. "The sea didn't claim your father and it won't claim you either."

"S-stop!" he exclaimed. His mothers voice was just too much to compute. Nothing made sense and Yuan was about to die if he didn't help him. He finally somehow managed to squirm out from under him and quickly darted down in a nosedive. He could see Colette hurrying toward his location, but she was far too far away to be able to reach him in time. Even being directly above him, he had to doubt whether he would reach him. As he struggled to keep up with the falling half-elf, he felt his skin under the special exsphere on his left hand start to burn. The closer Yuan got to the ground and the more hopeless it seemed, the fiercer it seemed to burn. Out of the corner of his eye as he focused as best he could on putting all his strength into being aerodynamic, he could see the exsphere starting to glow.

Then the world went black and white. Colette off in the distance stopped running and paused mid-step, one leg raised. Everything stopped moving. The sound of wind blowing ceased and he found himself having to flap a little harder to keep afloat. All except Yuan. The half-elf kept plummeting toward the ground. He was about to open his mouth to yell his name when his breath caught in his throat instead. A pink glow emanated from Yuan below him until the glow formed the unmistakeable glimmer of seraph wings. Yuan quickly zipped to the ground after that and looked up at him.

"Lloyd!" he called as though it was business as usual. "What do you think you're doing? Get Kraine down here!"

He could hear him as though he were standing right next to him. He had no words. Luckily for him, his body reacted before his brain had a chance to catch up. He carefully plucked a frozen Kraine from the air and pulled him down to the ground. Even just holding onto him made him sink. Once he was safe on the grassy terrain just outside of Meltokio, he turned his gaze back on Yuan.

"You're..." He took a breath and exhaled while watching Yuan's pink seraph wings flutter back and forth. "You're an angel?" He had a million more questions to add as soon as the first complete one left his mouth.

"Be quiet for a minute and focus on what's important!" Yuan snapped in answer. "Or do you intend to exhaust your entire bodies mana supply by stopping time indefinitely?"

"Huh?" Lloyd blinked. "This was something I did?" He paused briefly before he had another question. "How could I have done this without meaning to do it? I don't understand."

"Your Angelus Project is evolving," Yuan explained. "Now focus. You have to try to stop this!"

"Well if you know so much, why don't you tell me _how?"_ he snapped back accidentally, his frustration with him finally coming to the surface. "You seem to know everything anyway!"

"That is a misconception," Yuan muttered. "If I knew everything, I wouldn't have had to reveal myself to avoid a rather painful death, would I? Now how about using your own head a little!"

Lloyd held his head. "It's my head that's the problem! I don't know the first thing about magic. I'm not a half-elf like you." He paused. "Hold on. Why weren't you affected?" A breeze rustled through his hair, then everything that had turned black and white went back to normal. He whirled around. "Wait! What'd I-"

"Lloyd!?"

Colette's call to him made him turn back in the direction of Yuan. He could see her running up to them from behind him. His mind elsewhere though, he looked at the pink-winged seraph once again, then to Kraine who was lying peacefully on the ground. The red and blue wings that had once been behind his back had long since disappeared. He seemed to be unconscious.

Colette stopped short when she saw the pink wings behind Yuan and quietly stepped past him to his side, not taking her eyes off of the seraph. "Wow Yuan, your wings are beautiful!"

He raised an eyebrow at her and she stuttered and shifted on her toes. "Um well, I sort of had a feeling you were an angel. I just always believed you were good." She gave him a hopeful look.

Yuan didn't respond, instead choosing to focus on Lloyd as he shook Kraine to try and rouse him. "It won't do any good. We will need to take him to Altessa's house. That is the safest place for any of us at the moment."

"Grandpa Altessa?" Colette started to smile. "He seemed so nice." She looked worried then. "Are you sure we wouldn't be a burden?"

Yuan shrugged and heightened his gaze to look past Meltokio and to the Fooji mountains. "Burden or not, can I trust the two of you to listen to me and go straight there if I give you two rheairds?"

Colette nodded at first, but then seemed pretty unsure. Lloyd rested Kraine back to the ground and got to his feet from where he'd been leaning down to him. "How about first you give us a few answers?"

It was to be expected of course. Yuan sighed and turned away. "Time is of the essence. There will be time for that later."

"No," Lloyd shook his head. "How can you expect us to just let you go off and do something on your own again without telling us what you're up to?"

"Do you have a one track mind?" Yuan questioned. "Your mother will die if you waste any more time here!"

He gulped as soon as the words slipped out of his mouth and the eyes on blonde and brunette both grew wide with shock. He slapped a hand to his forehead, practically already feeling the rage that he would receive from Kraine if his body survived the current ordeal. Thinking of the situation, he quickly decided to head off regardless of what the children said. That seemed to be the only way to get things done.

"Hold on!" Lloyd cried, running to his front and blocking his path. "You can't just say something like that and walk away!"

"Lloyd's right," Colette seconded, joining him and clenching her fists. As always, one child looked scarily like Mithos and the other..

Yuan had to avoid looking at her for too long. Rolling his eyes and reaching under his cloak to pull out the wing pack for the rheairds, he let a second one come flying out before closing it and putting it back under his cloak safely. "I'll meet you both at Altessa's house by sunrise."

With that, and even though the strain on his shoulder made him want to cry out, he lifted off into the air and flew away toward the mountain in order to hopefully get his point across.

xxx

Mithos watched from the shade that the Meltokio wall offered as Lloyd and Colette stood in silence as they watched Yuan disappear off into the distance, amused. Yuan had definitely not meant for the Sylvarant Chosen's to find out his angel status.

Colette was the first to break the silence as she rested a hand on Lloyd shoulder. "Yuan has been good to us. I think we should trust him."

"Yeah," Lloyd muttered. "What choice do we have anyway? I want to believe he is good as well Colette. He.. just isn't making this easy."

There was another period of silence. Mithos stifled a laugh. Lloyd was probably angry at Colette for not telling him she suspected Yuan. Colette looked cautiously in his direction suddenly and he quickly scrambled a little further back. Lloyd watched her space out before choosing to attempt pulling Kraine on to a rheaird.

Colette swooped in to give him a hand. From what he could see, she quickly took over completely. "Oh! He's lighter than I thought he would be." She carried him all by herself to the rheaird.

He listened as the two friends prattled on about Colette having super strength for a minute until the conversation became all of a sudden a lot more interesting. Lloyd started flexing his hands while Colette started to question him again. "What happened before anyway Lloyd? I saw you with Kraine up there one second and the next you were on the ground and Yuan had his wings out."

It was a very good point.. and a very curious one as well. He'd seen it first hand for himself. The time freeze hadn't affected him of course, but it also hadn't affected Yuan or Lloyd. It hadn't been Yuan who had conducted the magic, otherwise there would have been no cause for him to reveal his wings to Lloyd and Colette. That meant for sure that it had been Lloyd.

"It's hard to explain," Lloyd said tiredly to Colette. "I don't really understand it myself." He stepped up to the rheaird and seated himself behind Kraine's unconscious body. "Let's go and pay a visit to Altessa."

As the two Sylvaranti's raised their rheairds to the sky, Mithos fell deep into thought. He looked over to the mountain range where Yuan had gone. He hadn't really said why, but he suspected he knew. That was where the Fandalia flowers still grew, even today. Yuan had finally played his true hand. He'd gotten too distracted and obviously not noticed unwanted ears had overheard.

" _Lloyd's exsphere is an Angelus Project as well.."_

He didn't know why or how, but if it was Yuan saying it, especially considering he had also said that it was evolving, he had no reason to doubt it. Plus it made more sense than anything. The split at the tower had not made any sense after he had discovered that Kraine's wife's sister had been carrying the Angelus Project for the whole time, but made perfect sense if there were always _two._

That meant the split in the tower had been directly caused by the Angelus Project and not by the trial they had put the Chosen through or the fact that Colette was very clearly the 'Chosen'. Anyone who looked at her could see she was likely a match to his bloodline and a perfect vessel for Martel.

But why could Lloyd stop time? _Why_ was there a second Angelus Project?

He understood the frustration Lloyd had with Yuan perfectly all of a sudden. His old friend knew much more than he was saying. He needed answers.

xxx

Yuan stood at the foot of the Fooji mountains and looked up toward the summit. It was going to be a little more testing at night time, especially given his weak shoulder. Flying wasn't an option though. For just a moment, he was sure he had sensed the mana of Mithos. If he was in fact close by, he didn't dare alert him of Kraine's situation any more than was absolutely necessary.

Taking his short sword from his sheath with his non-preferred hand, he started along the elevating path, ducking past a swooping bird monster and reducing it to dust with a backhanded strike. He had to be quick. The Ozette flu was not something to be trifled with and he seriously dreaded the circumstances that could change if Kraine's body were to die. He exhaled. Just the very thought of the Ozette flu and being present to see the change in Annalicia's symptoms had brought back memories, both good and bad.

Back then, not much had been known about the rare strain. Eventually it had been discovered to originate from the soil in Ozette, but even now there were still some rare cases where people got sick. The first of the symptoms usually started with a high fever. That had been the first symptom Martel had shown. He grimaced sadly to himself as he remembered how flustered he had gotten that night they had discovered she was ill.

They'd settled down for the evening after a long days trek through Tethe'allan territory. Just as he had been considering to turn in himself despite the fact that he found it increasingly difficult to sleep every night since the exsphere had been put on him, she had shifted close to him and asked him if it was alright to lean on him. By that point, he'd been wondering for a while if she'd finally noticed what he thought were his rather obvious affections for her. He'd thought she was responding at long last. All thoughts of that had quickly vanished when she rested her head on his shoulder and he felt a searing warmth from her, even through his armour.

After confirming that she was dreadfully sick by putting a hand to her forehead, he'd immediately awoken the group and asked that they go to find some herbs to cure the common cold. He'd somewhat jealously left Mithos to care for Martel while he and Kratos searched the nearby forests and fields for ingredients. Once on their own, Kratos had been quick to ask him just what his motives were for such a late night hunt for ingredients. He'd been on the money of course. For anyone else, he'd likely have waited until morning. Being left with no choice, he'd revealed to his friend his desire to court Martel.

Thinking about the humans reaction irritated him even now. He dodged a hissing snake monster that jumped out from a short tree straight at him and sliced it right down its middle before it hit the ground. Gald dropped to the ground but he had no desire to waste time collecting. He sunk back into his memories soon after.

Kratos had very quickly pointed out to him that his affections and jealousy were rather obvious. That part hadn't really surprised him though. He knew he couldn't look at Martel straight without being reduced to a blubbering mess at times. Mithos had very clearly figured it out and since been even more protective of his older sister- determined to never leave him alone with her. Kratos had pointed that matter in particular out to him and (rather bluntly) then told him that his emotions would become more of a burden and liability than a blessing if he were to continue.

He'd snapped at him for that, telling him that at least he showed some kind of emotion and as usual the swordsman had barely even flinched at the remark. That aspect of his friends personality irritated him even now, even as he was took the persona of Kraine.

Needless to say, their efforts had been in complete vain. The medicine they'd made during the early hours of the morning had done nothing to ease Martel's worsening fever and only served to strengthen Mithos' dislike for him. The young half-elf had thrown a dramatic tantrum of sorts that he would have never gotten away with if his sister had been feeling better and gone off in a huff, convinced that he could do a better job. Kratos, feeling somewhat responsible for the boy, had gone off to ensure he did not encounter trouble and left he and Martel alone. The two had returned by sunrise and made another batch of foul smelling medicine capable of choking a fly, but it still had done little.

Martel, being the stubborn woman she was and having slept through the night (albeit not very well thanks to the nightmares her fever caused) had very sternly told them not to worry and that she was 'feeling better'. Whether she knew they knew she was lying, he'd had never asked her, but they had all decided independently that the next summon spirit could wait and that she needed to see a doctor. While pretending to agree with her and without a word to one another, they'd formulated a plan.

Kratos took the first step in leading them astray toward where the village sat rather than through the quickest route. Martel believed him, though she had shown a little apprehension until he and Mithos had backed the human up and agreed on the route. She'd had no choice but to believe them after that- it was three against one after all. They set off toward Sybak, saying that the journey via boat across the sea toward the temple would be shortest from there. Unlike the town it was now, back then it had been a simple village of various trades that existed primarily as a market for Meltokio, its closest neighbour via route of the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge.

The plan, at least as far Yuan was concerned, was to slip some gald they'd received from the treasures they had accrued and sold along their pilgrimage for the spirits into the pocket of a doctor in exchange for his secrecy about Martel's half-elven origins. He'd learned later that both Kratos and Mithos had wanted to do the same thing, albeit with certain _different_ methods.

By the time they reached the village and stood on the outskirts, Martel had wizened to their plans and despite her anger at all of them, decided that they may as well investigate. After each getting an earful about lying to her and putting their plans on hold for a simple cold that was 'getting better', they entered, all happy to have gotten their way anyway.

It hadn't been meant to be though. They were quick to discover that the entire village was suffering from an outbreak of the exact same virus, including he doctor. Many civilians had already passed away and many others were in such deep states of hallucination that they'd needed to be handcuffed to their houses. Meeting with the doctor though, they'd learned in-between his states of delirium that he had discovered a flower that grew at the top of the Fooji mountains had properties when turned into a serum that would likely cure, if not at least alleviate, the symptoms of the sickness.

Leaving the village soon after gaining the knowledge, they were faced with another dilemma. Yuan smiled this time at the memory. Despite being in a severely feverish state and hardly being able to strand straight let alone string coherent sentences together at times, Martel had insisted that they drop everything and instead gather the flowers in order to help the villagers. Naturally they'd all agreed, saying it was a win-win. She hadn't understood what they meant and questioned him, in which he'd had to remind her through a somewhat tied tongue that they'd be able to save her as well.

He could still remember the girlish sound of her giggle at the realisation. He hadn't thought it possible, but in that once again selfless moment of hers, he had fallen even deeper in love with her. She was both an enigma for how eternally forgiving she seemed to be of the humans that oppressed their race, and an open book for how pure and clear her intentions were at all times. She didn't have a conniving bone in her body unless it was about wanting to surprise them for their birthdays. She was fiercely protective of Mithos and over time her fierce motherly nature had extended to the rest of their small band of comrades. The same could be said for her stern side that she used when doing all she could to ensure they did not stray from their chosen paths. She sometimes made mistakes and was no goddess, but he couldn't deny his ability to understand why Mithos had wanted to portray her as one.

By the time they were little more than halfway to the Fooji mountains, just having crossed the bridge, Martel had stopped completely being able to string full sentences of coherent words together. That was when the three boys had to make a decision. Mithos had initially insisted that he stay behind once again with his sister. He would have won the argument if Kratos hadn't stepped in and instructed him to accompany him instead, saying it would be a good chance to test his training against real enemies. It had been then that Yuan realised that Kratos was practically giving him his blessing to court Martel and that he might actually be a real person under the indifferent facade he always wore. It eased his mind substantially, but he hadn't been planning on saying anything definite to her at that time. She had been so fragile that the idea of putting his heart out in the open and having it fall on deaf ears terrified him.

After having napped for some time in the shade of a peach blossom tree just past the bridge, Martel had started to sound a little more like herself again. He'd tasked himself to periodically changing the wet rags on her forehead and stomach to keep her fever to a more manageable level and it had seemed to be bearing at least a little fruit. Having just taken them off of her again and about to head to the sea to give them a new dunking, he'd been surprised when her hand caught his arm and as she gripped him tightly. She'd opened the beautiful green eyes that he'd fallen for on first sight and whispered for him to never leave her side. Falling asleep moments after once again, he was left to play it off in his head as something with some other meaning.

He couldn't get the words out of his head after that. They ate at him over the next two days as she got better once Kratos and Mithos had come back with the Fandalia flower and made the mixture. Once she'd recovered, her focus had quickly shifted and she had become hell-bent on returning to Sybak to heal the sick and likely pretty ungrateful humans. She'd said nothing else to the same effect as she had that night during her fever and he'd started to wonder whether it was best for his own sanity to just forget she had ever mentioned anything. Then it happened.

Yuan quickly spun on the spot at the three quarter way mark of the mountain path. The monsters converging on him had seemed to think him an easy midnight snack. He made sure to let them know they were mistaken and that while he had been entrenched in his thoughts, he had always had the intention on ensuring their destruction. He continued on his way once their ear-piercing cries subsided and he was able to trail into the favourite part of his thoughts- the one he used whenever he wanted to summon his wings.

The group had been settling down for the night just before the waters edge that faced toward the Temple of Lightning, each knowing that the next battle could see them lose everything they had worked for so far if they could not succeed in persuading Volt to trust them. Undine had warned them that it would be no easy task and they had taken her words very seriously. He'd had other things on his mind though.

He'd decided to go for a walk with Noishe to deliberate his feelings for Martel. She'd somehow sensed not all was well despite him having told her the opposite just before leaving and caught up to walk with him. He hadn't known what to say until a patch of moonlight from across the sea fell into their path and she had been so suddenly enamoured that she had forgotten to watch her step on the sandy beach. He'd caught her of course, his heart thudding even more wildly against his chest when she laughed at her own clumsiness.

He'd gone to pull away from her, but she had instead insisted on holding him close. _"Yuan, what is it that has been bothering you?"_

He remembered the look in her eyes as she waited for him to tell her. It was as though something had possessed him in the moment as the moonlight shone on her features and she smiled so hopefully up at him. His heart twisted and the urge to just get it all out in the open overcame him. Despite himself, he blurted the words he'd wanted to say for so long out to her.

" _I am in love with you, Martel."_

Had he known how easy everything would be after saying those seven little words, he would have rather saved himself all the inner turmoil. At first Martel had continued to gaze into his eyes, her surprise pretty obvious. Then tears formed and rolled down her face. He remembered the heart-wrenching moment where he'd wondered whether he had been reading everything incorrectly and whether her feelings were in fact somehow elsewhere and possibly for his best friend instead of him- until he realised she was smiling.

She let go of his hands and wiped the tears away and then looked back at him with her angelic smile. _"I had been beginning to wonder whether you had understood my meaning the other night or whether I had even said what I thought I said!"_

It had been his turn to be surprised, but he got over it quickly and pulled her into his embrace happily. Smelling her scent so close, he let out a relieved laugh. She'd giggled at him and told him to laugh like that more often. His heart soaring, he had leaned closer to her ear and whispered the remaining words left in his heart.

" _I would very much like to marry you Martel, if you'll have me."_

Needless to say, her answer had been a happy one. Now at the top of the mountain and feeling the wind whistling through his hair, he plucked the last of the Fandalia flowers he would need to make the potion for Kraine. He brought them to his nose to double check. A somewhat sour scent wafted up his nostrils and made him choke a cough. They were definitely the right ones. Sighing, he looked up to the sky and twisted the ring that had barely left his finger in the eight thousand years he'd been alive.


	52. Flight of the half-elves

Putting the Fandalia's into a secure pocket on the underside of his cloak, Yuan set about his next task. Sending a little magic to his fingertips, he put them to his mouth and breathed the same high pitched whistle he had earlier for Noishe. He watched and waited after that.

The Protozoan had never once not come when he was called. The whistle was not only a call, but a promise for his favourite food. Even if the creature did sometimes get randomly stubborn about wanting to be treated as an equal, his stomach had always won out in the past. He'd always come, tail wagging and drool from his mouth leaving a trail on the ground in his wake. It also didn't seem likely that he had decided to stop being his ally now.

No. Something had happened to him. Out of all the feelings Yuan still felt strongly, he hated this one the most. The horrible feeling of helplessness. He hadn't been able to help Martel back then when their 'friend' who had joined their cause shortly after the battle with Volt had taken her life. Since that time, he had vowed to never let the same fate come to his comrades. It had been why he'd been unable to stop Mithos and why he hadn't been able to bring himself to kill Kratos when the time had called for it to be the lesser of two evils. Knowing he may have directly been the cause of something happening to the fluffball did not sit well with him at all.

The sound of heavy wings flapping in the air came from overhead suddenly, snapping him out of his guilt-ridden thoughts. All the thoughts of a moment ago vanished and were immediately replaced with an immense surge of relief when he saw a green and white bird the size of a harpy monster gliding down from the clouds and toward him. It sung a light tweet of greeting as it landed on its fluffy white paw-claws in front of him.

He gabbled for words for a second as he looked over the wispy white down on the birds front and up to its green crest and curved beak. It chattered its beak at him and tilted its head from side to side. Suppressing the grin tugging at the corners of his mouth, he crossed his arms and grunted. "You have some explaining to do, Noishe. Do you realise how much trouble you got Kraine and I into by not coming when you were called the first time?"

Noishe the bird uttered a twitter of apology- or at least he imagined that was what the sound meant. He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "How about talking in a language I can understand if you actually have something to say?"

At his request, he immediately needed some sunglasses. He had to shield his eyes while his companion radiated a brilliant white and morphed into a humanoid form. Once the glow reduced and he could look at him again, he opened his mouth to question him for a proper explanation. He was stopped in his tracks when the boy-protozoan looked up at him with worried eyes. "Yuan, _big problem_!" He turned around in a panicked circle, his hands rubbing his head. Yuan watched as he started to pace back and forth, somewhat precariously close to the edge of the cliff, muttering and growling to himself. "Oh gosh, this is terrible. It wasn't supposed to happen like this!" His tail whipped about behind him in large circular motions followed by quick up and down strides.

"No _ishe_ ," he called, tapping his foot.

"There was nothing I could do. I couldn't-"

"Noishe!" He raised his voice a little higher this time and bent over to grab the boy and hold him still from his frantic movements. "Tell me what happened. From the beginning if you would so please?"

Noishe relaxed his shoulders and nodded in agreement. "Genis and I were kidnapped by a caravan guy and Sheelos is with them and now Genis is _gone!_ " He took a deep breath once he blurted out the sentence. "I should have done something. I should have made him escape when we could. I should have protected him!" He whimpered and shook his head frantically, then whined again.

Yuan breathed inwardly slowly as he straightened up from the protozoan and looked out over the edge of the mountain top. "You don't know what happened?"

Noishe shook his head. "One minute he was standing next to me and the next he was gone," he answered miserably. "He just vanished!"

"Calm yourself Noishe," Yuan murmured. "All is going according to plan. Mostly anyway. I hadn't considered that you would also be captured by Novariel, or Sheelos' involvement." He glanced off to the side. "Though I should have." Snapping his eyes back to Noishe, he cleared his throat. "Allow me to explain."

xxx

"I had thought I would see you again soon enough," Altessa grumbled when Tabatha let the two of them in, Colette carrying Kraine's unconscious body and Lloyd trailing behind her, his confidence as a man severely in question. Tabatha directed Colette to take Kraine into the bedroom on the right of the entrance to the house. Lloyd watched until she disappeared. "Something weighs on your mind," Altessa grunted in statement to him through his thick and greying beard before waddling off down the short set of stairs to the lower part of his house, leaning on his gnarled walking stick as he did.

Lloyd seated himself down at the low chair on the table in the middle of the room and rested his head in his hands. The old dwarf wasn't wrong. Colette had been really quiet on the way to Altessa's place, but he suspected it was partly his fault. He hadn't really been in much of a mood to say anything to anyone. Three different thoughts swirled around his head over and over again and he still didn't have any answers. He'd eventually resolved to himself that the only way he would get things cleared up would be to wait for the people in question to be able to talk to him.

The problem was sitting patiently and waiting for answers. Kraine was sick. Yuan had gone off to do something and hadn't told them what. He'd just left and not told them anything!

"Damn it!" he cursed, smashing his fist into the table. _"Why didn't I see it until now!?"_

The irony that he'd had two seraphs as teachers at two different times was thick. His thoughts extended to Kraine and what Yuan had said about his mother. Then to what Kraine had himself said to him in that strange voice and with the expression that wasn't his. There had been no mistaking it that time. Knowing it was true didn't help. It only made it worse. To top it all off, they still had no idea where Gesea was. Not to mention Sheelos was also missing in action. They'd all been split up because he'd insisted that they find Kraine and Gesea. The world needed to be saved and the only way they could possibly do it was with the help of Sheelos.

Reaching down into the pocket of his pants, he pulled the half-painted wooden Noishe figurine from his pocket and looked over it. It was chipped in a few places from all the running and crawling around he'd been doing recently. It seemed like so much had happened since he had first given Gesea the figurine. She'd never asked for it back. He wasn't even sure if she remembered he had it anymore.

Leaving it sitting on the table and pushing himself up, he turned to look into the other room where Colette and Tabatha were tending to the worst of Kraine's condition. He'd noticed even as they'd been flying over Tethe'alla that the man had been sweating with a high fever. Even from where he stood, he could see that it hadn't exactly improved. The girls were folding a blanket over a shivering Kraine. Tabatha looked in his direction suddenly and he quickly looked away, unsure why.

Colette left the room and started toward him, concern written all over her face. "Is there much we can do?" he asked, following her with his eyes as she went to a small water trough in the corner. She ran the tap and placed a green face towel under the faucet to let it soak up some water and expand. She shook her head. "Tabatha doesn't know for sure what's wrong, either."

" **Actually,"** came the green haired girls robotic sounding voice. **"I know now. Kraine is most definitely sick with the Ozette flu."**

"The Ozette flu?" Lloyd couldn't say he'd heard of it before, but he was almost willing to bet that if Gesea had been with them, she would have a few facts to say about it.

"Is it some kind of sickness that comes from Ozette?" Colette asked, turning to her and letting some of the water from the towel fall to the floor. She gasped when she heard the dripping sound and quickly raced into the bedroom to place it on Kraine's head.

Tabatha graciously waited for her to return and nodded her head to her respectfully. **"It is a sickness that came about during the Kharlan War. A very long time ago now. It came from a combination of Ozette soil being infected by tainted mana."**

" _Tainted_ mana?" Lloyd questioned. "How is that even possible?" He saw Colette nodding along to his voiced thoughts as though she'd been thinking the exact same thing.

" **The events of the war are seldom spoken,"** Tabatha replied. **"It was a terrible time. It was only Mithos the Hero and his companions who were able to finally bring an end to it."**

"Mithos the Hero.." Lloyd mumbled. "Was he actually real? I'm not sure how much I believe about the legend now."

Tabatha didn't seem to really know how to respond to that. Instead she turned her back to them and waved them to follow her into the bedroom again where Kraine was sleeping. **"The Ozette flu has many symptoms. The first tends to be a fever, followed by all manner of hallucinations."**

Lloyd watched an odd expression appear on her face. Any expression would have been strange to see on her, but she looked at Kraine with pity. The question was just begging to be asked.

"How do you know about the Ozette flu, Tabatha?"

Lloyd blinked and shut his mouth. Colette had beaten him to the punch. "You sounded so sad then when you were saying about the symptoms."

Tabatha's face turned back into the emotionless one she usually wore. She didn't give either of them eye contact. **"I was once sick with the Ozette flu. It is not an experience one merely forgets."**

"Oh," Colette nodded. "I'm sorry to have pryed."

Without making an attempt to comfort Colette's guilt, Tabatha took the towel from Kraine's forehead and headed back out past them to the taps to rinse it once again. She returned after a second and put it back down gently on him. **"Fandalia flowers can only save him now. They are only found in one spot however."**

Lloyd took a deep breath and exhaled with relief. "Finally something I can do. Where can I find them?"

" **It is never a certainty that they will grow, but they have been found atop the Fooji mountains in the past. The Ozette flu is a rare disease today."**

"Really?" the relief Lloyd had felt a second before replaced itself with disappointment. "But we were just near there!" The moment he finished his sentence, the realisation hit him. He thought about the direction Yuan had flown in after abruptly leaving them. He turned to Colette. "Yuan must have gone there to get them!"

Colette's eyes sparkled as a smile grew on her lips. He knew she was happy that she had decided to trust him. "That's great!" She looked curious. "He must have known about the Ozette flu from his studies as a professor."

"Yeah," he agreed. Something nagged at him about that though. He couldn't help but wonder if it was more than that. Yuan had some explaining to do when he came back to them.

xxx

"You look like you're deep in thought," Novariel observed as he rode on his horse. They were heading straight for some deep thicket that led up to the Gaoracchia forest.

"Huh? Oh." Sheelos blinked away from where she was staring off to the east. The Tower of Salvation taunted her from afar. It stared down at her, giving her a very clear reminder on how she felt about being the Chosen. The curse for being born to someone who matched closest to the signature for Martel had never escaped her. The Cerberus taking measures to protect her from the duties of a Chosen as service to the people of Mizuho hadn't exactly helped. Not that the people of Mizuho trusted her with the idea of being the Chosen anyway.

"It's nothing you need to worry about darling," she said almost automatically. "Just keep your eyes on the prize and we'll be golden."

She focused on their surroundings and surmised that they were definitely going to hit the forest. Her guard immediately shot up by just thinking about it. She didn't know what business Novariel had with the forest, but he wasn't going to get anywhere close to Mizuho if she had anything to say about it. "I see you're avoiding the more _regular_ trade routes," she deadpanned to the tanned caravener. "Just goes to show that you definitely know how shady the stunt you're pulling is."

The guy smirked and set his eyes back on the road, seeming to be okay with leaving her alone with her brain. She didn't understand why he was being so nice to her. He was treating her as a friend rather than as the woman who had 'just so happened' to be in the right place and right time to catch him doing the deed of drugging and kidnapping a young boy who just so happened to have very recently joined the ranks of the angels.

She'd made a deal with him to come along and help him out against monsters and such in exchange for her secrecy on his deed and half of the money he would get from completing the deal. Luckily for her, he'd given her the once over and agreed. Despite Yuan's lack of interest in her and the friend zone she had landed herself in with Lloyd, it appeared she still had _it_ if she tried.

Thinking about her friends, she was somewhat surprised that they hadn't yet come to find her. Granted, she hadn't exactly told any of them what had happened. She wondered if Yuan was worried about her. The selfish voice in her head actually hoped he was. He needed to stop mourning for Martel and move on. There were plenty more fish in the sea, including her. The moment the thought crossed her mind, she felt just a little bit guilty.

Hating feeling guilty, she decided to put him out of her head. Instead she thought about Genis. He wasn't quite the enigma that Kraine was, or even half as sneaky as Yuan, but she wondered whether it was a half-elf thing that made them impossible to figure out at one stage or another. Genis had escaped the cages inside the caravan, of that much she was sure. She thought he would have decided to leave the moment they'd locked eyes, but instead he had remained in the carriage behind her with the boy she was sure he'd become besties with by now.

If Genis had some reason to stick around, there was a high likelihood that he'd convinced the other boy to as well. But _why_ had Genis decided not to make a break for it when Novariel had been distracted on the bridge? She wondered if he thought she might kill him if he tried. Her heart sank for a second before she decided that it was probably for the best. After all, here she was, about to do something that the kid would likely never forgive her for. It was easier to be alone after all, she realised. Being alone meant she didn't have to feel so hurt when she had to be accountable for her actions. It meant siding with the strongest had no repercussions. Unfortunately for her, she couldn't say that she was all that alone. Friends were a commodity she hadn't expected to gain from her trip to Sylvarant, that was for sure. The scattered trees around them grew tighter and the road became a bumpier ride as they entered the labyrinth forest.

xxx

"Mit _hos,"_ Genis cried, looking back over the landscape as they flew. He could still catch a glimpse of the white caravan sometimes when the moon hit it. It was little more than a small speck of light in the dark amongst the lush greenery now though. "We have to go back for Eon! Who knows what Novariel will do to him?" He watched the white speck fade again as it entered a darker patch that he assumed to be the Gaoracchia forest.

Mithos, in his adult Yggdrasil form currently and flapping his large angel wings extra hard while he carried him away, glared down at him. "Do you want to talk to Kraine or not? This will be your last chance before I take him back to Derris Kharlan."

"You'll what?" Genis blinked.

Mithos didn't sound very remorseful. The look on his face was pretty scary. "He has become a liability as of late and I'm not sure I understand what has caused him to suddenly reveal his crimes to Meltokio."

Genis stopped squirming, his heart all of a sudden heavy. "It really is true. I mean.. I knew it was true... but I always hoped.."

"That he killed your sister?" Mithos asked. "I'm afraid so Genis." He cringed against him.

Genis snapped out of his thoughts and looked over him. "Mithos, are you still hurt from the battle at the arena?" He frowned. "I still haven't forgotten what you did. I'm still angry at you." He would have crossed his arms if it hadn't meant he would be falling to his death by doing so.

"Then you haven't forgotten that you can fly yourself?" Mithos gave him a wide grin and glowed. He felt the mana well up around him and watched as yellow balls of light surrounded them. He felt the grip on him loosen. Then, without warning, he was falling away from the Cruxis leader. The child form of Mithos swooped after him. "C'mon Genis! Pull out your wings!"

"What!?" he gasped in-between screams as gravity did its thing. He tried to reach out for his friend but he was just slightly far enough away. His ears blocked and popped multiple times. _"I'm going to die!"_ He closed his eyes. _"I'm sorry Presea.."_

The direction of the wind hitting him changed all of a sudden. He opened his eyes just before he slammed into Mithos. The seraph disappeared and reappeared on the other side of him. "Good job Genis. You figured it out!"

It took him a moment to regain any semblance of reality. The world spun around him and for a few seconds he saw four of Mithos at once. He felt like dry heaving and had to hold a hand over his mouth until his stomach calmed itself. It was a good thing that all he'd been fed in the past twelve hours or so was a rotten tomato he hadn't eaten. Glaring at Mithos, he finally found his voice. "Y-you could have killed me!"

"Don't be ridiculous," Mithos laughed. "If I wanted to kill you, I'd have done it already."

He thought about that statement. True enough, he supposed. Mithos _had_ stopped time and saved him. One minute he had been talking to Eon about where he supposed they were going, and the next he'd been flying over the Grand Tethe'alla bridge.

"Aselia to Genis," Mithos called to him. He looked around. He was nowhere in sight. "Up here," Mithos called. Craning his neck upward, he saw Mithos looking down at him, his features looking spooky thanks to the darkness around them aside from the light of the full moon and his wings. "You need to flap your wings," he continued, zipping down to his level. "You're going to sink down to the ground at this rate."

"Flap my-" Genis found himself rising higher just thinking about the prospect. He blinked and experimentally did it again. "Really?" he snickered. "Is that really all it takes to do it?"

Mithos met him again, skimming through the air as comfortably as a fish swimming through water. He'd obviously had a _lot_ more experience. Although Genis was flapping easily enough, he was nowhere nears as stable as the other half-elf.

"You're a natural," Mithos called, lying on his back and stretching his wings in and out in sideways motions, floating steadily. "Now you just need some confidence."

"I get the feeling you've done this before," he said dryly, raising an eyebrow at him.

Mithos stopped backstroking away from him and soared back to a standing position in front of him. "The training part or the flying part?" He rested one hand on his hip and gave a proud smile. "The flying part should go without saying, but I also trained my friends to fly since I was the first one who got the wings." His smile became a grin. "Kratos and I used to spar in midair sometimes."

Genis watched his friend as he seemed to reminisce. He'd obviously been quite fond of Kraine. In a weird way, he felt kind of jealous. Mithos had known his brother-in-law for far longer than he would have even wanted to live. A speck of brilliant red from down below eventually distracted him from his envy. Mithos appeared to have seen it too. They were hovering directly over the rolling hills that surrounded Altessa's place and the Gaoracchia forest. A warm glow flowed out from the house's windows and shone just enough light on the outside that Genis could clearly see Lloyd standing there. His friend did nothing for a short time, just looked up toward them. He knew he was probably more interested in the stars, but a small part of him wished he would be able to see them and their glowing wings in the darkness. Mithos didn't seem too fussed, so he had to assume he was doing something to stop Lloyd seeing them or he didn't think there was any chance of that happening.

He watched Lloyd pace back and forth, his arms outstretched in front of him. Then suddenly, the blue light of his wings filled the area. Next to him, he heard Mithos gasp. "What's wrong?" he asked, still watching Lloyd. "You've seen Lloyd's wings before."

"I have," he agreed. "But that was before.. um, nevermind."

"Oookay?" Skeptical but deciding to let it go for now, he went on to his next question. "When can we go and see Kraine?" He also wondered how they could find the caravan and rescue Eon. Mithos didn't answer. He seemed completely distracted by Lloyd. "Mithos?" He flapped slowly up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. Mithos blinked back into reality and looked at him. "O-oh, um, Kraine. Right. Uh." He scratched his chin and started to zone out again when he looked at Lloyd.

Genis groaned and decided to take matters into his own hands. A little unsure how exactly to do it, he experimentally tilted his whole body toward the ground. His stomach lurched again. Yelping, he put himself the right way up and looked at Mithos for guidance. His friend was laughing at him. "I suppose even the naturals need to remember the rules of velocity." He wiped a tear from his eye. "That and you're overthinking it. Let me make it a bit easier for you."

Before Genis could even ask how, he was forced to watch his friend unsummon his wings and start rapidly plummetting toward the ground. "M-Mithos!" he cried, wondering what was going on. The moment he caught him after zipping down to his rapidly decreasing height, he realised what had happened. Mithos raised his eyebrows up and down and summoned his wings again. Genis let him go and crossed his arms over his chest. "Hey! That wasn't fair!"

"Did the trick, didn't it?" his friend said, sounding amused.

"Well yes.. but.." He didn't really have any good comeback that didn't make him look like a wimp.

Mithos burst out in laughter again. "You look so pale Genis. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you like that."

He suppressed a smile. "Was that some crazy game of trust or something?"

"Yeah! You passed with flying colours."

Genis blinked at him, the suppressed smile becoming a grimace. "Did.. you just make a joke, Mithos?"

Mithos stared back, then raised an eyebrow. He pumped a fist into his hand and shook his head. "Damn. See him again for the first time in ten years and he's already rubbing off on me."

"See who?" he asked. Mithos was talking in riddles again. Genis glanced back over to where Lloyd had been with his wings outstretched and gaped. Someone else had joined him. Someone with electric blue hair. It wasn't Yuan.

A jolt of shock and realisation came over him. He opened his mouth to hopefully try to distract Mithos, but it was too late. His friend was looking at the situation. "As for your question, I think now might be a good time to go and see Kraine."

xxx

Novariel knew the route like the back of his hand. It was pretty obvious he was a seasoned veteran in kidnapping. Sheelos supposed he hadn't usually made a habit out of capturing children though. The other boy that had been in the cage had a green and white tail. She supposed he was some kind of shape shifter. Something about him had felt familiar though.

They emerged through the other end of the forest in no time flat. The horses hadn't been scared of the monsters that lurked the forest. She hadn't even needed to dismount her horse. The field close to Ozette faced them as they barreled through some tall grass and onto a more stable dirt road finally. From their location, a boat at the dock to the north over the other side of the bridge could be seen. The bridge clacked underneath the horses hooves and the sound of shifting objects could be heard from behind her in the carriage. She hoped Genis and the boy were staying out of the way of falling objects.

The closer they got to the boat that Novariel was obviously heading toward, the more she could feel the cold breeze coming off of the sea to them from Flanoir. Mizuho sometimes got the breeze, but for the most part they were protected by the mountains and the forest. It wasn't uncommon to get some snow falling every so often though. Naturally she always made herself scarce whenever that happened. The thought of snow made her shiver, and not because it was cold.

Something didn't seem right though. If Cruxis was right and Novariel had ties to the Renegades, she had to wonder why they were being so blatantly obvious. They had gone to great efforts to conceal their base from anyone, including Mizuho, for the longest time. She and Yuan were the only ones who knew where it was, and only because Yuan had set out to look for it without the permission of the chief. They had agreed to keep that secret close to their chests. So why was Martuan leading a random caravan trader straight to her? Wouldn't she have preferred a Renegade grunt to handle the dirty work if that was the case?

She straightened her back involuntarily, deciding to keep on guard. In too deep now, all she could do was watch and wait. It reminded her of the silly "Ignorance is knowledge" creed that the kid sometimes spouted about. Assassins never got anywhere by being rash and not knowing the full story. She knew that and still had to suppress the itch to confront the trader for information she already knew he wouldn't give her. She had been an unofficial spy for Cruxis for some time now and had yet to 'meet' the leader. Pronyma had promised that if she were to fulfil this task though, she would finally get to speak with Yggdrasil.

Finally, they came to a halt not too far from the beach. Novariel jumped off of his horse first and looked at the boat floating on the water. It was wooden and looked only barely sea worthy. Nothing like the boat they'd been lucky enough to acquire from the Lezareno Company. It creaked and groaned against the heightening tide that crashed against the shore. The trader looked back at her as she slid off her own horse. "I'll put you in charge of bringing them around back." He dug into his pockets for a few seconds and shuffled up to her. She hid her clenched fist when he brought out a bottle and a syringe. "Make sure you give them both a good helping of sleep medicine before you get them out of the cages though. Who knows what they'll do."

She took them from him, squinting her eyes. He saw her mistrust and clutched a hand to his heart. "I know a good partner when I see one m'lady. Think of this as an exercise of my trust in you." He cleared his throat. "There's no reason to think you'd release them, is there?"

"Of course not," she answered. "Why one earth would I want to risk having two annoyed parties on my back for the sake of a couple of kids?"

"Hmm." Novariel scanned her, smiled, then set about getting onto the boat. "Grab the horses too, once you're done." He disappeared into the cabin and pulled the worn door shut behind him, having to slam it a couple of times and lift it slightly to get it to close. Sheelos waited a few minutes under the pretense that she didn't want him to come out while she was inside the carriage, but it was really more to do with her nervousness about what the kid would say.

Taking a deep breath, she headed over to the detachable ramp connected to the side of the caravan and hooked it to the platform that led to the door. Once it was safely attached, she let the makeshift stair-ramp fall to the ground and made her way up to the opening. Sticking her hand in first to find the string for the light generator, she gave it a tug before peeking inside. Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes fell on the curled bars of the cages but not on any kind of living life form.

 _"They've escaped!"_ She smiled broadly and clapped her hands together for a second. _"Now is the time for the true Sheelos to shine._ _Let's finish this little charade."_

She turned away from the caravan opening and looked toward the rickety old boat. The seemingly boring adventure to her least favourite place had just gotten a whole lot more interesting.


	53. The doors to danger open

Just a quick glance back at their mode of transport across the sea had been enough to tell her one thing. Novariel still didn't quite trust her completely. He'd been watching her through a small window on the right side of the cabin.

 _"Not that I can really blame him,"_ Sheelos thought with a grimace to herself. _"It isn't like I'm planning on telling him that his whole journey is basically for nought except to earn me some brownie points with Cruxis now."_

She parted the canvas front door like a curtain and stepped into the room she'd flickered the low light on in just before. The bent bars of the cages at the end and at the side of the small room stared at her once again. No doubt about it, Genis had broken himself and the other boy out of the caravan by using his super strength powers. She leaned down, grabbing a loose rag from a battered wooden box on the way and wiped the floor around her feet. If she was going to make this next part convincing, she was going to have to wait it out for a bit.

When the biggest layer of dust was gone, she settled down onto her backside and glanced around. She could see footprints in the dust. Some were big- those must have been Novariels. One set of footprints came out from each cage and made the rounds around the room. The footprints from the cage on her right seemed a fair bit more frantic though. Just when she was going to settle back in thought and wonder about how they'd escaped, her eye caught another set of footprints that belonged to neither Genis or the other kidnapped boy. They started at the foot of the entrance and combined with a bunch of footprints, but quickly made a bee line for the back cage.

A shiver ran down her spine all of a sudden and she jumped up from her spot. She stood deadly still and listened keenly to her surroundings. The sound of sea water lapping against the shore just a little distance from the caravan made it harder to sift through natural and unnatural noises. After a little while, she sunk back to her knees and put it down to claustrophobia. She hummed to herself and tried to sink into some thoughts to settle her nerves. As always, it usually came down to one of two things that occupied her mind when she was bored. This time she seemed to be getting a double whammy.

She clutched her chest where her Cruxis crystal sat, concealed under her left breast. As Yuan was the Cerberus, it made no sense that she would have her exsphere on show. While it caused her very little discomfort now since it had been there for so long, she'd not gotten any of the "perks" for having such a dangerous item on her either. Since seeing what Colloyd had gone through and the terrible fate most Seraphs in her life seemed to have, she was quite glad to not count herself amongst the band of angels... yet anyway.

She did wish she could have had some of the super powers though. Super strength would have been nice, or a pretty pair of wings to be able to fly out of trouble when the situation called for it would have been decent. Not that she would have been able to bring them out in front of or around her friends though. Being an angel meant a much easier life for the most part if she were to wear the proper key crest. That wasn't the best part though. If it had just been the promise of eternal life, she would have turned it down in a heartbeat. No.. Pronyma had promised her something far more valuable. A way to escape the life of being the Chosen that nobody needed and especially being the figurehead everyone was prepared to sacrifice. She would no longer live in the shadow of the Cerberus and he would no longer need to be chained to her and make her suffer with the confusing set of feelings she now understood at least partially.

She sighed to herself about that. The half-elf had been gentle with her and let her down gently that night at the clearing just outside of the Gaoracchia forest. He'd been understanding and clear on his own feelings. He of course understood her feelings better than her. He was a half-elf after all. By revealing that and also the fact that half-elves understood the world differently, she had been able to simultaneously understand a little more of her own past. The reason why her mother had been killed had come to the light and all of the circumstances that led to that moment of red snow finally made sense. She also had elven blood in her lineage. There was no doubt about it. She had the ability to summon, after all. It made sense that the blood came from her parents and in turn, made it easy to see that they understood the concept of wanting to be with someone for more than just duty.

Another shiver tickled her spine from top to bottom. The unmistakeable feeling of being watched filled her with dread. Rising from her spot, she set about roughly investigating again before deciding to just leave. If anyone was hiding, she was sure she would have seen them since the room was incredibly bright from the dangling bulb in the middle. She walked out into the gradually chilling night, deciding it was time to start untying the horses from the cart. They were pretty relaxed about it and didn't make a fuss.

"This is a cakewalk," she muttered to herself, elated. When the horse she'd mounted and rode for the journey whinnied and backed away just as she tried to lead it over the ramp and onto the boat, she realised she's spoken too soon. She backed away and put her fingers to her mouth to whistle at them. They stood there shivering in the cool breeze and watching her with dark uncertain eyes.

"Come on!" she called, patting her knees and leaning down like she would if she was calling a dog to her. They didn't react to that either. Frustration growing, she wondered whether she might be able to get away with summoning Undine, or maybe Gnome or Volt to give them a little nudge or shock in the right direction. She quickly relinquished the thought, a bit scared that they might be listening on on her thoughts and remembering the pain of the penance she'd suffered for using Undine the way she had.

The door behind her squeaked open and got stuck for a second. Novariel cursed to himself and closed it for a second before trying again, lifting it this time. When he was out, he met her with a smile and then looked at the uncooperative horses. "Don't have the knack with the equine?"

"They were fine until they tried to get on this pile of driftwood," she defended. "Are you sure they'll be okay if we can actually pull them onto here?"

"What would you propose we do otherwise?" he asked. When she stuttered and didn't have an immediate answer, he approached and petted her shoulder as he cackled and shook his head. "It's alright my dear. They just need to get used to you." He kept his hand there for a few seconds longer until he nodded to himself. "Allow me to teach you a little secret."

He brought out a short strap of what looked to be leather from the pocket of his thick coat and let it uncurl itself from around the red handle in his hand and drop to the deck at their feet. Even as he did, she heard the same startled sounds the horses had made when she had attempted to drag them aboard. Snapping her attention to them, she quickly saw their bulging eyes and their shivering forms. It seemed all of a sudden much worse. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Novariel raise his whip hand slightly, and then without even a murmur of complaint, the two horses trampled up the ramp and stepped onto the boat, not stopping their nervous trots until they were a safe distance away and standing under the small shelter built on to the side of the cabin. They huddled together and watched Novariel carefully.

"How did you do that?" she asked, even though it was pretty damn obvious. She was sure that if the caravaner took even a single step toward the horses, they would back away further into the outside wall of the cabin.

"Dominance is the key," Novariel answered, pulling the leather up from the ground and wrapping it around the handle of the whip. He grimaced, "When taming wild beasts, dominance is all you have against their brute power and strength. The human body is so incredibly weak." His grimace widened into a wide-mouthed grin. She smiled back even though looking at his golden canine fillings that glittered in the moonlit night gave her the creeps. "I'm sure you'll learn eventually." He politely nodded at her and turned away. "Where'd you put the kids?"

"Around back," she answered instantly, the words rolling off her tongue before she'd even had much of a chance to think about them. She had figured she would have been able to see the inside of the cabin in the very least before he asked her any specific questions like that.

Novariel looked over her quietly after her short explanation. For a second, she thought she had already blown it until his conniving grin became a wide salesman smile. "Look at that! I knew you were something special. I didn't even have to tell you where to put the goods!"

"I've got a nose for it," she said again without thinking. _"Shut up!"_ she immedately told herself after. _"The best lies are the ones that you don't have to tell."_ It had been some sage advice she'd received from Yuan long ago when he had told her more about his role as the Cerberus.

Novariel let out a chuckle and headed back for the cabin, waving at her to follow and holding open the door for her. She wondered at what points Yuan might have followed his own advice while she swished her hips and accepted his gentlemanly gesture.

The inside of the cabin smelled just as bad if not worse than the outside. The smell of damp wood and moss filled her nostrils. Novariel took a deep breath of the outside before he closed the door behind him and proceeded to another open inner door. From where she stood, she could see that the room was the bridge of the boat with an old style wooden wheel. Even without a close look and as Novariel pulled the door shut behind him, she could tell that it was nowhere near as high tech as the standard Tethe'allan transport. Novariel seemed to be content to live in the dark ages.

" _Whatever floats his boat.."_ she joked to herself as she lowered herself to a short chair and table in the corner of the room near the window she'd seen Novariel watching her from earlier. A cheap looking plastic vase with fake blue thistle flowers covered in cobwebs sat glued to the middle of the table. Rolling her eyes and trying her best to ignore the eyesore, she slipped into her own thoughts so that she could distract herself from thinking about where they were heading.. _again._

xxx

When Altessa opened the door and saw Lloyd plus an extra person waiting, he'd been a bit surprised but begrudgingly let them in since Lloyd had obviously somewhat awkwardly told him that the blue haired woman could be trusted. It was a different story for two complete strangers, as far as anyone except Mithos and Yuan knew anyway. The bearded and green cloaked dwarf answered the door, his usual frown furrowing over his long nose and squinted eyes. It only lowered more and the lines on his forehead only became more prominent when he glanced over the two 'young' boys standing in front of him.

"Hi," Genis squeaked, suddenly nervous. Altessa made him nervous on a good day but now it was even worse. He couldn't exactly answer with the truth on why if he was asked and lying through his teeth wasn't preferable. He'd already complicated things with Lloyd thinking he was a full blooded elf and a complete stranger who just so happened to get saved from the oceans depths by their trusty temp sea captain.

Mithos elbowed him to reply to what Altessa had asked. Something along the lines of "Who are you?" It seemed like such an impossibly hard question to answer all of a sudden. He had to say something.

"Hi," he repeated. "We're friends of Lloyd."

His gulp sounded so loud to himself that he was sure the old dwarf would cotton on and question him. Thankfully Colette came out from an adjoining room behind them with a face towel in her hands and spotted the two of them. She let out a small delighted gasp at the sight that beheld her, followed by a disappointed one when she dropped the towel to the floor with a splat. She scooped it up before padding over to the door to stand just behind Altessa. "Genis? Mithos? What are you doing here?"

"So they are friends of yours?" Altessa asked, a disapproving grunt rather obvious in his voice. Colette didn't seem at all phased by him though and just nodded brightly. "They are. Would you mind if they came inside as well, Grandpa Altessa?"

Genis snickered a little at the dwarfs reaction to being called 'Grandpa.' It had only been for a split second but he had actually seen the iris of his eyes _and_ the white part (the sclera). When Altessa focused his attention back to him and Mithos, he quickly quietened down. He gave them both another once-over before stepping aside.

"If not for your young age, I would tell you to watch your head," he said. He murmured something else to himself that sounded like he might have been questioning when it had become common for children to wander the wilderness in the middle of the night, but Genis didn't catch the whole lot. Colette quickly escorted him and Mithos into the next room where they were faced with a very cramped scene.

His earlier preparations for the chat to come fell short when his eyes fell straight on Kraine. It didn't take a genius to tell that he was quite ill. His skin was a little yellow and he was shivering despite being under the pile of blankets on the bed he was lying on. Lloyd was seated at his bedside, looking at him and Mithos. In fact, the whole room had suddenly turned their attention on them.

A small shiver crept down Genis' spine when he locked eyes with Martuan. She had a bunch of white flowers in her hands. "Hi," he said to the room, sounding just as nervous as he had been when Altessa had answered the door.

"Genis!" Lloyd sounded happy to see him, albeit a tired sounding happy. "And Mithos too!"

"That's right," Mithos said dryly with a nod of greeting.

Having been around his friend who also happened to be around four thousand years old as well as the leader of Cruxis etc for a while now, Genis realised he'd started to notice the differences between what he was thinking and saying. He knew Mithos wasn't particularly fond of Lloyd as it was and that it probably stemmed from jealousy. Martuan looked understandably the most surprised to see them. He didn't have to wonder whether she knew who Mithos really was. No, the real issue was that Mithos currently had no idea that his own part-sister was the leader of the group who were doing their best to interfere with his plans. He was likely pretty surprised she was showing herself to the group considering they weren't meant to have actually met her. Thinking of that, Genis made a mental note that he had to be extra careful to stay on guard. He hoped against hope that Lloyd and Colette didn't say anything too incriminating. Not that he was necessarily taking sides though.

Colette, who had disappeared again after ushering the two of them into the crowded room, returned with something else in her hands this time. A mortar and pestle. Excusing herself past them, she handed them to Martuan. Genis remembered seeing Kraine making all sorts of concoctions at one time or another with one of those. Most had been remedies for various ailments like snake bites that caused paralysis in some cases, poison from shrooms in the Iselia forest, or the common cold. They worked most of the time, unlike his other.. interesting.. choices in food combinations.

He wasn't a _bad_ cook, in fact, he was quite good. The only problem was that once people knew just what he put in his food, it became impossible to eat. During their travels with Novariel, they'd had access to all kinds of weird and wonderful ingredients and he had become accustomed to cooking with whatever he could find. In short, his food had become both a rare specimen and an acquired taste thanks to it.

"Is that really the Fandalia flower?" Lloyd asked, leaning over Kraine to watch the Renegade start to mash it up. She gave a slight nod. "As sure my hair is blue."

Lloyd leaned back at that and looked a bit conflicted. "And you said one dose is all he'll need?"

"It's all I needed," she replied simply, switching from stirring around in circles to pounding at the flowers she had already beaten to a pulp. Interrupting Lloyd before he could ask another question, she added "You'll see."

"S-so, who is this?" Mithos asked in pretty thinly veiled innocence. Genis would have expected someone else to pull him up on it if it hadn't been mostly Lloyd and Colette in the room. Lloyd hopped to the introduction with a quick apology. "Mithos, this is Martuan. She's come to help Kraine.." He stuttered for a second. Genis secretly sighed with relief. If Lloyd was this nervous then it meant he knew that Mithos wasn't allowed to know about the Renegades, even if he didn't know _why._ "We don't really know _how_ she knew he was sick or here though."

Martuans eyes flashed at him to shut up. Genis almost slapped his forehead. This conversation was heading in all kinds of dangerous directions. He watched Tabatha take the towel off of Kraine's forehead and head out of the room to give it a rinse somewhere. "So this is Kraine?" he asked, feeling dirty again. "I didn't know he was sick."

"We didn't either," Colette replied, looking over Kraine with concern. "We found him and then a lot of strange things happened and now we're here."

"Strange things?" Martuan asked, looking delighted that the blonde Chosen's lips had loosened again.

Colette remained mute, not very subtly hinting that there were things that couldn't be spoken around him and Mithos. For once, that aspect seemed to be working in their favour. The room fell quiet. Lloyd shifted a little in his seat before focusing back on Kraine. It was clear how much he still cared for him, even after all he had done to him. It made sense though, he thought jealously. Kraine was his father. They had a bond that only family could share, even as an estranged father and son.

" _Hi Lloyd.. I'm actually your uncle,"_ Genis thought, looking over his biological nephew. That sounded weird no matter how many times he thought about it. It made it worse that he actually wasn't sure whether he was older or younger than him. He thought he might have imagined it, but for a split second he thought he felt the Angelus Project get a little warmer inside his hand.

Martuan stood from her spot, mortar and pestle in hand. "Now all we need is some hot water." A strange non-conniving smile touched her feminine lips as her eyes trailed to Kraine. "Maybe some sugar as well. He'll just spit it out if it's too bland."

"You uh.. know Kraine pretty well then?" Lloyd asked. "I mean, I know you work together and everything but-"

Genis summoned all effort in his body to not clap a hand over his mouth. Mithos flinched a little next to him but said nothing of course. Realising she had some serious thinking to do on how to explain this one, Martuan rolled her eyes and left the room without answering the twin swordsman who had just made life hard. Lloyd turned to Colette, confused. "Was it something I said?"

Genis went to look at Mithos, only to discover he had actually left the room at the same time as Martuan. It was kind of scary that he'd done it without drawing any attention to himself. Leaning back on the chair he'd found, he saw Mithos standing next to her while she poured the mixture into what looked like a hand crafted stone mug, along with some hot water. He wasn't saying anything, but as Genis had experienced before, he sometimes didn't need to.

"So what made you come here anyway?" Lloyd asked, smiling at him. Genis stuttered and Lloyd laughed. "I mean, I'm glad you're here but I thought you and Mithos were in Ozette now."

"The people of Ozette aren't very nice to non-humans," Mithos said from the door. Martuan squeezed past the bunch of them and to the other side of the bed opposite to where Lloyd was sitting.

"Oh?" Colette looked sad. "I'm sorry to hear that. Were they mean to you because you're a half-elf?"

"Half-elves are always punished," Martuan said. "It's just the way it is and always has been." She parted Kraine's lips. "Drink this and don't you dare think about spitting it out on me."

Whether or not the older seraph/swordsman/professor heard her or not, he didn't spit it out. He barely made a sound while she slowly poured the mixture into his mouth. "So Martuan," Mithos said while she worked, "Lloyd was saying you work with Kraine? What do you guys do for a living?"

Martuan shot him a glare so venomous that Genis felt his blood run ice-cold. It looked pretty uncalled for if you didn't understand that Mithos was just fishing for information on how exactly she had dealt with Lloyd and the group before. "That depends; what do _you_ do for a living Mithos?"

"Mithos sails boats," Lloyd cut in with an answer, happy to finally include himself in the conversation.

"Really?" Martuan said, as though the news actually surprised her. "And is that how you met him?" She ignored the suspicious look Lloyd was suddenly giving her and looked to Kraine. He looked too, having seen the man move slightly and heard him take a deep breath. Martuan smiled. "Good. It's starting to work. Now we play the waiting game."

"Do you think it'll be long before he wakes up?" Genis questioned, feeling all of a sudden nervous. He wasn't sure exactly what he could say to Kraine anymore- especially with everyone around like they were. There was one thing he was sure he did want to say though, much to the contrary of how he knew Presea felt toward it. He wanted to say that he knew whatever had happened with Annalicia wasn't his fault and that he didn't blame him. He just wanted an explanation.

xxx

There had definitely been a slight change in temperature.. but nothing like there should have been. Sheelos hadn't been able to stop herself. _That place_ just brought up way too many memories, good and bad of course. She found herself looking out of the window after a while and watching the scenery pass by. After as while though, she had started feeling like something was off. Waiting a little longer, the feeling in her gut about it grew stronger. She could see frost starting to build up on the window sill and had needed to rub it occasionally when it fogged up from the small amount of warmth the primitive vessel offered.

And that was it.

They were approaching Flanoir and yet she was still pretty content to sit around twiddling her thumbs in her normal garb. The heating device was limited to a small travel heater that sat bolted to the wall in a little nook of the small room they were in. The boat didn't even have a kitchen. By this point of their travels, she had been expecting to have to codger the dodgy trader into lending her one of his coats, though she really disliked that idea and would have been happy at her luck if she weren't so confused.

Flanoir frequently snowed and yet she hadn't seen a single flake fall from the overcast night sky and no sign it had fallen before they'd arrived. Either the snow region was experiencing some kind of heat wave.. or they weren't actually heading for Flanoir. But if they weren't heading for the god forsaken city, another question just begged to be answered.

Where were they heading?

Another hour passed and she still saw no sign of snowfall, neither did she feel any sudden temperature drop. The boat shuddered to a stop just as she was considering a way to ask Novariel about it without seeming suspicious. The door to the wheelhouse opened and her companion stepped out to give her a proud smile. "We're here."

"We are?" she asked, trying to be as fake excited as she could. It was a pretty handy skill she had picked up over the years from her time in Mizuho. It did no good to show them how depressing life as their 'Chosen' object was, after all. She turned to the window and wiped it before pressing her face against it. She could see some kind of land mass, but nothing that really stood out from the angle they were on. Decisively standing from her spot, she realised Novariel was way ahead of her. He held the door open for her again. "It's time for me to let you in on a little trade secret."

"Ooh," she cooed, "sounds interesting." Only half of her meant it though. The wiser part of her was holding up tiny red flags with all available digits while jumping up and down and shaking its head. Still, something she didn't understand was going on. That alone was enough to pique her interest. She smiled up at him as she squeezed through the gap of the door past him to outside, deciding it was good that he hadn't mentioned Genis or the kid again yet. The longer she could keep him from possibly going to 'the back', the better. She still wasn't exactly sure where 'the back' was anyway.

A small island with three cyllindrical rocks in a triangular formation faced her and her jaw almost fell to her feet. It might have been pretty different if she hadn't eavesdropped on conversation between many of the Lezareno Company employees the day they had been allowed access to the place. Legend had it that the rocks were a portal to the underworld when the moon hit it in a certain way. People had allegedly seen it for themselves and scholars who researched the Otherworldly Gate went mysteriously missing, never to be seen again.

"Why are we at the Otherworldly Gate?" she questioned.

Novariel looked impressed at her. "Someone's done their homework I see. Well then, I don't need to waste time explaining what happens here sometimes." He dug into a pocket on his puffy trousers and brought out a shiny piece of metal around the size of the palm of his hand. "This is the key to everything," he revealed mysteriously, parading past her to where he could jump off of the low side of the boat and into shallow water. Sheelos quickly followed, pulling the legs of her pants up to her knees and tightening the strings so that they didn't fall back down while she waded through the water.

With no possibility of wet pants in sight, she lowered herself off of the edge of the boat in the same place Novariel had and dropped into the sea. A quick and involuntary yelp of surprise left her mouth. The water certainly _felt_ like it belonged to the seas of Flanoir, even if the average temperature outside of it didn't. Her legs instantly numb, she had to push herself to put one foot in front of the other and shuffle to where the trader stood watching her. "This better be worth the frostbite," she muttered to him as she stepped onto land, slipping on her shoes and rubbing her bare legs to try and get some blood circulating again.

"Just watch," he instructed, raising the shiny disc of metal up above his head. She watched carefully for a second until a familiar cringe made its way down her back. She whirled around to scan the boat.

"What's the matter?" Novariel asked her, stopping his little show and tell and focusing on her.

"I feel like we're being watched," she muttered, doing another scan and trying to force her eyes to adjust so she could see the nooks and crannies of the boat easier.

"Watched?" Novariel asked, peeling his eyes onto the boat as well. "You think we've been boarded without knowing?"

"I.." She didn't know what to say. Things weren't exactly going to plan anymore.

Clap, clap clap.

She and Novariel started at hearing a high pitched clapping sound from somewhere nearby. A shadow on the right end of the boat moved. The both of them caught it and watched as it formed into the shape of a man.

... a man wearing what was unmistakenly Mizuho ninja garb.

Sheelos couldn't believe her eyes. The ninja crouched for a second before making a jump from the deck to the roof of the cabin. The moonlight shone down on him from his position now. Sheelos found herself doubly dumbstruck as her eyes trailed up and down the red and gold garment he wore. Only one ninja in the village wore that red garb. "K-Kuchinawa!?" she cried, squinting.

The ninja clapped his hands together again. "Looks like you haven't gotten rusty even now you're basically a tag along on an adventure with the very people you were supposed to stop from destroying Tethe'alla."

He spoke with such bitterness oozing from his words that Sheelos knew something wasn't right.. aside from the fact that he had randomly appeared on an old boat in the middle of the ocean in the middle of the night of course. She took a step forward. "Kuchinawa, what are you doing here?"

Kuchinawa pointed to her and Novariel. "I am under orders to ensure he does not take you away from Tethe'alla."

"What?" she spluttered. "Who gave you the orders?"

"That isn't all," he continued on, ignoring her question completely. "I also came to ensure the Angelus Project wasn't to go missing... though I seem to have failed in that regard, don't I?"

She froze and glanced at the man by her side. He blinked a few times and shifted forward. "What did you-" He muttered the rest of his sentence into the sandy ground when he face-planted into it.

"Sorry," Sheelos apologised as she whirled around. Kuchinawa had disappeared and just as she suspected, he did his usual act of slipping by unnoticed and ambushing his victims from behind. He was like a magician; she'd always been a little envious at how adept he was. A shuriken flew just above Novariel, missing its target and dropping into the sea. She met Kuchinawa's parry and punch with a block of her own a second later. He grinned at her as he kicked and she dodged and vice versa. It almost felt like old times. "Kuchinawa," she started again to him. "What's going on? This isn't like you at all."

"No, it isn't," he responded, landing a blow on her and knocking away. Despite her rib aching from the blow, she managed to catch her balance and somersault herself back into a standing position. Novariel tried to get up but Kuchinawa quickly tossed a couple of ninja stars in his direction and made him drop again. "Stay down if you know what's good for you. I'll be dealing with you later. This is not your fight."

"It isn't?" Sheelos kept on her guard and waited for him to come to her this time. "Wait Kuchinawa-" she ducked under a side turning kick and gave him a slightly pulled back uppercut to the chest. While he breathed heavily and guarded, she continued to ask her question. "What exactly is this about if it's not about trying to protect me and save the kids?"

"Hmph." Her childhood friend uttered a sarcastic grumble. "I suppose you wouldn't know since you pretty much abandoned all care for Mizuho since you got everyone killed by Volt that day."

"What?" Her body became pins and needles. "I see.. You want revenge for what happened to your parents." She laughed. "Funnily enough, I understand how you feel. I guess you must really hate my guts, huh."

"I do," he growled. "Even after everything you did, you turned your back on Mizuho, its people, and the whole of Tethe'alla. You were always selfish though."

"Vice-chief Tiga agreed to the methods that we are planning to use to ensure nobody suffers anymore," she pointed out in her own defence. He'd stopped huffing and puffing now and she knew she needed to be on guard again. He leaned forward and she prepared for his signature charge. Instead, a large throwing star flew above her head. She watched in surprise as the hair she had in the top knot above her head fell to the ground at her feet, scrunchie and all. Loose strands of hair fell around her face and into her eyes. The bone-crushing force of an undercut to her side followed by a kick to the shoulder sent her flying into the freezing shallow water.

Numb tingles prickled all over her skin and her vision blurred from the impact. With a groan, she tried to get up. Her body didn't want to agree with her it seemed. Through dizzied vision, she saw her friend step up close to her. "I will finish you here. We'll just say you had a little accident, just like your mother."

"H-h-how d-d-dare y-y-you!" she said, trembling with both cold and seething anger. She sat up finally and attempted to pull herself up. A short dagger poked into her neck before she could though. She glanced to her left at her friend. He leaned closer to her. She didn't need to be able to see much to know he was glaring at her. "I would rather die than be forced to accept you as my Salvatorian."

"Your.." she squinted as a light shone straight into her eyes from the direction of the island rocks. She could make out the silouhette of Novariel holding up the shiny object again. Her body suddenly felt light and disconnected from the rest of her. When the light faded again, she felt herself drop slightly onto some dry land. In front of her she could see Novariel, and behind him in the sea, his boat.

"Well that looked like it was about to get out of hand," the smuggler said, chuckling lightly and offering her his hand. She rolled her eyes and got up herself. The pain from Kuchinawa's attacks on her hurt, but it was nothing she hadn't dealt with before. The real issue was that she very clearly recognised her location. Just a short distance behind her sat a tall mountain. A large city sat on the waters edge to the north and a thick forest that raised higher into the mountains behind her just to the east.

Not seeming to take offense to her ignoring him earlier, Novariel stepped up to her side while she stared at the city. "What do you think, m'lady? Do you like it?"

"Well, um.." she wasn't sure what to say, but knew it better to air on the side of caution. She wiped her hair out of her eyes and tucked some of the longer strands behind her ears. "Where are we?"

"A place very far away from Tethe'alla," he explained, a proud chuff in his chords. "Welcome to Sylvarant."


	54. Party at Altessa's

Every second felt like an hour as Lloyd waited for Kraine to wake up. The clock high up on the wall behind him making a very distinct metallic click every time it hit the twelve made it even worse. He was sick of waiting and sick of wondering and most of all sick to death of _thinking_. Just looking at Kraine as he gradually showed signs of recovery filled him with a million questions. He'd found it a little difficult to believe at first that Martuan had Kraine's best interests at heart when she had come to him when he had been about to set off to try and find Yuan or Sheelos- he hadn't exactly decided on who at that point. She had done exactly what she had said she would do and that made him question a little more on how much they could trust her. She had genuinely seemed like she wanted Kraine to get better. A part of him wanted to ask whether they had been friends once, but he knew better.

Twitching his sore neck back and forth to try and loosen the muscles that had started to hurt again, he looked to his right at Genis. He was sitting in another chair next to him and looking over Kraine. Genis looked at him questioningly and he stopped moving his neck. "Sorry," he apologised, laughing at how funny it must have looked. "I just thought you must be getting pretty bored just sitting here."

"I could say the same thing to you," Genis replied, raising his eyebrows. "Since when do you sit still for more than five seconds?"

"H-hey!" he blubbered, leaning over and elbowing him. "I'm plenty patient when I want to be and since when are _you_ the expert?" A strange feeling came over him as he finished his sentence. It felt like he'd had this conversation before. He opened his mouth to apologise again but stopped himself just in time. Genis snorted at him and started laughing. "The 'deep in thought' look doesn't suit you, Lloyd."

"I would tend to agree," Martuan added under her breath. "Why don't you just do us all a favour and go use those swords of yours on a tree or something?" She nodded in the direction of his swords, showing that she had already sniffed out the weapons in the room. "Or better yet, go and get some new butter knives."

Lloyd took a deep breath and clenched his fists. He let his anger go, deciding it wasn't worth the ruckus. He didn't want to cause problems for Altessa when they'd already inconvenienced him... and Martuan _had_ helped them. Colette re-entered the room with Mithos at her side. He opened his mouth to defend himself but quickly stopped short when Kraine who lay between them shifted a bit and took a sudden deep breath.

At seeing the movement, Genis unexpedly shot out of his chair and leaned past him to shake Kraine. "Kraine! Wake up! Come _on_ Kraine!"

All eyes in the room immediately bore into the old seraph and waited for a miracle to happen. It was the most Lloyd thought he'd seen his former professor move in the last couple of hours. His fever had definitely lessened as well thanks to a combination of Colette and Tabatha's efforts and Martuan's fandalia potion.

The Renegade leader stopped Genis from shaking Kraine any further while tisking and shaking her head. "He's still unconscious. Don't shake him like that. You'll make him sick." Her fringe fell into her eyes and she scowled. "Trust me, I know." She sounded like she was talking from memory. Lloyd wondered whether that was why she had decided to help them.

As Martuan had explained, Kraine sadly remained unmoving despite Genis' best efforts. The seraph did sound like he was breathing more normally though. Before it had been little more than a shudder every so often. Lloyd turned his attention to Genis as he slowly sunk back from Kraine and back into his chair. Mithos took a seat beside him. The blond had stopped taking digs at Martuan about her 'job' thankfully. Something about that was bothering despite the fact that Mithos and Genis were nice people. Sheelos and Yuan had made it abundantly clear that they weren't allowed to talk about the Renegade operations and Mizuho without permission and Lloyd had been careful not to let anything slip. He still wondered what it had been that he'd said earlier to anger Martuan like he had. He felt like he'd blabbed even when he hadn't.

Uncomfortable with the silence and the ticking clock and eager to avoid looking at Martuan and thinking how she felt so familiar sometimes, he focussed his attention on a safe subject with Genis. "So how did you and Mithos know we were here anyway?" Excitement buzzed in his chest while he waited for the answer from either boy. It was probably going to be cool like they had sensed their mana signatures all the way from Ozette or something.

His silver haired elf friend stuttered in a way that reminded him of Gesea suddenly before finally stumbling out an answer. "W-we were.. um.. just going for a walk away from Ozette for a while."

"This late at night?" he asked, smiling as he remembered how he had sometimes gone half-asleep walking alone through the Iselia forest late at night after having some of his dreams. Before waking up, he'd always been convinced that he would find his mum or dad just a short distance away. Noishe had thankfully always watched out for him despite how freaked out he always got around monsters.

" _Speaking of Noishe..."_ he thought suddenly, wondering where his furry friend might have ended up. So much had happened that it hadn't crossed his mind until now. Kraine had once told him to not worry about Noishe, but it was hard not to. Another contender suddenly added itself to the list of people/furry things he wanted to find. The horrible feeling that something bad was happening to Gesea and Sheelos and the fact that he didn't exactly know whether Yuan had ever planned on returning to them to give them answers slowly ate at him. There was no way he could leave Kraine's side now though. He still didn't trust Martuan; she'd tried to get in their way more than once and had seriously slowed their quest down by stealing the rheairds for no apparent reason. They were _far_ from friends.

Another hour slowly trickled by with Colette and Tabatha traipsing back and forth doing this and that for Kraine. Colette sometimes took a break to ask Lloyd if he was okay. She was such a caring person; she just seemed to ooze her concern for others in her actions. She had so quickly forgiven Yuan for keeping the fact that he was an angel from them, not to mention she had always been quick to defend Kraine whenever he was brought up. He understood her feelings about Kraine though. He'd known for a while that Kraine wasn't as bad as he was trying to make himself seem.

" _I don't want to hurt you.."_

He remembered those words from when he and Kraine had fought in the Meltokio sewers clearly still, but they weren't the ones that stuck in his mind anymore. It still made no sense. Why did Kraine sound like his mother? Just as importantly, _why_ had Yuan said what he had and _why_ did it fit the situation without making sense?

The room suddenly getting stuffy again, he decided he needed a little air. Tugging on his red gloves, he stood and unsurely scanned over the room for his swords. They were where he'd left them of course, in the corner of the room next to a book case filled with books on dwarven vows. Deciding he didn't need them though, he excused himself into the lounge, passing Tabatha who was standing just outside the doorway. Not halfway to the front door, he stopped again. Something felt weird, like the air around him was prickling up with static. He'd felt it before. He whirled around just in time to see Colette, who had been in the middle of chasing him down, turn on her feet and look in the direction of the bedroom. She beat him into the room, but only just. At first all he saw was Mithos and Martuan standing turned toward each other. They weren't looking at each other though, instead both pairs of eyes were on Kraine and on Genis, who was out of his chair and leaning over Kraine again.

"Kraine!" Genis cried, sounding hopeful again. Lloyd heard a dry cough come from the professor and shifted a bit closer to get a better was finally happening.

Kraine's eyelids fluttered open and he looked at Genis with a vague expression for a few seconds before flinching up from his relaxed position to a half standing, half kneeling pose on the bed. He turned his head upward to what Lloyd knew must have been a pretty conflicted expression. His defensive stance slacked a little. "Lloyd, you're okay. Thank the Gods."

He'd somewhat expected the voice this time, but it still did nothing to lessen the surprise, nor the confusion and drooping mouths of most of the people around them.

"He-" Mithos started.

"-Sounds like a girl," Genis finished for him, his eyes wide with surprise. Martuan bobbed her head and rose from her chair while she eyeballed Kraine, waiting for him to speak again. Kraine turned his head in her direction, opening his mouth, then stopped. He blinked a couple of times and rose a hand to his mouth.

"What is the meaning of this, Kraine?" Martuan asked, her eyes narrowing. She leaned closer. "Speak."

Kraine refused to speak for some reason. His eyes went glassy, like he was zoning out and about to have a ruin maniac moment. Martuan snarled and reached her hand to Kraine. She grabbed him by the collar and raised him to meet her eye level. "I saved your life. The very least you can do for me is thank me! I always disliked your indifference to people when you were-" she cut herself off. Lloyd curiously wondered what she had been about to say.

Kraine shrunk away from the Renegade. "Thank you for saving his life, and mine too. I would like to say I am indebted to you but I think I'd be making a promise I can't keep."

There it was again. The voice from his dreams that he had been comforted by on scary nights as a child came flying out of Kraine's mouth, only this time it sent shivers up his spine. The idea that it might have finally been the time to get answers was almost paralysing.

"A-Annalicia?" Genis whispered, barely audible to anyone who wasn't standing right next to him or didn't have fine-tuned hearing. Lloyd blinked in surprise at his silver haired friend muttering the name of Gesea's sister as he stared at Kraine, the memory of his confrontation with him in the Meltokio jail coming back to the forefront of his mind.

" _He didn't kill me because he wanted to!"_

 _Kraine_ had spoken in the different voice then too.. directly after he had confronted him about being Duke Bryant and his possible involvement with the death of Gesea's sister. Lloyd rubbed his forehead as confusion set in once again. Martuan withdrew from holding Kraine by the collar and just gave him a _well?_ look.

When Kraine bobbed his head once, Lloyd was filled with a million more questions. "Wha..wait.. wait just a second," he stuttered. That wasn't possible. It couldn't be. Annalicia was Gesea's sister. There had to be some kind of mistake. Surely Annalicia wasn't _that_ uncommon of a name. He'd never heard it before though but that didn't mean it wasn't a common name in Tethe'alla. He felt Kraine's gaze on him and stared back, not sure exactly what to say _at all_ anymore.

"No way," Genis gaped, giving Kraine a once-over. "But you look like-"

"I'm quite aware of the situation Genis," Kraine replied in a voice that wasn't exactly irritated by not quite.. not, either. "It's kind of a long story. I can't talk about it in front of our present company." He trailed his eyes around the room to Mithos and then to Martuan again.

The expression on the Renegade leader darkened at Kraine's comment before she crossed her arms over her chest and raised two eyebrows. "Interesting." Without another word, she scurried past all of them and out of the room. Kraine immediately went to try to get out of bed to give chase but failed on the first step, almost falling to the floor if Lloyd hadn't caught him and supported him with his weight until he could get his balance back and shift into bed again.

"That woman.." Kraine mumbled through a few heavy breaths.

"You think she is up to something?" Mithos asked as he stood from his chair.

Kraine didn't respond to Mithos and instead looked back at Lloyd, an odd smile gracing his lips. Colette looked like she was about to tell him that it was rude to ignore Mithos when he raised a hand up in a stop signal and shook his head. The blond excused himself out of the room. From his spot, Lloyd heard the signature clicking and metallic groan of the heavy front door opening and closing once. He waited to hear it a second time, but instead his ears were met with a woof and the sound of frantic knocks on the front door.

Skidding from his spot behind Genis and to the window, Lloyd pressed his nose against the pane and squinted. The first thing he saw was Martuan disappearing off past the side of the house. Leaning as close as he could to the cold glass and turning his head to the right, he was able to look toward where the warm orange glow of the house streamed out from the front door and where multiple shadows stood in its way. His heart took a happy leap in his chest when he saw the familiar white and green coat of Noishe glowing softly under a combination of natural and unnatural light. A tall figure with electric blue hair held up in a ponytail and a wide black cape stood next to him, greeting Altessa.

"It's you," Altessa said while another figure joined him in the doorway. It was Tabatha. He strained his ears to hear the conversation even though he could have much more easily listened if he'd moved back into the living room. It kind of sucked that he didn't have anywhere near as good hearing as he'd had before his experience at the tower, but he was kind of glad as well. He was pretty sure it was still above his average before he'd been able to summon wings. He wondered whether Colette was as sensitive now.

Yuan hadn't really needed to say much. In fact, Altessa let him in without even a grumble. He spun on his heels and watched his old professor who was in fact another angel appear in the doorway, white flowers clutched in his fingers. Noishe skidded and scratched his claws across the floor to stand next to him for a second before pushing past to romp straight to the bed and to Kraine.

"N-Noishe!" Kraine laughed in the womans voice, trying to push him off so he could breathe. Lloyd took a step to go to try and pull him off but the dog quickly switched targets, this time tackling Genis to the ground and smothering him in slobbery kisses. He barked and gave him a new hairdo.

"Wow Genis," Lloyd laughed, together with Colette pulling him away from Genis so he could get up. "You really must have made good friends with Noishe!" He looked back up to the doorway. Yuan was no longer there.

"Yuan!" Colette called, running out of the room. Noishe chased after her, and Lloyd and Genis after Noishe, each narrowly avoiding stepping on the white flowers the half-elf had dropped in the doorway. They watched the heavy door slam shut again and as Tabatha put a latch on it this time.

"No way!" Lloyd exclaimed, clenching his fists and rushing to the door. "He's not running away again!" He looked at Tabatha and was about to ask her to unlock it when Noishe stood in his way and frisked up in his signature guarding-but-scared pose. "Noishe," he said sternly. "What are you doing? We need to go after Yuan before he gets too far away!"

Noishe whined and blinked, then lulled his head from side to side before sitting in place on the floor. He wasn't going to move. Lloyd shared a confused sideglance with Colette and then down at Genis, who was looking around the room. "Did anyone see where Mithos went?"

Doing a quick scan of the room, Lloyd noticed that the little blond was nowhere to be seen. "Weird. I didn't hear the door close."

"Neither did I," Genis mumbled. "What about you Colette?"

She shook her head. "No.. but.." She stuttered and turned concerned eyes straight on Lloyd. He stood attentive for a second until he saw movement from the back room. A hand rested on the side of the door frame for a second before a body shifted out of it to face them.

"Noishe," Kraine softly called through heavy breaths. "Come here."

With a small whine of complaint, Noishe complied, shifting to his feet and trampling up to Kraine. The older swordsman reached a hand down to the dog and gave him a scratch behind the ears for being obedient before hobbling up to them. Lloyd stuttered when he met eyes with him. "K-Kraine?"

Kraine smiled and stepped past him to the door to undo the latch. "Wait, Kraine!" Lloyd said more seriously this time. "Where do you think you're going?!"

Kraine turned to him. "Lloyd, be a good boy and wait here where it's safe."

"Where its safe?!" Lloyd swiped his hand through the air angrily. "From _what!?_ Being stuck here achieves nothing! Two of our friends are misssing and another one of them left without saying a word to us!"

"Plus you're still really weak," Genis added. "You can barely stand and you know it! You should be-"

"-Please Genis," Kraine cut him off softly, "don't argue with me. I don't have the energy to explain everything at this stage."

Genis shut his mouth. Kraine looked to Colette as though expecting her to say something as well. She instead just stammered his name out. With a nod as though he thought he'd said everything he needed to say in that voice of his, he made to leave the house. Lloyd could stand it no longer. He followed the seraph as he tugged open the door and slipped outside. "No, wait!"

Kraine, or whoever was inside Kraine's body, didn't listen. "I said _wait!"_ he demanded, and blinked in surprise when it worked. Kraine didn't turn to him, seeming to wait for him to say what he wanted to say. "I won't just sit around here and do nothing," he growled. "Not when Sylvarant and Tethe'alla are both hanging in the balance. I won't abandon either world and pretend to be a helpless child!"

"That's right," Colette said. "Just a short time ago, Lloyd and I were willing to give our lives for this world. But nobody has to be sacrificed. You know that, don't you?" She stepped closer to Lloyd's right while Genis brought up the other side. Standing with his friends in the wings next to him, he felt stronger than ever to finally confront the truth.

"Kraine probably knows that better than anyone," Genis said, dealing a slight blow to his concentration on what he wanted to say. Confused on what he meant, he glanced down at him and urged him for clarification. Genis continued to focus his attention on Kraine. "And so does Annalicia."

Lloyd slowly faced Kraine again. "Just who are you?" He found himself quivering suddenly. Colette clutched her hand around the crook of his arm, seeming like she understood how he was feeling even though he actually didn't really get it himself. He continued, "Genis called you Annalicia twice and-" Clenching his fists, he took a deep breath and asked the question that had been on his mind all day. "Why do you have the voice of my.. _our.._ mother?!"

The mouth of Kraine opened to answer but quickly shut again. Lloyd felt Colette's hand tighten around him. "Lloyd.. I.. I think.."

"We're surrounded," Genis finished. "I can't believe I didn't notice this before." He summoned a kendama into his hands from the realm of weapons all elves and half-elves seemed to summon from and did a quick 360 scan of the area. "Why can't I see them?"

"They're invisible?" Lloyd questioned, reaching his hands down to where his swords usually sat. His clenched fists met air instead and his heart thudded suddenly in his chest, the mental image of his swords leaning against the wall inside the bedroom in Altessa's house coming to mind. He wished he could melt throught the walls suddenly. Colette was in the same boat at him, having placed her chakrams down when she had been running back and forth to look after Kraine after Martuan had made a point of telling her to stop making such annoying sounds when she was trying to think.

Just as the red-clad swordsman considered running inside, the leaves and ferns of the trees and bushes of the Gaoracchia forest a short distance off to their right rustled. He thought it was the wind at first until the methodical sound of marching and the grinding of greaves on gravel gradually filled his ears.

"Oh great!" Genis exclaimed. "Now what!?"

"Papal Knights!" Colette answered as the three of them watched the signature sheen of white and green armour emerge from the woods. Multiple knights carrying various types of weapons and some on horses slowly marched into the area.

"It looks as though we have some unexpected problems."

Lloyd spun on his heel to where the familiar deep voice had come from just then and watched as the scenery near the window of Altessa's house started to become wavy like how roads in the distance sometimes did on a blistering hot day. The silhouette of a person started to form. All around them, other previously empty spaces did the same thing. Back to the window though, he recognised the man and his spiky black hair and red blade almost immediately.

Botta crossed his arms and tapped his elbows in thought before shifting to look at Kraine, still standing on guard as the rest of a fifty-something army of Renegades appeared fully. "If you intend to leave, you must go quickly." He looked at Lloyd and then down at Genis.

"W-wait," Genis stammered. "You're _helping_ us?"

Lloyd nodded in agreement quietly. Genis had taken the words right out of his mouth.

"There is no time for idle chit-chat," Botta replied. "Unless of course you all have a death wish." The Papal Knights were getting closer. The Renegades forming a circle around them stood in ready stances facing directly toward their assailants.

"What is the condition of this?" Kraine asked directly to Botta, his hand reaching for the pommel of his sword. Lloyd froze. The voice that came out of half-elf's mouth and the stance he had adopted as he addressed Botta could have only belonged to one person and one person alone.

"Condition?" Botta asked, furrowing his thick black eyebrows while they had a staring contest. "I'm sure you are aware by now of the one and only condition we have always had. However, it seems that our plans have been compromised and so I must allow you to escape our grasp once again." He looked down at Genis for a few seconds as though he was having a mini debate in his head. "There is a condition that I do not wish to mention however."

"There is no need to mention it," Kraine replied. "Leave it to me." He turned his gaze on Lloyd. "You still have the rheairds, correct?"

"Yeah, two of them," he replied. A brief memory of the last time he had flown with Kraine actually conscious came to mind. He hadn't been able to speak back then and hadn't known of Cruxis or the Renegades or the fact that he and Colette had been two people in one body... somehow. The hunger for answers rising, he ignored Kraine's scowling face and lifted the wing pack out from his pocket. He still wanted his swords but there wasn't time.

The Papal Knights were getting incredibly close now. He could see some with bows starting to scatter and take aim. No sooner had the rheairds burst out and grown to their regular sizes, the four of them slid on and raised them off of the ground and quickly left the Renegades and Papal Knights to their battle.

"Where are we headed?" Lloyd asked, hovering above the clouds and trying to see what was going on down below still. When a sick shiver overcame him, he knew it was time to look back up.

"We are headed for Ymir Forest, the forest that houses Heimdall, the village of the elves," Kraine replied, leaning closer to him and reaching his hands past him to the controls of the rheaird. It was only as Kraine turned their flying magitechnology around in a 180 angle that Lloyd noticed. Kraine had two exspheres on his hands. His usual one sat on his left hand but his sword hand had a shiny red one embedded into it. He turned his head to question him but quickly snapped it back at the sound of a yelp from Genis. Colette was attempting to turn their rheaird as sharply as Kraine had. Genis held the rheaird in a death grip for dear life and kept his eyes focused on the sky above rather than below.

"Let's hurry," Kraine urged from his spot on the rheaird behind him once their friends thankfully managed to not turn theirs upside down and fall out of the sky. "Before it's too late."

"Too late for what?" he asked back, obeying even though frustration started to set in again. "You still haven't answered any of my questions. What's been going on with you Kraine?"

He didn't expect a response, so he wasn't exactly disappointed when he didn't get one, moreso frustrated that the more questions he had, the less he seemed to get answers lately. He shared a few glances with Colette and Genis as they made their brief travel toward the forest. Lloyd recognised the umbrella shaped trees and ponds of water glittering through some very small gaps amongst them as he lowered his rheaird. They were in the same region as the Toize Valley mine. He'd seen it when they had been mid-crash in the E.C. He wasn't even sure why they were heading there, but if it meant getting to the bottom of the secrets the resident seraph professors in his life were hiding, he was all for it.

Something started to bother him though as they lowered to the ground. It was as though he expected to see someone else with them. Kind of like the sensation of being watched, but kind of not. Like a presence was in the air. _"A mana signature maybe?"_ he wondered to himself, shifting a little to face Genis and Colette. They were close enough to the ground now that distractions weren't deadly.

"Do you guys-"

"Feel the mana signature that was here?" Genis finished for him. It was a question but also enough of an answer. Colette nodded in agreement. Hearing Kraine's light sigh from behind him though, he started to worry a little more that it was something to be concerned about.

"Can you read it, Genis?" he asked the full-blooded elf. If anyone could, and were likely to tell him the truth, it had to be Genis. He trusted the shorty already, like they'd been friends for years. To his question though, Genis looked away and down at the fast approaching ground. It was now time to find safe land to park the rheaird. "It's okay if you don't know though," he added quickly.

Genis nodded for a few seconds before abruptly shaking his head. "No. I knew it right away." They finally landed and stepped off, most with shaky legs for the first few seconds. Genis held on to Colette as she stepped off the rheaird, beating Lloyd to the punch. He looked at the glade that loomed ahead of them. "It was Mithos' mana signature."

xxx

"Would you please stop looking at me and giving me that ridiculous smirk?"

Yuan glanced away from _her_ alluring green eyes and tried to subdue his cackle as best he could. It ended up sounding like he was choking. It was a good thing that the elves of Heimdall were on his side.. a not-so-good thing for Martuan though. The moment she'd attempted to fly across the border and land somewhere close to the Torent Forest that led to where they were both heading, she had been arrested and thrown into custody. It didn't matter if you were a seraph. If you were a half-elf, you had no place in the village. _That_ had not changed, regardless of the changes to their history. Just thinking about it made his blood boil hotter than anything else.

Martuan let out an exasperated sigh and slumped her shoulders. "Tell me again why _you_ were allowed entry to Heimdall and I wasn't?"

"Only if you tell me why you helped Kraine," he bargained, hoping her curiosity was as strong as his.

"He's an old friend," Martuan mumbled, using the same thin excuse she had tried to convince him with the first time. "I already told you that," she added, trying to make it seem less flimsy.

"Oh well," Yuan said as he shrugged and sped his pace up a little to overtake her. "I'll keep my secrets to myself then." He watched her approach while he waited at the sign just before the entrance to the Forest of Origin. Martuan didn't bite to his tease however and instead hastened to catch up. She didn't stop next to him, instead hurrying past like she knew what she was doing. He hung back to curiously watch her put her money where her feet were.

She stopped when she came to the first intersection though and turned to him. "Well then Mr Secrets, would you care explain how we can get through this infuriating forest in the quickest way possible." Her eyes rolled up to the her left while she appeared to be recalling something. It seemed like something pretty frustrating judging by how she bit her lip after a couple of seconds and scowled down at the ground in front of her. "Something this beautiful shouldn't be so frustrating."

"You had the right idea the first time, in a manner of speaking," Yuan said, feeling amused as he thought of the usual emotion and snapped out his wings with ease. Catching Martuan's gaze on him and then at his pink appendages lighting the dark forest with their light, he felt his ears starting to get rather hot. He tore away from her piercing stare while he cleared his throat and pointed upward, about to explain why it was a good idea to fly even when they couldn't really get higher than the first canopy. She interrupted him when she pulled out her own pair of wings to add to the light with their lovely combination of green and pink and let out a crafty little giggle. "Such manly wings, Mr Secrets."

"The wings don't make the man," he defended, shocked to hear _her_ teasing him.

Just when he let his guard down, she strode herself into his personal bubble and looked closely into his eyes. "Stop playing these silly games with me Yuan."

"W-w-what g-g-games?!" he cried, stumbling back in surprise. Such a simple gesture sent him gabbling like a fool to get his composure back and his heart thudding so loudly in his ears that he wondered if she could hear it. He thanked the old Gods that her blue hair served as a reminder as to who she _also_ was.

Martuan's lips curled into a cat-like grimace as she wiped her hair behind her ears. "Tell me why I'm still _me_ and you're.. well, _you_." She had such a determined look on her face that all he saw was Martel for a few seconds. His suddenly less-subdued emotions almost got the better of him but he managed to reign them in when he considered the _other_ side to her. Given the right information, she would be able to eventually calculate and discover almost anything.

She didn't look surprised to get no answer. He hated himself for doing the signature Kratos move of staying silent. He'd always hated that tactic during the war. His preference was much more skewed toward feeding his enemies false information that could only be taken at face value. There was something so annoyingly ambiguous about silent answers, but even he had to admit that there was a time and a place for it.

Straightening herself up, Martuan flapped her wings and tilted her head. "Very well. How about we give up on that and actually admit that we are connected through _her_."

Even though it was rather detrimental to everything he could think of, Yuan couldn't help but be impressed. She saw his emotion before he could hide it, naturally, and her eyes glittered excitedly at her discovery. She clapped her hands together and nodded to herself. "I _knew_ it."

"I don't understand what you find so amusing," he denied lazily, knowing he was as good as done as a possum caught in the clutches of a bear trap.

Martuan's wings fluttered faster. She was enjoying this. "There is no use in hiding it from me Mr Secrets. You already know how I knew you'd be at Altessa's and that Kraine was sick, I bet." She turned around in mid air, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "But _why_ her? What connection does she have that allows me to know you were picking a bunch of those flowers?" She stopped and trained her eyes on him again. "Why that girl? I wouldn't have even known it had I not experienced the change in the visions and the way her mana signature modified when you were nearby."

"Do I need to remind you that we are in a hurry?" Yuan questioned back, knowing it probably wouldn't stop her from pulling the information out of him. He had to remain firm. "There is no time to discuss this. Given the circumstances I would prefer you did not insist on accompanying me."

"You realise the irony in that, I take it?" Martuan asked. "Especially given that I arrived in Heimdall a full half an hour before you."

Yuan shrugged and hovered to the first layer of the tree canopy. As expected, a faint green and yellow mist wafted around the upper level. It couldn't be seen from below. It was the simplest and quickest way to find where they had to go. "Are you coming?

"You're quite infuriating sometimes," Martuan said in a voice that sounded more like she was trying to be irritated as she joined him above. When she took note of the mist, she looked mildly impressed. He realised he was accidentally grinning again and had to force himself to stop.

They started fluttering over the ground dwelling monsters and obstacles of the forest as they followed the mist together, a moment of peace coming over them. It gave Yuan time to work out whether it was time to tell her more about the current state of the world so that she might be able to assist him. Eventually coming to a conclusion, he opened his mouth to start. "It's because she is a Summon Spirit."

Martuan tilted her head slightly at that. The two of them fluttered around a corner to keep following the mist. "That explains a lot actually." She grimaced. "No wonder Mithos' little experiment on her failed." She edged him to answer her invisible question but he edged her right back to continue on her train of thought, curious more than ever at what kind of conclusion she might come to without him needing to say too much more. "Speaking of experiments," she continued eventually, "her mana signature was incredibly close to Mithos' once she was created."

Yuan bit down on his lip, knowing what was coming. He decided to save her the trouble of questioning him. "She is using that body as a shell to conceal her true nature. She is quite comfortable with it."

"You don't say," she said, eyes wide. "But what does she have to do with either of us? Just what kind of Summon Spirit is she?"

They stopped right before the entrance to the glade and glanced at one another, daring the other to threaten first. Neither did. As they floated to the ground, all semblance of their earlier conversation disappeared as they focused on what was come. Without another word, they were off, racing one another into the leafy depths of Torent toward the seal of Origin.

 _My_ seal.

I looked up from the gold and silver winged seraph that called himself Gabriel to watch the two blue haired half-elves approach. They seemed unnecessarily worried. Gabriel stomped his feet like a disobedient child throwing a tantrum because I wouldn't let him have what he wanted. In the very least, I still had the excuse of being tied to Kratos Aurion and Mithos Yggdrasil. I had to hold back my grin though- such an expression was unbecoming of Origin. It was apparent that Yuan had done his job.. and a little extra. After all, how was the man who had once killed Martel meant to know that Summon Spirits had a choice when it came to their pacts?


	55. Out of time

"You were released when the half-elf got sick and decided to trade his soul with his dead _'wife'_!" Gabriel spat at me incredulously as though me stating the obvious that I was still bound to the life of Kratos Aurion was the most ludicrous thing he had ever heard. The seraph before me, the one who lived this time because of an ironic twist of events, clenched his fists at me, paying no special attention to the half-elves standing behind him. It seemed his fury had gotten the best of him.

"I deserve a fair trial. You would not have been released had he not left this plane of existence!" the seraph-human continued to argue while I just watched and waited for something to happen. An observer of the world and friend to both mortal and spirit alike, that was the way of Origin and was the way I planned to continue to operate unless drastic action was required.

Gabriel raised his right clenched fist to the air as though fist-pumping the heavens to give me a better look at his knuckles. Not that I needed to see what he was showing though. There on his index finger and glistening under the pale light of the full moon sat the first of the requirements for one to wield my power. Gabriel was no blacksmith, unlike Kratos who despite being no dwarf had been rather good at it in his time; a talent he had most suitably somehow passed on to his own son despite his lack of appearance during the boys childhood. The workmanship on Gabriel's ring was crooked and crude. Nevertheless, I could feel the power emanating from it. It was without a doubt the Ring of the Pact.

"I am still bound by a pact to Mithos," I sternly told him again. Who wouldn't believe the words coming out of the mouth of the King of Summon Spirits? One would be a fool not to. Besides.. it wasn't a _complete_ lie. I continued. "While Kratos Aurion, just one soul within Kraine Bryant, had been inside the Cruxis Crystal after effectively soul-swapping with his wife, the seal weakened. Of that much you can be reassured."

Fury emanated from Gabriel like smoke from a doused fire. He had clearly been very sure he had calculated everything perfectly. Having the seal on the pact out of the way, he had been sure the last thing to do was to ask that I make a new pact with him. Technically he was right, but I however had no desire to make a pact with such a man. Disaster would surely come to our plans.

Martuan looked at me now, waiting for me to confirm that her plans were going to be a little more difficult than she had hoped upon the realisation of my temporary release. She spoke before me, turning two finely plucked blue eyebrows at Gabriel. "It seems I was right in not trusting you."

With such a seething bite of anger and betrayal dripping from her voice despite the feelings she had always garnered for her old gold and silver-winged companion, it was clear that this bothered her. She was not surprised, not by a long shot, but something else lingered there. Something she was uncomfortable with admitting even to herself. I was willing to bet that it had something to do with the _other_ half-elf observing the scene before me from somewhere off in the bushes. When Martel's compassionate personality shone through, it was easy to see that she was the dominant soul. Whether that had anything to do with the old Yuan, I didn't know, but I could understand why the old Yuan would sometimes forget who she was and fall into.. old patterns.

The inviting call of my spirit back to the realm grew stronger with each passing moment. I had a minute or two at best to convey what needed to be made clear until I could ignore it no longer. I decided to take the cautious approach and continue my heated conversation with Gabriel. "You are a human with no summoning abilities," I reasoned. "Who do you believe will help you?"

Of course, I knew the answer. It came as no surprise when Gabriel turned on his heel and looked over Yuan and Martuan, or in particular, when his eyes fell on Yuan with what I presumed to be hope. Yuan, the devil of a liar that he was to get his own way and ensure everything went to plan, didn't look surprised at all. Had I the time and opportunity before returning to my resting place, I would have very much liked to question the half-elf on the necessity for such a change in our plans.

"A half-elf wishes to help a human gain the power of Origin?" I questioned the undeserving human, glancing between him and Yuan. Innocence didn't suit me. Still, for our plans to work, I needed to ensure my sincerity as much as possible. Destinies were skewed as it was without more added complications. Just seeing everything that had happened in the stead of Yuan not taking the reigns as the fourth seraph and future Renegade leader when the timing was right had been equal parts amusing and infuriating.

Then again.. it was a folly of mine to expect him to allow the woman who both was and wasn't Martel to die at the hands of their trusted human companion once again. It was a win-win regardless. If Yuan were to successfully keep her alive until destinies could be skewed back to their original form... then I would finally be allowed to court Mana, my Queen, without challenge.

I had long thought that it may come down to a somewhat overdue dual between half-man and summon spirit for her affections considering her leanings and her pact with him. Without a lie, my love for Lady Mana motivated me to allow Yuan to continue his lone-ranger act. Whether you are a summon spirit, half-elf or something else entirely, when it comes to the fairer sex, all is fair in love and war.

My stance on the matter made clear to those who wished to use me for their gains, I allowed the spirit realm to claim me. Now technically 'sleeping', I watched through my window, the piece of slate in the ground that had once originally been my seal. Gabriel looked at Martuan bitterly and she glared right back. She and Yuan had both been good at that glare. It came as no surprise that the combination summoned a force of its own to be reckoned with. "Why are _you_ here?" Gabriel asked first. "Have you decided to betray Mithos, Martuan?"

"I could ask you the very same question," Martuan responded. "But I think we at least know the answer to _my_ question." She placed her hands on her hips and cocked her head slightly to the side. "Unless of course you would like to prove me wrong?"

"Who said anything about betraying Mithos?" Gabriel questioned. "He has been plagued by the curse of Origin for many years. Perhaps I seek to relieve him of his curse."

Gabriel was good. _Too_ good. He must have known Mithos was there or at least counted for it to be a likelihood, unlike the two half-elves listening to him. It was far too perfect of a response to have meant anything else. I already knew Mithos would trust him though. Yuan was right when he had once told me of the similarities between the old hero and new hero. Mithos and Lloyd shared such striking similarities. Lloyd as he was now would not give up in saving both Sylvarant and Tethe'alla and would eventually succeed, just as his destiny would lead him to. Or at least, that's what I hoped would happen again.

Martuan rolled her eyes and took them away from Gabriel to drop them (metaphorically) on Yuan. She likely was still bursting with questions on the "Summon Spirit" he had mentioned earlier and -in particular- how she connected the two of them. She and Yuan had a silent eye conversation that likely meant something along the lines of "I'll find you again and you will answer my questions properly" and "Only if you answer some of mine."

Yuan had always been the lover instead of the fighter. While deeply relentless in his goals, during the war he had been known for his swift tongue and his ability to stretch the truth beyond usually unbelievable perimeters. Those trapped under the force of his speechcraft usually quickly believed any number of tales he spun. It was also why Kratos' and Kraine's indifferent attitude bothered him so much. Even after all the years they had known one another, fought together and against each other and come out of it for better _and_ worse, Yuan was still no closer to loosening his friends lips and getting him to talk more than was absolutely necessary.

His skills had quickly afforded him multiple leading positions in the Sylvaranti army until the point where he had been in charge of a stealth mission involving leading a group straight into Tethe'allan territory. _That_ was why becoming a Renegade the first time had seemed so natural to him and _why_ it had always been a somewhat convenient part of our plan this time around, too.

Gabriel took a couple of steps toward Yuan. "It seems that you were wrong this time, half-elf. Origin will not lend me his power."

Martuan looked at Yuan curiously. "I see you are not an innocent bystander in this either. Been conspiring with the enemy have we?"

"May I ask you, Marty, what I have done to deserve such bitter treatment from her highness?" Gabriel asked, giving her a look of incredulous innocence and treading closer. He found the pommel of a dagger still in its sheath at his throat in a moments notice. She clicked it open and narrowed her eyes at him. "Care to ask that again?"

Gabriel swallowed and glanced at Yuan for help. The half-elf looked conflicted. With an inward sigh, he opened his mouth. "That is quite enough you two." He found a battle staff from Martuan poking into the specific spot on his arm she had graced with her dagger only very recently. Yuan cringed at the pain. She pushed both weapons further at both men. "Let me get one thing completely straight. Origins power is not for those who would abuse it. I _will_ be the one to use the Eternal Sword." She slacked both weapons and pirouetted in mid-air away from them, hair catching the breeze as always as she floated back down.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you," Yuan said, clutching his arms for a few moments, "but Origin is the one who will choose who he gives his power to." He looked at Gabriel. "When it is time, he will lend his power to Gabriel."

"What!?" Martuan shrieked. She clutched her battlestaff with both hands and pointed it at him like an accusing finger. "How can you _possibly_ know that?"

If I'd been mortal and involved in the conversation, I would have probably repeated her shocked question. I almost believed Yuan didn't know he was lying. He hadn't been coined the Silver Cerberus in the war for nothing though. When Yuan looked at my slab in the grass and dirt a few paces ahead of him with a pair of calculating eyes, I would have felt a cold shiver of realisation go down my spine if I'd been standing there in the flesh. He'd planned something else. It was likely to do with _why_ Gabriel and Martuan were alive. What was it though? My agitation at him and his blatant disregard for our plans worsening, all I could do was wait and watch.

"He will have no choice in the matter," Yuan said, to much my surprise as much as Martuan's. "It just isn't the right time yet." He looked back over his shoulder at Gabriel. "Leave this place at once and call your Papal Knights off of the attack at Altessa's hovel."

At hearing that, Martuan gave Gabriel an incredulous look. "W-what were you planning, Gabriel?"

"Why Marty, I do believe you went rather pale in the gills just now." Two eyebrows raised at her, Gabriel rested one hand on his right hip casually. "Let's see. Why _oh why_ might that be?"

He was met with blunt refusal on Martuan's part to justify his attitude with any kind of answer. How could she? Even if she were sure he had somehow figured out that she was the mastermind behind the Renegades, she would hardly take the risk in confirming it. Avoiding unwanted questions being as natural as breathing, she whirled around to the exit and made to hotfoot it out of the glade. About halfway though, she stopped in her tracks.

The sound of clapping filled the serenity of Torent amongst the chirp of insects. "Well done!" cackled the sarcastic child voice that could have only belonged to one person. The shadows among the bushes moved and leaves rustled while the short figure of my pact maker, breaker and maker a second time (to my displeasure) revealed his hiding spot and stepped out into the open to face the group.

Naturally Martuan looked stunned. Mithos was adept at hiding his mana signature. His skill really shone like a star in the night sky when he successfully concealed it from the lady Renegade, who's origins afforded her extreme sensitivity to mana signatures. As a brief awkward silence ensued between the seraphs, I was left to wonder why the boy had willingly left hints on his whereabouts for Genis to find. It wasn't really a surprise that he had, though.

"I didn't know we were having a party," Mithos joked. "All we need is Kraine and Noishe and the gang will all be here together!"

"Mithos," Martuan mouthed, "it's not what you-"

"Not what I think?" Mithos finished. "So it's not that my sister planned to betray me and use the Eternal Sword? Not at all?" He didn't wait for an answer, glaring at Gabriel instead now. "You were like a big brother to me. Have you really planned to betray me also?" Again, not waiting, he looked at Yuan. Instead of words however for the Cerberus, the familiar magic of time emanated from him as he briefly outstretched an open palm to the sky. The soft hue of blues and greens that filled the area in the night turned cold greys, blacks and whites, along with anyone in the vicinity. Anyone in the vicinity that could be affected by time magic, that was.

Naturally Yuan sprung into action the moment Mithos 'noticed' that he had not been affected. As fast as lightning hitting a steel rod in the sky, he dashed to the short blond boy, the dagger that had been by his side for eight thousand years scraping against its sheath on its way out. The weapon quickly met a blade of roughly the same size. Blue half-elf eyes met green as they kept up their strengths against one another, neither wavering.

"Why does time magic not affect you?" Mithos questioned first. I would have hardly picked that as an opener, considering Yuan's skill at turning a conversation on its head. During my time watching him play the Game of Questions with many folk including travellers that didn't know better, Mithos and Lloyd, I'd discovered the easiest way to get one up in the game was to catch the drift of the conversation early and continue to steer toward it relentlessly.

"Why do you sound as though you knew this before?" Yuan interrogated back. It looked like it might be an early knockout if Mithos didn't gain some ground.

"Are you acting as though you didn't know where I was?" the blond retorted, a laugh teetering in his voice. He was testing the water. He had nothing.

"How did you know I would be here?" Yuan questioned back, changing the subject seamlessly. He'd just been waiting for the right opportunity.

Mithos frowned and thought for a few seconds. A dangerous exercise because it gave the silver tongued half-elf time to calculate his next move. "It didn't cross your mind that I would think to check on Origins seal as well?"

"Did you follow us?" the bluenette inquired, seeming to have his questions all lined up in a neat little row if Mithos didn't cotton on to his game.

"Are you asking if I heard your conversation with my sister?"

Mithos had to have had him there at least a little bit.

"If you heard everything, why did you not show yourself sooner?"

Yuan was cornered. He was just buying time.

Mithos responded quickly this time. "Why would I want to risk limiting the amount of information I could acquire?" He wanted to ask a second question. It was likely on the tip of his tongue but he was waiting to use it like a good letter in scrabble.

"What exactly did you hear?" Yuan asked. Mithos was about to pay the price for asking a closed question previously if he didn't have a relevant question that wasn't an answer. I could practically see the sweat pouring off of the blond's forehead, meanwhile Yuan had gained some of his composure and started looking more collected than ever before. The two of them jumped back from their battle of strengths for a second before each running in and clashing again. Yuan needed to speed up his game if he were to win before Mithos got the better of him though. Without his regular weapon, he was no match for the prodigy Mithos was in short blade-to-blade combat. Their weapons clashed together and apart. Yuan knew better than to try some of his faster melee moves to catch Mithos off guard as well considering his injury from Martuan still had him aching.

"Who is the girl?" Mithos prodded.

Yuan could not tell him who she was, nor could he ask anything direct because it would risk the conversation turning into a loop. He faltered for just a second and in that time Mithos took the opportunity to knock his weapon from his hand and send it flying toward the entry to my glade and right at the red boots of Lloyd.

The dual swordsman (missing his swords currently) stood staring at the scene before him as Mithos rested the tip of his blade on Yuan's neck. "M-Mithos?" His eyes trailed up from Mithos and across the shining blade of his short sword to Yuan. Both half-elves ogled him with surprise before sharing a quick glance back and forth at each other.

Lloyd briefly surveyed around the area, taking in the silhouettes of Martuan and Gabriel, lit up by their still moving wings of coloured mana. Martuan had her mouth slightly open as though she had been about to say something when time had frozen. "I thought only Yuan wasn't affected by my time magic." He frowned. "Okay, can someone tell me _what is going on?"_

Neither Mithos nor Yuan said a word, but I could feel the time magic loosening and the world that had been left behind catching up. The natural blue and green hue of the forest returned, as did the chirping crickets. After having counted all the stars long ago, I had turned to counting the number of times they chirped until they went to sleep.

Martuan and Gabriel each regarded their new company cautiously while frantic footsteps not too far off in the distance sounded. Genis, Colette and Kraine came running into the glade behind Lloyd, each set of eyes scanning their surroundings on entry.

"I recognise that man," Colette murmured to Lloyd and Genis, squinting at Gabriel. The human, desperate to keep his identity hidden, turned his face away from them. "He must be Gabriel." She looked at Mithos and Yuan and voiced the question they had all been wondering. "Why is Mithos fighting with Yuan?"

Genis stumbled out in front of Lloyd from the background, his arms waving frantically to get Mithos' attention. "Wait Mithos! Stop this!" He looked at Yuan. "Whatever Yuan's done, I'm sure he meant well."

"That is an opinion we somewhat share, Genis," Mithos responded, his sword arm still refusing to waver though. "But I think it is high time we all got a few answers."

Sometimes I really wished I didn't see things coming right before they aligned in the future. It would have been far more amusing to see Yuan's reaction in the flesh at the next words from Lloyd's mouth rather than in my mind's eye.

"I agree with you Mithos. If you don't know what's going on with him, then we _really_ need to know." He didn't seem phased about the words that had tumbled out of his mouth until a few seconds later when he put a hand over his Angelus Project and quickly jolted it back from the heat he felt emanating from it all of a sudden. He scowled at himself and scratched his head. "I-I mean-"

"What do you mean by that?" Mithos asked, turning fully to Lloyd now in curiosity and cutting him off.

With everyone's eyes now on him, Lloyd turned into a confused mess. "I don't know. It sort of just came out." He tried to laugh it off, but five old seraphs, a worried Genis and an uncertain Colette made for a tough crowd. Still, Colette uttered a short uncomfortable giggle and smiled at him in attempt to make him feel better. Mithos continued to stare Lloyd down for a few seconds more before shifting his eyes upward to gaze at the boys estranged father standing behind him.

Kraine looked to be carefully calculating the situation that might have been happening before they had arrived. Mithos probably had a myriad of questions about what he had been doing all this time but it wasn't yet safe for him to assume that Lloyd and his group had somehow found out who he was. Instead, he and his mentor shared a look. Genis had however pre-emptively shrunk closer to Lloyd and Colette, probably knowing that the blame for any information leaks would shift to him.

In the time Mithos was distracted, Yuan quickly backed away from the sword at his throat and retrieved his weapon. Curiously, he decided to drop it into its sheath and summon his butterfly blade from the next dimension. Mithos barely paid him any heed, instead too curious about Kraine's appearance. "Do you still speak like a woman?" he came out with finally and rather rudely.

"Mithos!" Martuan scolded almost immediately. Things might have changed between them since Mithos had developed a sister complex with her after gaining my power, but some things were still the same. She quickly looked like she regretted opening her mouth when Mithos spun around to glare at her. "What are you still doing here? Get out of my sight until I know what to say to you." The hurt in his voice was real. The sting of being told off by Mithos was all the more real to Martuan. She gazed at him blankly while he turned his attention to Gabriel standing not a couple of paces behind her. "This conversation isn't over."

"No it isn't!" Lloyd spoke up again. "Why are you speaking like that?"

Slightly flinching and probably realising he had run his mouth a little too much to be able to get away with, Mithos glanced back at the boy who would follow in his footsteps to save the worlds soon enough. "Ah that's right. Oh well. I was getting tired of the charade anyway."

Lloyd and Colette's eyes widened at the voice Mithos had addressed them in this time. It was no longer his normal child voice, but the voice of Yggdrasil. His aura glowing, Mithos changed into his adult form and summoned his large wings to complete the picture.

"Mithos.. You're.." Lloyd stuttered.

"He's Yggdrasil!" Colette cried, her voice quivering.

"Apparently," Mithos replied, one side of his lip grinning while his eyes bore into them. "Now listen to me Lloyd." Time froze around him again. Lloyd looked from left to right at his monotone friends. "You can stop time as well?" He blinked. "So that wasn't me?"

"Not this time Lloyd, no," Mithos replied. His aura started to glow. Lloyd didn't stand a chance, still stunned from the revelation and confused about everything. Mithos knocked him to the ground unconscious. He took a step forward toward Lloyd but stopped when he felt a blade against his back.

"Leave the boy alone Mithos," Yuan warned, being the one holding the blade in question.

"Or you'll do what?"

Yuan's hand sizzled with electric magic while he tried to contain his rage. "You know very well what our deal was." He looked at Genis. "As long as no harm comes to the boy or Presea, you can take the Angelus Project. Lloyd however is strictly off-limits."

"What makes Lloyd so special?" Mithos asked. Before Yuan could think of a way to respond with a question, Mithos continued. "Wait. Don't tell me." He grinned. "It's because it is far more evolved than the one Genis has?" He shot a bolt of energy out of his palm and knocked Yuan off of his feet by the sheer force. "Lloyd's mana signature is changing Yuan. Anyone that's any good of a half-elf can see that just by looking at him." His eyes narrowed. "I intend to find out why it is changing to resemble _mine."_ Another two balls of mana flew from him at Yuan, just to make sure he was going to stay down, before he turned to Lloyd, Kraine, Colette and Genis. He did a few quick hand signals for a teleportation circle. Yuan watched, unable to do anything, as Mithos disappeared in a ball of light, followed by Lloyd, Genis and Kraine. "Damn it Yggdrasil! How did you figure that out!"

It appeared Colette was not coming along for the ride however. The time magic Mithos had used faded as soon as he left the area, leaving Colette turning around in a circle of confusion. "Lloyd? Genis? Kraine?" She whirled around to look at the remaining three seraphs in the vicinity. Martuan took one glance at her counterpart on the ground and uttered a very un-ladylike word before rushing off to probably change the operations of the Renegades now that it was possible her identity may have been discovered. Gabriel also cursed under his breath and went to follow her out.

"Gabriel, wait," Yuan groaned. Gabriel stopped mid step and looked between him and the exit, trying to decide what his priorities were. Even though it was clear that he wanted to chase the woman down, he decided to feign curiosity for whatever it was that Yuan had to say. I had to admit, I was pretty curious as well.

Yuan helped himself up with some effort and waved Gabriel to follow him.. straight up to my resting place. "The situation has changed Origin," he murmured. "I'm afraid Mithos has forced my hand a little sooner than I had planned."

Reaching into his cloak, he fumbled around for a second. As expected, he brought out a diamond and raised it to the sky. "Origin, come forth!"


	56. Chosen's Angels

The problem with destiny is that it is difficult to cheat. Despite saving her life back mere centuries after this had all started, Yuan had protected Martuan more than once from harm over the past four thousand years.

Met with many tragedies that had threatened to claim her life, it was a wonder that my co-conspirator had managed to deflect each and every one. Some were accidents as natural as sinkholes in the snow and some as unnatural as her food being spiked with poison. Luckily, having lived through it once already, Yuan had been on top of that one.

There had also been a time when the Lady Renegade had gone to tend to her garden at the Flanoir Base. Having forgotten her garden gloves, she had gone back to her room to fetch them. During that short window of opportunity, Yuan distracted the guards at the front of the base and successfully raced againt the clock to check the garden for dangerous spiders and creatures before her return. To my surprise, his hunch had been correct and he had discovered a mana-eating spider had been crawling around. Had Martuan been bitten by it, she would have been rendered no more than a human without magic and would have likely grown sick and perished as a result. Working as the Cerberus meant he had ties with the Renegades and Mizuho, but the two groups were hardly on home visiting terms and so he hadn't really made his life any easier in terms of wanting to protect her.

What those that aren't immortal like a summon spirit or a seraph don't realise is that emotions, when they are felt strongly enough, are amplified and can rarely be forgotten. Yuan, even after everything he had gone through and after finally allowing Martels body to rest in peace, still never forgot the woman he had loved with every fibre of his being. To others not in his shoes it might have seemed a tad on the obsessive side, but forty centuries of fighting to put things right for her sake and forty more to keep her alive could not easily be forgotten.

Coming to that train of thought after mulling over Yuan's surprising request, I realised his true goal was far more devious than even I had ever thought him capable. The question remained though- was this in the best interest of the world? Could I really lose my link with Yuan and trust that his goals would ensure a peaceful future? I could already see the haze of a future forming, but it was still unclear. Lady Mana trusted him and I wanted to believe in him as well. Even if I didn't, I was duty bound by pact to do as he asked. The Cerberus had struck again, exploiting a loophole within a loophole it seemed. One question remained though; one that I wasn't entirely sure Yuan had the answer to yet or if he had actually indeed calculated the problem into his equations. An interesting turn of events in the midst regardless of the lingering issue, I made my decision.

Gabriel seemed quite the surprised one when I turned my gaze to him and requested that he state his full name and the pact that he wished to make as the condition of the transferal of my power to him. He cleared his throat and sideglanced at Yuan and then back to me not once but twice before finally speaking. "My name is Gabriel Angelus. I ask that you transfer your power to me under the oath that I will guide the world toward peace and a new era of resources, prosperity and equality."

I paused for a few seconds as I liked to do whenever I had a pact made with me. In that time, I noticed that Colette was observing as everything unfolded. Being the polite girl that she was, she was willing to wait for answers, unlike Lloyd or Mithos. I didn't have to worry about any interference from her.

"Very well," I said dryly to Gabriel, still trying to comprehend why Yuan was doing this. Even as I took the right of the pact away from Yuan's mana signature and attached it to the non-existant energy of the human, I could feel the balance shifting. Mithos was not going to be happy.

xxx

Sheelos found herself concentrating hard on a fried tofu hamburger Novariel had bought her from the twenty-four hour inn' in Palmacosta. The slime of a man had brought her to Sylvarant and introduced her to the city, not knowing that she was already quite familiar with the place. The top problem on her list was now how she could get back to Tethe'alla, but the competing problem for first place was that she wasn't sure if she _wanted_ to return.

Going to take a bite but finding hair in her eyes, she dropped the whole thing back onto its plate and groaned in frustration. A young man around her age watched her from a different table, smirking at her frustrations. Before she could give him a mouthful to mind his own business and that being cute didn't give him enough of an excuse to enjoy other peoples misfortunes, Novariel came into the room, carrying two mugs of tea to see her glaring at the now disembodied burger strewn over her plate. "Something the matter my dear?"

She raised two eyebrows at him. "Nothing at all darling. I'm thoroughly enjoying eating at a strange restaurant with a man who kidnaps children, especially while my hair is falling into my eyes and I'm not in Tethe'alla anymore."

"Shh!" Novariel waved his hands around to get her to hush.

She rolled her eyes. "I know, I know. Sorry." She debated her next words carefully. The way she saw it, she had three choices. One- she could watch and wait to see what Novariel was up to since he had planned to take her to Sylvarant, or two- go and get the rest of the summon spirits. She had the perfect chance to work with her friends again and perhaps have ammunition for getting them to forgive her. Option C also looked good. She could help her friends while waiting for Cruxis to find her again. She welcomed the opportunity to chew them out for being misinformed. There seemed to be something else going on. Someone was messing with Cruxis' information.

 _"Could it be.."_ Sheelos shook her head before she could get too far into that train of thought. She had nothing to prove _his_ involvement and he had promised her he was not a member of Cruxis. He was hardly innocent though. Then again, it wasn't as though she could be angry at him for not being transparent considering her own motives.

She noticed Novariel watching her like a hawk and cringed inwardly. It was time to rip off the bandaid. Yawning, she stood and pointed to the dorm rooms. "Which ones mine?"

Novariel stood as well and held a hand out to her. "My lady, I shall lead the way."

"My, such a gentleman," she joked as she took his hand and allowed him to escort her up a set of stairs. The closer they got to reaching the top, the more she started to feel uncomfortable. All of her trained Igaguri senses were tingling and telling her that something was wrong. She slipped out of his hand as they reached the second flight rooms. He didn't seem too phased though and continued to lead her to a room at the far end of the corridor. The knob turned and he pushed the door open to let her in.

When she saw what abruptly met her, she whirled around to leave. Of course, Novariel was far too quick for that. He'd already shut the door behind himself and made to block her exit. The salesman smile he always wore changed to show something else. Something she'd seen in the women that ogled Yuan at Meltokio whenever he made his appearance as 'The Chosen'.

"What's going on?" she demanded to know, backstepping as he tried to advance on her.

"Don't play the fool my dear," he said, speaking in soft, creepy tones and stepping slowly toward her. Seeing an opening for the door as he moved closer, she darted to his side to make a run for it. No such luck. Something sharp stabbed into her arm on the way past and she quickly felt her legs going to a gel-like consistency. He caught her before she fell and shifted her to the queen sized bed that took up the majority of the room. Rose petals itched at her face from all sides as she glared up at the man. He stood back and scanned her over, the desire in his eyes abundantly clear.

Annoyed with herself for ignoring all the signs, Sheelos fumbled with her arms slowly behind her to take out the hidden dagger under her obi. Her fingertips were buzzing with what felt like static electricity and pins and needles, making it very near impossible to feel when she had hold of what she was looking for. All she could do was shift around until she could feel it pressing against her back or forearm.

"Don't look so afraid," Novariel said coyly, advancing to sit on the bed beside her. "This is the will of the Goddess bringing us together."

"The will of the Goddess, huh." She rolled her eyes. "Sorry, but I already have a Salvatorian."

As of only an hour or so ago, anyway. Before then, the people of Mizuho had always kept her Salvatorian a secret from her despite her wishes to meet him so that they may be able to be friends before fulfilling the requirements of the W.S.P. The people of Mizuho disliked the system and preferred to believe in the Old Gods and the summon spirits rather than Martel. They were not exempt from the Worldwide Survival Project, but they preferred to maintain ignorance to it until it was absolutely necessary.

"That makes no difference," Novariel said, to much her surprise. "It is the will of the Goddess for us to keep our population going. Who am I to believe that she meant each person to only have one child? No, the world needs more youth." He pushed some hair out of her eyes and leaned a little closer. "Our children will grow up to do wonderful things."

Just as the scum went to lean fully in to complete his 'closing argument', she found the pommel of her dagger poking into a part of her arm that hadn't gone numb. Being now or never, she made a judgement call and gripped her hand around something she could only mildly feel. Pulling it, she rolled herself away from him and delivered a timely blow to his left shoulder before falling onto her backside to the floor. Despite the painful ache in her limbs, she couldn't help the satisfaction she got at giving him at least a little of what he deserved and that she had wiped the smile off of his face.

She set about finding her seals next and fumbled around her top until one came flying out. Swatting a hand out to catch it, she managed to wind the man again as he tried to approach her with bloodied hands from nursing his wound. Pulling the seal from her winding hand, all it took was a swift Pyre Seal to his stomach to knock him back from her and into a wooden dressing table a short way off from the bed. He glared furiously at her. Her legs still numb, it was all she could do to make some distance from him. "Besides," she muttered, watching her assailant starting to fall unconscious, "you're _way_ too old for me."

"You-" He never completed the thought. His head fell back and he slumped even further.

While Sheelos waited for the feeling to return to her legs, she debated how to leave the room. Her first thought being to climb out of the window. She could make short work of the building by using the bedsheets if she really wanted to play it safe, otherwise just use the window ledges and gutter pipes as stepping stones. After some more thought, she decided it was just easier to leave the same way she had come in. With some luck, the inn owners hadn't heard the ruccus or assumed things of a more consentual nature were happening. Novariel had quite obviously paid and organised the room, so it should have been as easy as waving goodbye with a smile on her face. If that was even necessary.

Eventually the effects of the injection dulled and she found herself finally able to stand with a little bit of effort. Before she left the room, she knelt in front of Novariel's crumpled body and placed a finger on his throat. Finding the throb of his heartbeat prominent still, she reassured herself that she hadn't ended his life. As much as she would have liked to, she would have needed to hide the body afterward, had she taken it too far. It wasn't exactly a desired practice, even amongst her clan of ninja's, to be seen with the victim before the kill. Besides.. murder wasn't exactly part of her track record. She hadn't been able to kill Colette and Lloyd even when her world depended on it, so killing Novariel for a far lesser reason would have seemed contradictory to her values.

Letting herself out into the second story corridor and pulling the door shut behind herself as softly as she could for no reason in particular, she practised her smile and her walk (so that she wasn't limping) on the way down the flight of stairs to the ground floor. She cursed under her breath. Sylvarant was _so_ primitive. Had she been in Tethe'alla, an elevator would have been installed within a month of open of business. Still, even with all its warts, Sylvarant felt somehow more like home than Tethe'alla ever had. There were so many new things to explore in the declining world. The thought of going into hiding and making a life for herself in it had crossed her mind, but she knew better than to convince herself that she could hide forever. Between the Renegades and Cruxis, they had eyes everywhere over the two worlds. Not to mention that Yuan always managed to home in on her location like the heat-seeking device he had once called Corrine.

The innkeeper barely glanced up from his magazine when she plodded past the front desk and left to face the business district of Palmacosta. Shops having closed hours ago now, the atmosphere felt freakishly different. Not that she was complaining- it made it much easier to slip away without leaving clues for Novariel to find her if he tried- but she did find it a little unnerving, especially when the city militia on duty gave her an odd look on her way out the western exit.

At least she knew where she needed to head. She'd been there before when Yuan had enlisted her help to get into the seals prior to the Chosen, after all. He'd said it was to make the Chosen easier to kill and she had believed him at the time. Looking back on it, she'd been rather naïve. He'd taught Colloyd for years at Iselia under the guise of inside research for the Renegades. She'd figured out a long time ago that while the Cerberus had been honest in not wanting Colloyd to fight, his reasoning behind it was far more complicated. She needed to head for the Triet ruins first. By getting Efreet, they would be another step closer to breaking the mana links, stopping the worlds vying for mana, and destroying the Tower of Salvation with the mana cannon.

As she made her way to the forest to the northeast of Palmacosta that housed the now-empty ranch, she sunk into her memories of the night Pronyma had first approached her. Yuan, after having told her that he knew about her complicated feelings for him, had left her in her own thoughts. She hadn't intended to stay in the clearing on her own for too long and had only thought about the Cerberus' confidence in her to make the right decisions for a brief point until she realised she was not alone.

* * *

_Sheelos looked around herself when she felt someones eyes on her. She very much doubted it was Yuan still and so quickly ensured her weapons were easily accessable. She quickly grabbed for them when Pronyma, one of Cruxis' Grand Cardinals, presented herself to her._

" _Just how long were **you** listening?" she asked even though the womans sorry looking eyes on her told her all she needed to know. Feeling her cheeks heat at knowing that someone else had overheard such a private conversation, she decided to just skip over the introductions. "Let me guess- Cruxis wants my help to achieve their goals?"_

" _In a manner of speaking," Pronyma replied cryptically, skimming across the ground with the floating contraption she always wore around her. "You have the potential to be one of Cruxis, Chosen. You're not like other humans who don't understand what it is like to be a half-elf."_

" _I'm more like that than you realise," she contradicted._

_Pronyma let her comment slide and approached uncomfortably close to her to reach a hand out to her shoulder. Sheelos' curiosity for whatever Pronyma was getting at was now the only thing that kept her resisting the urge to flip the Grand Cardinal over her shoulder. "What if I were to tell you that there was a way in which you would finally get the peace that you seek?"_

" _Does it involve torturing others to get what you want?" she questioned bluntly. "Like how you do with the Chosens of Sylvarant and Tethe'alla?"_

_Pronyma looked surprisingly horrified and shook her head while withdrawing her hand slowly as though she were backing away from a snarling dog. She clutched her hand to her chest. "Lord Yggdrasil saw no other way. Recent.. events.. have enabled us to change our plans slightly, however."_

_Deciding it couldn't hurt to hear her out more since she didn't seem to be hostile at the moment, Sheelos crossed her arms and tapped her foot. "I'm listening."_

_Like she thought she had already convinced her, Pronyma smiled and turned her back from her. "We require information on the Renegades and the progress of the Chosen's group. You will turn over this information periodically through me and I will deliver it to Cruxis."_

" _And what's in it for me?" she asked._

" _You will no longer be required to be the Chosen."_

_She rolled her eyes at that. "Well, I could get that outcome for helping my friends. Try again."_

_Pronyma looked like she expected that from her- not phased at all. "You will no longer **be** the Chosen. You will cease to exist as you are now."_

* * *

Pronyma had gone on to explain that they had discovered that the Angelus Project might be the key to everything. But it would take time. Still unsure, Sheelos had asked whether her acceptance in the task made her a member of Cruxis. Pronyma had promptly responded to the contrary. Satisfied, she had agreed to continue as she had done before and watch over the group as they went about their tasks. Pronyma left her in her (almost) ashamed thoughts but they hadn't lingered for too long before a certain blue-haired lady Renegade had made her appearance out from the bushes.

* * *

" _Sounds like you drive quite the bargain," Martuan said pointedly, stopping her approach when she stood only a short distance away under a spot of moonlight. It caught on her blue hair and made it shine like something more otherworldly, the same way Yuan's did._

_Remembering how she had always thought his hair was his most attractive feature, Sheelos started to feel a smile tugging at her lips. She let it happen but disguised it under what she hoped looked like a knowing grin. "I should have known it would only be a matter of time before you came here."_

" _You think I came here for my own bargaining reasons?" the Renegade asked innocently._

" _Aren't you?" she questioned back, raising an eyebrow. "Or have you come to have some girl talk?"_

" _What do you think I came here to ba-" Martuan stopped before she finished and rolled her eyes at herself. "Let's stop this before it becomes one of those games **he** likes to play."_

_Chuckling herself this time, Sheelos nodded and waited for Martuan to continue on. She did eventually after looking deep in thought. "I initially came to ask you what you knew about our mutual friend, but I have a feeling that may be a lost cause considering the feelings I did not realise that you harboured for him."_

" _Tha-that has nothing to do with whether I would tell you," she defended, flustered once again that someone else had probably heard her private conversation with Yuan. "He's the Cerberus.. a-and my friend."_

_Martuan gave her a look that may as well have been a pat on the head while she said 'there there'. "Regardless of which," she added finally to the conversation, "I am happy to see that there are still some humans that feel what we feel. I suspect your heritage plays a role in your particular feelings though."_

_Sheelos looked over the Renegade again, pausing on her ears in particular. "Are you a half-elf too?"_

" _Yes," she confirmed, "and as you know, I am also the leader of the Renegades and a member of Cruxis' Four Seraphim."_

" _ **And Mithos' sister,"** Sheelos thought to herself after that. **"Who doesn't want to play nice with her brother and formed a resistance to save herself which just so happened to also be in the benefit of the world too."** _

" _A traitor, in other words," she said outwardly._

_Martuan shrugged the branding off of herself. "I can offer you peace from your destiny," she replied. "But my way will not sacrifice lives and you will not find yourself opposing your friends."_

* * *

Martuan's countenance had always been much different to the rest of the Cruxis Seraphim, and despite everything she had done back then- particularly recently when it came to the Fooji Mountains, the rheairds, and her strange involvement with Yuan- Sheelos had felt oddly comfortable around her. It was strange. Martuan very clearly reminded her of Yuan. Sometimes eerily so. Perhaps that was why she had chosen her side. Or perhaps she hadn't yet forgotten the one thing she had intended from the start of her life- to always side with the strongest. Martuan was a member of Cruxis and a member of the Renegades. It seemed like a pretty clear choice.

Not only that, but _her_ deal had sounded the most appealing of all. When everything was said and done, Martuan would allow her to use the Angelus Project on herself. They'd seen the way it worked before on Genis, so there was no real question. She could use it to split her souls and no longer _be_ the Chosen. She would no longer be the one that everyone needed and was willing to sacrifice. After agreeing to help her as not a citizen of Mizuho but as the Chosen of Tethe'alla, Martuan had told her of the plans regarding the Mana Cannon, the Angelus Project and the final seal on the world.. otherwise affectionately called 'The Great Seed' by Cruxis.

Wondering just how she had gone from trying to kill the Chosen of Sylvarant to now wanting to practically play with fire like she was, Sheelos found herself at the foot of the abandoned and burned out Palmacosta Desian base.

...At least, she'd assumed it were abandoned. As though her earlier thoughts on things had summoned her, Martuan stood at the entrance to the base with her back to her and her first in command, Botta, standing beside her. Sheelos quickly hid behind a nearby rock to scout out the situation.

"Are you certain this is how you wish to do things?" Botta queried Martuan. "If we had not been interrupted by the Papal Knights, we would have been able to get the Angelus Project easily enough."

"Even if we could still go with our first plan, it would take time that we sorely lack," Martuan replied. "Especially now that Mithos has grown a little wiser."

The two Renegades fell into silence for a few moments until Botta spoke up first. "You're thinking that he was right again, aren't you?"

Martuan's response to that was far from definite.

Botta went on. "Though he did not say it directly, he did imply that using the Angelus Project was a bad idea. Perhaps it is time to trust him." The well-built commander crossed his arms and grinned a little. "He _does_ remind me of you, Lady Martuan."

Martuan turned to face her officer. Sheelos covered her mouth. If Botta was talking about who it seemed he was, things likely did not bode well for him.

"I-I simply meant," Botta quickly stuttered, "that you are both unrelenting and stubborn to the very core."

"Is that really how you see me?" Martuan asked, summoning her quarterstaff behind her and grinning at her companion. Sheelos withheld her snickers as much as she could. Botta backed away from Martuan, looking surprised. When he decided to hold his ground eventually, the lady stopped and poked her staff into the ground behind her, an impressed smile on her face. "Very well. Shall we ask an impartial party?" She cocked her head backward to scan the woods to the west of the base. "Colette, come and join us now if you please."


	57. Prisoners dilemma

"Mm.. D- _dad!"_ Lloyd groaned when he felt a hand shaking him from his slumber. "Just give me five more minutes. The dream I was having was-" He stopped complaining and flung his eyelids open when he realised he had no bedsheets to pull over his head. Bright light and a somewhat familiar shadow greeted him. He shielded his eyes until they adjusted. He first noticed Kraine looking at him from a spot on the floor next to him. The half-elf/seraph/professor had his arms crossed and an actual _expression_ for once. Lloyd blinked to ask something but in that second, the traitors face had returned to its blank state. Well.. almost anyway. He had the expression he usually had worn whenever Lloyd had forgotten something in class. Knowing a lecture was coming, Lloyd steeled himself for it.

"Honestly Lloyd," Kraine started, "how could you think you were peacefully sleeping at a time like this?"

"A time like this?" Lloyd took the time to properly examine his surroundings now. Stark white and silver-blue tiles surrounded him, as did long sturdy looking bars that reached from the roof to the floor. "Where are we?" he asked his former teacher as he tilted his head and tried to remember himself.

"We are in Derris Kharlan," Kraine explained right as the last thing Lloyd could remember hit him like a ton of bricks. He cringed at the memory. The blinding light and the sharp pain coursing through his body brought back some rather painful memories from the Tower of Salvation.

"Derris what?" he asked, only half paying attention. He remembered a little more now. How they had flown through a forest that was full of strange tree stumps and water monsters to end up in Heimdall- the elf village, and how Genis had been called a half-elf and initially banned along with Kraine from the village. Only when they were met by the elder and Kraine had randomly seemed to drop Yuan's name did they get to leave and head toward Torent forest. From what Kraine had been muttering as they followed him through, it was apparently a maze that was rather easy to get lost in. Colette had stayed close to him, probably out of fear that she might lose them.

Thinking about his friends, he realised he'd started zoning out from what Kraine was currently explaining to him about their present location. The last thing he heard was something about Mithos.

" _Mithos!"_

Hearing that name, he remembered the rest of the situation. He, Colette, Genis and Kraine had been heading toward an area of the forest when suddenly time had stopped again. He remembered seeing Yuan and Mithos in a battle even though everything else, including Martuan and the man Colette had assumed must be Gabriel, was frozen in time.

" _Mithos is really Yggdrasil!"_

He clenched his fist and thought about Gesea again. She had gotten on so well with him as well, having found another friend her own age that was a half-elf. Soon after thinking about his still-missing best friend, his mind trailed to Genis. His new elven comrade had only been acquainted with Mithos for a short time but had also developed a fast relationship with him. He'd just supposed it was an elf thing until he had seen for himself how the elves in Heimdall seemed to look down and frown upon half-elves. That part still didn't quite make sense.

"You didn't hear a word of what I explained, did you?" Kraine said with a sigh, catching his attention once again and dissolving the thought that he was still forgetting something Mithos might have said to him.

Lloyd guiltily scratched his head for a second before shaking it. "Kraine! Where is everyone?" He jumped to his feet and headed for the bars. He abruptly stopped dead just as he was about to try and touch them and possibly crane his head out to see if he could see anyone else in the vicinity. The buzz of electricity filled his ears and reminded him of the Temple of Volt. Whoever had thrown him and Kraine into the cell _really_ did not want them to get out.

"I'm glad your common sense seems to still be working," Kraine said from behind him. He whirled around and faced the now standing man. Kraine continued. "We are in Derris Kharlan, the base of Cruxis. That much I know. How we ended up waking up here.. well.." He glanced off to the side. "Actually, perhaps I should re-phrase. How _you_ ended up waking here was pretty simple."

Lloyd wondered what that meant and hoped he would continue rather than decide to be his usual self and only give vital information. Kraine seemed to be in the mood for sharing though. "You were not affected by Mithos' time magic and so you fought with him when the rest of us were frozen, so to speak." Kraine looked incredibly curious after finishing his explanation. Lloyd knew he was asking him to elaborate this time. He decided to give the seraph a taste of his own medicine and stay quiet for the moment though.

"You were knocked unconscious by Mithos. You didn't stand a chance. When we arrived in Derris Kharlan.." Kraine trailed off, seeming to physically feel pain at explaining something for once. "I.. saw what he had done to you and-" He stopped meeting his eyes. Lloyd watched the man's fists clenching while he glanced off to the wall to his right and started glaring at it. "I attacked Mithos. I misjudged however and allowed myself to be temporarily distracted."

"So he finished you as well huh," Lloyd ended for him. "That doesn't sound like you at all."

"Hmph," Kraine scowled in response. "You're right. I must have temporarily allowed my emotions to get the best of me."

Though Lloyd would have liked to have taken another dig at him for that, he saw that the seraph was quite obviously distressed by it all. It only raised more questions again, particularly considering the situation that had likely caused Kraine to be distressed seemed to relate to him having been hurt. "Kraine," he started, trying to remain calm. "Just what happened back then?" He didn't have to elaborate any further. Just by the look in the man's eyes, he knew he understood his meaning.

"This is not the time Lloyd," Kraine replied slowly.

At hearing those words again, Lloyd felt his blood starting to run hot and anger welling up. "No! It _is_ the right time! We're in a jail in some place called Derris Kharlan with nobody in sight. We've lost Genis, Gesea, Sheelos and Colette!" His anger briefly dissipated while he wondered what had happened to them. "I have _no idea_ what happened to Gesea, but _you_ do, don't you Kraine!"

"Calm yourself Lloyd," Kraine hissed. "Don't you know by now that sometimes things are not always what they seem?"

"You certainly weren't!" Lloyd spat back, reaching habitually down to his sides for his swords. They weren't there. A brief mental picture of Altessa's bedroom flashed before his minds eye, making him feel like slapping his forehead. Feeling like he needed to do something with his hands, he pointed a finger squarely at the half-elf in front of him. "Do you know how frustrating it is? To want to hate you but not be able to?"

Kraine just watched him patiently like he was just content to let him blow off steam. He obliged. "Say something!" he exclaimed. "I'm sick of feeling like everyone is keeping secrets from me because they think I can't handle it!"

"But _can_ you handle it?" a voice that sent shivers running up his spine asked from behind him. He whirled around to see the _him._ "Yggdrasil," he snarled before his eyes trailed down to a shorter figure with silver hair. A wave of relief washed over him. "Genis! You're okay!"

Genis smiled briefly in greeting until Yggdrasil spoke. "You really _are_ a simpleton aren't you." He placed a hand on Genis' shoulder. Genis shrunk back at the touch. Lloyd almost touched the bars in frustration at seeing that. "Yggdrasil.. No, _Mithos!_ What have you done to Genis?! Also what about Colette? I swear.. If you've hurt her, I will tear every last one of you Cruxis to pieces!"

"Fighting words from someone who couldn't even stand up to me for a second," Yggdrasil said, sounding so even and almost.. bored.. that Lloyd felt his fury rising higher every second. "And I haven't done anything to _either_ of them," the leader of Cruxis added.

"What do you mean you-" Lloyd glanced from him to Genis. "You've somehow brainwashed him, haven't you!"

Yggdrasil's lip curled slightly in amusement for a second. "Well it seems that you might have more of a brain than I gave you credit for. At least you are _over_ estimating me now." He turned his back to him and started to step away. "Come Genis. We have a few errands to run before things are complete."

Lloyd felt his heart skip a beat. All of a sudden things became a lot clearer. He thought about how Genis had suddenly appeared to them all and how he had that strange crystal on his hand that, upon questioning, he had stated was simply something to do with his elven heritage. The reality of everything making more sense if he thought about it differently stung. He didn't want to believe it.

"Genis," he slowly called when he noticed his friend hadn't followed Yggdrasil out of the room just yet. Genis glanced from the floor he had been glancing down at to slowly meet his eyes. Seeing guilt written all over his face, Lloyd found it difficult to continue. Still.. he had to know. "Is it really true?"

"Is what true?" Genis croaked. "That I lied to you? That I've known Mithos' identity the whole time I have been travelling with you? That I'm an angel of Cruxis?" His body started to quiver and he looked down again. Lloyd saw some droplets fall from his face to the floor. "Or what about the fact that I've been lying to you about who I am?"

Lloyd found himself lost for words. Genis clearly had been lying but was it about _everything_ he had just said? It seemed that way. Watching his friend act clearly distressed and continue to cry in front of their cell, Lloyd took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. "Are you really a full-blooded elf?" was the first real question that came to mind.

Genis stopped quivering for just a second and looked up at him. His eyes were puffy and red. He wiped his eyes but it only made them look worse. "Oh yeah and there's _that_ too." He looked upward. Lloyd guessed he was giving Kraine eye contact. Lloyd waited for a reply that never came. Genis turned away from him. "I'm sorry Lloyd," he said instead and with that scampered away.

When it was just him and Kraine in the room once again, Lloyd sunk to his knees and tried hard to focus on figuring out what had just happened. He shot a glance at Kraine to see he was watching the spot where Genis had been, a hand rubbing his chin calculatively. "Is.. is _that_ how Genis seemed to know you as well? Because he's a member of Cruxis?"

"Hm.." Kraine mumbled, not taking his eyes from the empty spot he was staring at. He seemed to be pretty deep in thought this time. Lloyd waved a hand in front of his face to snap him out of it. If he hadn't had good reflexes, Kraine would have probably caught it and likely hurt him. As it was, he just barely missed a swatting away by him. "That would seem to be the most logical conclusion one would come to under normal circumstances," he said to him, annoyance in his voice that probably stemmed from being made to come out of his ponderings about Martel-knew-what. "I'm afraid you are mistaken this time though Lloyd. It appears Genis is a somewhat recent recruit." The annoyance in his voice changed and Lloyd swore he had heard a growl of anger replace it for a second.

Lloyd turned back to the bars, eyeing them up and down two or three times. "We have to get out of here!"

Without thinking, he went to rattle the bars to test their strength and was quickly rewarded with a sharp impact on the lightest touch that sent him flying backward. Kraine caught him before he flew any further than him and softened his landing. Lloyd thanked him while dizzily getting to his feet and offering his hand. The seraph looked perplexed while he looked at the extended limb. "What?" Lloyd asked. "Oh. Right." He took his hand away but felt a bit guilty about it. "You see what I mean? Even after everything you've done, I find it hard to believe we're really enemies."

"You must stop being naïve," Kraine said harshly. "I am one of the leaders of Cruxis despite the current situation. I have had a hand in many of the Desian operations. Desians tore your family and your life apart Lloyd. You should despise me."

"But I trust how Colette feels as well," Lloyd continued, trying to ignore what he had just said and remain positive. "No matter what, she always seemed to believe that you were good." He laughed a bit at himself. "I guess it is a bit naïve but I think a part of her rubbed off on me. We _were_ one person once after all." He found the strength to ask some new questions all of a sudden. "Why exactly did that happen anyway?" He looked at the exsphere on the top of his hand. _"Everyone seems to want my exsphere. Is this what caused what happened at the tower?"_ He wondered if that had been a part of the journey as well.

About to give up on getting an answer for his previous question, he was a bit stunned when the seraph he had for company cast his eyes on him and began. "Mithos' plans involve the Angelus Project. Your Angelus Project however.." He dropped his eyes onto Lloyd's hand. "It was an unexpected find for Mithos."

"Unexpected? How?"

Kraine opened his mouth but stopped when a blaring alarm filled the room, falling to his knees with his hands over his ears. Lloyd looked around himself for the source, his own legs feeling weak as well. At times like this he was quite thankful that the perks of an angel that he had once had were somewhat lessened now. Kraine seemed to be feeling the full effect of it though.

"You better get up Kraine," called Yggdrasil's voice from somewhere above, temporarily lowering the whooping of the alarm. Lloyd squinted at the roof and all of its corners, but couldn't see anyone. "The Seraphinalia are begging to say hello."

"The-" Kraine got to his feet despite how unsteady he looked. "Mithos! Just what are you planning to do?"

Lloyd couldn't help but wonder where Mithos was and also what Seraphinalia were. Whatever they were, to get Kraine to his feet and sounding quite worried, it must have been bad.

"Answer me Mithos!" Kraine demanded.

**Beep BEEP beep BEEEP**

A new kind of beep followed shortly by a grinding sound that Lloyd quickly recognised as coming from several doors in the vicinity that seemed to be opening from the floor upward to the roof filled the room. He saw movement underneath the doors and in the gaps as the contraptions slowly rose. As they did, so did the metal bars that had been locking he and Kraine in their small cell. Lloyd watched them keenly, eager to finally get out. The more the bars rose and the more he saw what awaited them on the other side, the more he started to understand Kraine's earlier worries and just what 'Seraphinalia' were.

"Don't die Lloyd," was the response Mithos gave them from above again. "You too Kraine. You're both _far_ too important now to let a few hundred angels kill you."

Kraine stepped to the front of their cage in front of Lloyd. "Stay behind me Lloyd. Is that clear?" Without waiting for an answer, he pulled his sword out and pointed the tip to the ground. Lloyd vaguely recognised the words he was chanting. It all became clear a few moments later when a very familiar blue dome of magic surrounded the two of them. It was some kind of barrier spell. Kraine had used it once before when they had been fighting 'Desians' during their time in the Thoda Geyser cave.

Stubbornness kicking in, Lloyd stepped up to the angels side. "Do you intend to hold them off from us all day?"

The electric bars opened high enough for them to be able to easily step out now. Unfortunately for them though, that also meant that the flocks of angels that had been behind each of the five opening doors that had shimmied open were prepared to charge at them. Some of them flew higher into the air and began to dive right for their location while others skimmed across the ground. Some carried spears, others staves, swords or bows. All of them as far as Lloyd could see had weapons of various sorts. He however had little more than his dwarven fist. He only had one though and by the looks of their weapons, if he were to try using it, he would probably lose it.

Kraine's logic all of a sudden seemed a lot more justified. Still, he doubted even _he_ could hold up a defence barrier indefinitely. "We must try," the older man said. "We are in no shape to fight the Seraphinalia in such an unfair battle."

"Why is Mithos doing this?" he asked. "Does he want my Angelus Project so much that he wants to torture us for it?" Something once again niggled in the back of his mind. Mithos had told him something else but he couldn't quite remember what exactly. Kraine had been frozen in time when it had happened, so there was little point in asking him if he knew.

"There is more to it than that," Kraine mumbled. "I suspect Mithos is not trying to kill us but to actually make us _stronger."_

"But why would he-" Lloyd was distracted when the first projectile of the Seraphinalia flew at the barrier. It bounced off easily enough but not before making a loud noise. Mere moments later, their assailants were upon them and trying to break into the barrier using various methods. Lloyd glanced between Kraine, the enemy, and all around the barrier, feeling rather useless. If only he'd picked up his swords before he'd left Altessa's and not been in such a rush to follow Yuan.

Kraine remained strong for quite some time; enough time for Lloyd to notice that some angels that had been on the front line of attack were sinking back and letting others take their place. They seemed to be tiring out slowly, but it wasn't going to be enough in order for Kraine to outlast them. He could see sweatdrops pouring from the seraph's face as he concentrated hard on maintaining the magic. He didn't really know how taxing magic was on the body, but considering the fact that mana was the source of all life, it likely took quite the toll.

xxx

"So you knew I was watching the whole time?" Sheelos asked Martuan as she stood with Colette and the two Renegades outside of the Palmacosta base now.

Martuan and Botta gave her a look that said "do we really need to answer that?"

Colette giggled next to her. "It's okay Sheelos. It's understandable that you were surprised." She looked over her with concern. "Are you sure you're okay?"

It was Sheelos' turn to almost give the blond girl a look but she held back. "For the sixth and final time Colette, I'm _fine."_ She frowned. "Just what had you so worried about me anyway?"

Colette inhaled a slight breath, making her ever the more curious. She looked from her to Martuan. "Scratch that. How about telling me just what went on while I was missing from the group?"

"If you're thinking we joined up with your merry group of kids, you are mistaken," Martuan cut in over Colette's soft voice. "We just happen to want the same thing currently."

There it was again. Sheelos grimaced to herself. Botta had been spot on. She and Yuan were so similar at times that it was difficult to comprehend that they weren't related.

"But-" Colette looked a bit confused as she pinned her eyes on Martuan. "You were the one who made the deal with Yuan." She tilted her head. "Right?"

Martuan gave a frustrated sigh at her comment and turned to Botta. "Go back to the base and increase security where available. We must execute damage control and lay low until I give the word otherwise. Cancel all field missions."

Botta bowed his head in understanding. "As you wish Lady Martuan." He looked over Sheelos and then at Colette, nodded to them both and left the area. Sheelos heard the dull rumble of a rheaird taking off.

"Now," Martuan mumbled, shifting her steely green gaze on to her and smiling a bit. "I believe our first destination should be the Triet Ruins to get Efreet?"

Sheelos grimaced. Now that she knew _he_ was involved, finding out that Martuan had suddenly decided to help them seemed actually pretty plausible. She wondered just what the cynical Cerberus had bargained this time. Martuan started ahead of her and toward where Colette had been resting earlier while she talked with Botta.

"Mind telling me what this is all about?" Sheelos asked the Sylvaranti half-Chosen, catching her by the arm before she followed Martuan.

"O-oh." Colette blinked and bowed her head apologetically. "So much happened." A worried glint appeared in her eyes. "I'm not quite sure where to start." She dug her heels into the soft dirt that surrounded them and tugged at the sides of her sleeves while she thought.

"How about telling me what Yuan did," Sheelos said back to make it easier. That was all she really needed to know. _Everything_ led back to Yuan at one point or another.

"W-well-" Colette seemed all of a sudden a lot more nervous. She twisted her head to look toward where they could see the shape of Martuan. The Renegade had her hands on her hips and was tapping her foot. "Come on you two. Time is wasting. We can talk on the way there."

"Okay! Be right there!" Colette nodded and waved to acknowledge her before turning back to Sheelos again. "Um.. well.. Yuan and I came from Torent forest and found Martuan captured by the elves in Heimdall. Then Yuan spoke with her and she made a deal with him to get more information from him if she helped us to get the Summon Spirits."

Colette wasn't giving her the whole story, but Sheelos didn't really have to wonder for too long on why. Yuan had been up to something in Torent forest and Colette knew what. She didn't know too much about the elven village Heimdall, but she knew enough to assume _something_ of worth was in those woods for him to have gone there. Yuan _never_ did things without a reason. "What are Lloyd and the others doing?" she asked then. It sounded odd in itself to hear that just Colette and Yuan had been travelling together.

"I-" Colette raised a hand to her face and dropped to her knees suddenly. Confused, Sheelos dropped down next to her. In the distance over Colette's sobs, she heard a groan from Martuan and her footsteps approaching too. "See what you've done now?" the lady accused.

"What?" she snapped back. "What happened?" She couldn't help but look at the Renegade suspiciously.

Martuan reacted accordingly and frowned. "I didn't do anything, I will have you know."

"It.. it was Mithos," Colette whispered softly. "He's Yggdrasil. He took Lloyd, Kraine and Genis and disappeared. I couldn't do anything."

"Neither could I," Martuan added. She rested a hand on Colette's shoulder and squeezed. "We have no way of knowing where they went."

"Shouldn't we be working out a way to find them?" Sheelos questioned once the picture was clear. Something had happened and Mithos seemed to have actually revealed himself as Yggdrasil to them. It sort of explained why he had taken Genis and Kraine with him wherever he had gone, but not Lloyd. She looked pointedly at Martuan. "Surely you have _some_ idea where they are."

Martuan's eyes narrowed while she avoided giving eye contact. "Even if I did, I am powerless at present to do anything. Our best bet is to stop Mithos before he is able to activate the next step of his plan. To do that, we need to get the rest of the summon spirits."

A pause resounded between the three of them. Sheelos understood what she meant by her cryptic explanation to an extent, but she doubted Colette did. Martuan removed her hand from Colette's shoulder once she had regained some of her composure and looked ready to stand. "I suggest we hurry before it is too late."

Sheelos quietly helped Colette up and shared a brief look with her that she hoped she understood. They would need to talk when Martuan was not present at some stage. At the moment though, the bluenette bombshell knew the most out of all of them. They had no real choice but to follow her and see what happened next.

xxx

Disaster struck when a large burly looking angel approached from the back with a giant axe. Even before he had actually hit the barrier, Lloyd had sensed that things weren't looking good. He had started seeing the barrier flicker with different colours and hearing Kraine's breaths become more and more laboured. Kraine twitched and turned his head to look at him. "Lloyd... I.." His eyes fluttered and he fell to his knees, sword still in his hand.

"Kraine!" Lloyd yelped in panic. He could barely hear his own voice over the overbearing otherworldly yells of the fighter angels when they realised they could charge in unchallenged now.

Kraine summoned his blue seraph wings and stood in front of him. "Lloyd, when I give the signal, run! You need to go and find Genis." A light green barrier appeared around them this time. Even after being newly summoned, it looked like it was already starting to fail.

Barely able to believe his ears, Lloyd shook his head. "No! You know I can't leave you behind."

"There's no time." Kraine didn't seem to be listening to him. "You know that. You're the only one who can save Genis and stop Mithos at the moment."

"No," Lloyd disagreed, grasping the seraph's arm when he collapsed to one side for a second. "What will leaving one friend to save another solve?"

"You don't understand Lloyd!" Kraine barked, barely able to keep the barrier up now. "I…I once wasn't able to protect someone very important to me. So this time, I'm going to succeed. I'm going to protect two others that are also just as important."  
Lloyd didn't know what to say. He wondered what that was about but just as Kraine had said, there was no time. "You need to focus on saving Genis right now," Kraine added. "Don't get distracted."

With that as apparently his warning, Kraine let their last defence slip and raised his sword. Lloyd dodged a flying projectile and parried off to the side of the enormous group. The exit was on the other side of the room but he would need to be quick to reach it. Even as the thought entered his mind though, he watched as an angel blocked his view and glared down at him. His stomach lurched as he recognised the blond hair and the green outfit. "Remiel!"

Remiel grinned a wide-toothed smile at him. "Don't think I'm going to let you get away this time!" He lunged into a dive right for him, summoning a long blade in the process. Quickly sprouting his wings, Lloyd jumped and dove out of the way, only to knock straight into another angel. She laughed and tried to grasp him in one movement but he managed to elbow her and duck away again as Remiel went in for another stab. Some of the horde that had been heading for Kraine now turning on him, Lloyd started to feel overwhelmed. To top it all off, the exsphere on his hand was burning yet again. He backstepped, wishing for a miracle and maybe to stop time for a few minutes. Of course, the stopping time part didn't want to obey his wishes.

With Remiel leading the bunch of Seraphinalia, Lloyd could see no way out- figuratively and literally. He couldn't even see if Kraine was still fighting from where he stood blocking attacks from all directions and narrowly missing being hit almost all the time. Something sharp swiping long-ways from the base of his spine to his shoulders sent the world spiralling and the sides of his vision darkening. "I have.. to.. find Genis!" he yelled to nobody in particular, digging deep now for strength to stay upright. _"_ _I already lost once against Yggdrasil. I won't let him beat me and I won't let him beat Kraine either!"_

But even though his mind raced with thoughts, his body didn't want to agree. His back stung, his neck ached and his hand burned. The majority of the Seraphinalia around him backed off strangely when Remiel approached once again, laughing mockingly at him. "Poor little Chosen. Trying your best but having _everyone_ turn on you. How do you even wake up in the morning?"

" _And how do_ _ **you**_ _get up in the morning knowing you trick orphaned children into thinking they have met their real parents?"_ The sentence completed in his mind but his mouth didn't want to work. Laughing at him, Remiel raised his long sword, intent on delivering the final blow. Unable to get his body to move from its standing and doubled-over position, Lloyd found himself beginning to consider the sad truth that was the end to his efforts. Resigning himself to death now felt strange. He'd long ago accepted his fate as a Chosen was to die for the people of Sylvarant.. but now..

"NO!"

The yell of a girls voice he didn't recognise overrode all other voices in the room. He opened his eyes in time to see a flash of pink, black and silver. Remiel, who had been standing with his weapon raised a second ago now stared at him on his way to the floor. Lloyd found himself staring at the enormous and deep looking gash that spread diagonally across his back before looking up at his saviour. A girl with pink hair the same shade as Gesea's smiled down at him. "Are you alright Lloyd?"

Before he could answer, she circled around him and sounded as though she was taking out a few more angels. He heard their yells and saw feathers falling around him. There seemed to also be something happening just a short distance ahead near the doorway. He could see a red-orange glow emanating from between the hordes of angels that currently had their backs turned to him. The girl who hadn't hesitated in slaughtering Remiel ran back into his vision. She rested the large woodcutters axe she'd been fighting with on the ground behind her and seemed content to watch the action surrounding the blaze for a moment.

"Burn! Eruption!"

A voice Lloyd did recognise entered his ears. He heard pained screeches again and watched as the orange and red glow expanded closer to him. Several of the Seraphinalia were knocked back while many more disintegrated into dust particles. In the center of all the chaos stood his new silver haired friend, grinning cattily and poking out his tongue at his enemies. He stopped when he apparently saw them watching and quickly raced over. "Lloyd!" He stopped. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Genis!" Lloyd called, finding himself smiling at the sight of the short elf and somehow some of his energy returning at the same time. The pain in his back actually also seemed to be lessening and the feeling of his right wing touching the wall to the right was starting to return.

Another horde of angels turned their attention on them. Genis raised his kendama and looked to the girl. "Are you ready Presea?"

The girl named Presea nodded and the two charged into the fray once again, leaving Lloyd to watch on the sidelines and wait for an opening. If Kraine was still alive after everything, he was going to need help. Lloyd only wished he knew what he could do and that the still-burning exsphere on his hand would hurry up and do something useful.


	58. Complicated simplicities

" _Annalicia,"_ Kraine patiently addressed his wife from within the Cruxis Crystal on his hand.

Annalicia heard his voice in her head as though it were her own thoughts. All through bearing the sickness of the Ozette flu, she had been hearing him as well. The problem was that with her mind scattered as it had been, they hadn't exactly had a great chance to communicate as of recently. She longed for a chance to talk to her beloved properly about life, their son, and most importantly just how long their dual-soul predicament may stay smelling like a rose.

Alas' she was stuck in the thick of battle, using Kraine's worn out body as her own. It still felt clunky and the strange feeling of slight detachment from her mind to her body remained, but she was as used to it as she expected to get. Watching her assailants as they all began to converge closer to her location, she kicked one that got a little too close out of the way and ducked under the mob as they dove for her. "Certainly not the sharpest knives in the block, are you?" she chastised under her breath in marvel of her work when they continued to fight amongst themselves.

In the brief respite from the fight, she stole a glance back down at her hand and at the uncrested Cruxis crystal that sat atop it. Even though she could see nothing but the usual red glow of the gem, she knew he was watching everything. It was such a helpless feeling, being trapped in the exsphere like that. It had been a true hell and a fate that she would have rather been removed from back then. Seeing her beloved angel once again and having the chance to hold Lloyd as close as she had when she had been half delirious (she couldn't remember much) had changed things a lot though.

Hearing the flap of wings behind her, she whirled around to find that some of the smarter angels had decided to take a dishonourable approach in taking her out. Though it took some energy to move Kraine's body, she dodged to the left and then to the right as he stabbed at her with a rapier. Going in for the strongest uppercut she could manage to muster and hoping some the power of the exspheres on both of Kraine's hands would serve her some use in the fight, she dove under the angels attempt on her throat and connected with his ribs. Grinning and drawing her other arm behind her as he started to fly back from the assault, she thrust the weaker arm in to hopefully make a second impact.

Instead of connecting the second time with the fragile ribs of the lifeless being Cruxis called an 'angel' though, she found something incredibly hard slamming into her from her left side. Coughing to try and breathe normally and recover, she lost her balance and fell on her side to the ground. Squinting one eye open through the pain, she saw another smaller angel looking over her from behind a tall black and gold tower shield.

" _Damn,"_ she thought, trying her best to overcome the dizziness she was feeling from being winded. She knew she would have been feeling much worse if it weren't for Kraine's body, but it was both a blessing and curse. He still felt pain, but at a slower and more drawn out rate than most other beings. She knew she (or Kraine) would be feeling the fight much later, but in the meantime she just _had_ to keep going. Cries of anguished angel language she didn't understand filled her ears from behind while she attempted to lift herself up, knowing she would be done for if she didn't. The matter became even more urgent upon a brief glance at shadows reflected on the glossy white floor below her. The other seraphinalia had realised they'd been tricked and were royally upset with her by the sounds of it.

 _"Annalicia,"_ Kraine asserted in what she had learned to be his equivalent of a panicked yell. "Do not get distracted. Allow me to come forward."

"No way. You would have killed yourself if you'd kept using your magic like you were. You never did learn your limits."

 _"Magic does not come as naturally to me as you might think,"_ he informed.

"I know, I know. Because you used to be a human. I remember." Her afterthought was that apparently she too had also been human. The Desians had made a point of that. The information could have only come from one person, but somehow certain Desians had learned what certain important people had been before they changed as a result of Origins Curse. Kraine had not told her too much, saying that it was a matter difficult to comprehend, but she had whittled most of it out of him over the course of their few brief years as a family.

Still unable to stand, she managed a roll out of the way as the shadows of her assailants from behind became more pronounced. There was no way they would fall for the same trick twice though- or at least she didn't want to test it. A surprisingly quick amount of pain flared up in her ribs as she rolled. _"Not a good sign. I'm in trouble."_

In an odd way, just conceding to the idea of defeat spiked something in her. Something she had seen in her son as well. She hadn't wanted to give up when the Angelus Project had absorbed her and turned her into a monster that stormy night and that hadn't changed. She wanted to live. "I have been given a second chance," she bellowed at the hostiles as she forced herself to stand and examine her surroundings, "and I don't intend to waste it!"

The angel that she'd winded and the angel with the tower shield were the first to zip for her again. At realising the physical limits of Kraine's body and seeing several cuts in his armour, she prepared a spell she had learned from her sister. Gesea had always been much more gifted than she but the cantrips she had managed to grasp still usually did the trick. She pointed at her target. "Lightning!"

The sensation of mana leaving her body felt uncomfortable to say the least. Even as a bolt of lightning flew from above to the angels and disintegrated the majority of their flight feathers so that they would have to come at her the old fashioned way, she decided that she couldn't bear the feeling. Memories of the night she had forced the one she loved to kill her as a result of her mana being absorbed by the Angelus Project flooding back just after using a simple spell were far too distracting. The problem of course at making that decision was that she lacked the strength and skill to wield Kraine's sword and so even though Kraine had trained her so that she could hit the weak points of her enemies fairly easily, they would eventually get up again and come back for several more attempts on her life before she managed to end theirs. She had been trained to hit and run, specifically with Lloyd in tow, if Desians ever found her while Kraine was absent.

 _"Annalicia,"_ Kraine called her again. She could practically hear him tapping his foot.

She smiled. "You were always this protective. Lloyd takes after you."

" _Hmph_ ," her beloved muttered in his stock response. Even though she couldn't see him, she picture him standing and crossing his arms disapprovingly. _"That is precisely what I hope not to be true."_

"You are always being far too hard on yourself Regal," she responded as she thought of the right emotion to snap out her wings the way Yuan had taught her. _That_ sensation she could deal with at angels she had damaged plus a bunch more which had been behind her at one point charged at her **.** She hooked the one that reached her first in the face and sent it flying back into some of its comrades. She zipped backward until she hit the rear wall of the room to buy some time. There was nowhere else to run. She would be surrounded any second. A strange weightless feeling overcame her unexpectedly and she realised only too late what was happening when the red of the Cruxis crystal surrounded her. She looked out of the 'window' to watch the scene unfold and as more angels replaced the ones Kraine quickly downed upon his entrance to the world once more. She knew she must have triggered something for him to have been able to overpower her presence in his body. It could have only been one thing. She smiled fondly through her concern. "Please be careful my beloved Angel."

xxx

The thought that by getting the Summon Spirits, she would somehow be able to assist Lloyd wherever he was at the moment helped to put Colette's mind at rest at least slightly as she and her comrades traversed the skies of Sylvarant on the rheairds. Martuan was an angel of Cruxis, but she wasn't a bad person. That was why when the slight opportunity of what they _could_ do inevitably came into her mind as they flew over Hakonesia Peak and she went about discussing it with her comrades, she had been rather surprised that both Sheelos _and_ Martuan seemed to have no qualms with it. The fierce woman and leader of the Renegades- the people who had once been her enemy- had even seemed happy to take the opportunity. Sheelos, in her own strange but similar way, had also commented that she had always wanted to see the place.

So here the three of them were, standing just outside of the gates to Iselia village. Well, _she_ was standing there. The other two girls were being surprisingly patient with her. She took a deep breath and took the time to take everything she could see from the outside in. It had been quite some time since she remembered being in the place. Would anyone recognise her? She doubted that. To them, she was just a traveller. She wasn't the Chosen- not to them at least. Perhaps that was why she felt so concerned. Life in the village had been hard for her and Lloyd when they had been the Chosen together. The idea that one day, she might be able to choose to return to the village without anyone calling her Chosen and treating her like an object to save them.. it was frightening.

She longed to see Phaidra. The old woman had been like a grandmother to her and had been there for her when she had been a part of 'Colloyd'. Even if they walked into the village and she saw her though, all she would have been able to do without drawing too much attention to their group would be to give a friendly wave. Thinking about it made her heart sink and the idea of entering the village even less appealing. A good-natured push in the small of her back from Sheelos snapped her out of her depression with a frightful flinch and a surprised yelp. She held her chest as her heart hammered against it while Sheelos took the opportunity to laugh at her. "Well, come on Colette!" the girl who had once also been out for Chosen blood but now had become a good friend to her whined. "Quit staring at it and show us your home town already." She put one hand on her hip and wrapped the other around Martuan's shoulders. "We've already shown you where _we_ live after all!" Martuan glared at Sheelos until she let go and chuckled uncomfortably to herself.

"I'm sorry," Colette muttered in response, eyes falling to the ground. She closed them and tried to come to grips with everything. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. We should-"

"Colette," Martuan called to her his time. She couldn't help but be more attentive to her. She had an air of authority about her in the same way Yuan and Kraine did. "Coming to Iselia was hardly a prime choice considering the predicament your friends are in and our current goals," she continued. "Are you really saying that you don't want to go through with it now we have all wasted our time? We could have easily gone to Triet instead."

Though she spoke roughly to her, Colette saw the softer meaning in Martuan's words and it was all she needed to gain the confidence she needed. She realised she was smiling and saw a similar smile reflect in Martuan's lips. "Good," the older lady concluded, stepping past her and turning to wait for her to take the lead. "I need not remind you that we are in need of supplies then."

Colette shook her head and took a deep breath before moving forward and toward the gates where she could see the guards waiting to give her and her comrades a stamp on the hand which branded them as visitors and not to stay after dark. It also alerted the villagers to never discuss matters involving the Chosen of Sylvarant with them lest they be exiled for conspiring against the church. She offered her hand up for branding while politely greeting the guards. To her surprise, they greeted her with smiles and waved her through without stopping her. She considered that maybe things were different now that the Chosen had left to go on The Journey while she stepped into the village and took a deep breath.

" _The air.."_ she thought wistfully as she took another breath and waited for Martuan and Sheelos to join her. She didn't realise how much she had missed the sweet scent of freshly made bread combined with the soft fragrance of fruits and flowers that only the small village had. Though Iselia had been through a tragedy thanks to the Desians at the Iselia ranch, they seemed to be well on the way to mending things. The occasional slat of wood resting up against a house or a slightly burnt patch of grass here and there seemed to be the only evidence that things had ever gone awry in the first place.

Thinking about how she had once hated coming to the village, she felt tears stinging the corners of her eyes. Though times had been hard, there had been good times as well. Yuan had been there, and then later on Kraine and Gesea. There was still one _other_ person she did not dare to visit. Dirk lived not too far from the village, but even she knew that it was a liberty to visit him at a time like this. Even _he_ would not recognise her. Just thinking about the dwarven man whom had taken her in and treated her (and Lloyd) as his own brought up uncomfortable feelings about her origins.

"Colette!"

When she heard her name being called, she trailed out of her thoughts and looked back at Sheelos and Martuan, expecting that she had been in her thoughts for a little too long and chewing up time again. When she almost bumped into them and saw their eyes looking elsewhere though, she faced forward once again to see just who had yelled her name.

A middle aged man with blond hair not unlike her own (except much shorter) called out her name again as he stretched his arms out wide while he ran in her direction. She blinked and in the next second found herself bowled backward into her friends again when he flung his arms around her shoulders. Sheelos and Martuan helped her regain her balance before looking over her with the same question she had. She opened her mouth to say something to the man but stopped when she felt a dampness on her shoulder and noticed he was sobbing. "Colette... my dear, dear Colette..."

Something about his voice felt oddly..familiar. It was a difficult feeling to describe. Eventually when she realised Sheelos was going to say something, she decided to carefully approach it in a more tactful way. "E-excuse me," she asked softly, gently moving him away from her. His eyes searched hers and she saw desperation mixed in with gratitude and relief. They wandered up and down as though he was having trouble believing what he was seeing. She understood how he felt, though her feeling was moreso about having trouble understanding what he _was_ seeing in her. She hadn't been around anyone in Sylvarant since the incident at the tower and before then she had been Colloyd. So how did this nice man know her name that she now felt naturally fit her?

She decided to continue since he wasn't saying anything yet. "How do you know me?" Short and straight to the point. She had a feeling Lloyd would be proud.

The man stood straighter and took a deep breath before smiling so happily that his eyes glittered. "My dear," he chuckled, "don't tell me you've forgotten your father already!"

"My-" Colette blinked rapidly, trying to understand and hoping the next words out of her mouth wouldn't be too blunt. "I'm so sorry. I'm afraid you must be mistaken." She heard the doubt in her own words though. So many questions whirred around in her head suddenly that she started to feel dizzy. She'd never met her _real_ father, after all. A question burned on her tongue furiously but she found herself too afraid to ask.

The man proclaiming to be her father and acting as though it had always been this way tilted his head quizzically at her while she stood frozen in thought before turning toward Sheelos and Martuan. "Forgive my manners. You must be some new escorts of our beloved Chosen. It is not uncommon sadly for tragedy to befall those who follow her path."

Sheelos snorted for a moment but quickly let it pass, probably realising the words that had been spoken just as Martuan did. Colette turned and opened her mouth to say something to the man but she had no words now. She watched as Sheelos frowned in confusion and took the hand that he'd extended out to her. Martuan looked far less accepting of the words that had come out of the nice man's mouth but politely took his hand anyway. Colette noticed the stamp mark on her hand and immediately glanced at Sheelos'. They had both been marked as 'outsiders.' There was only one explanation, and it had practically already been confirmed by the man who had said he was her father.

"Is.. is your name Kratos.. by any chance?" The question that had been lingering in the back of her mind since hearing him announce himself as her father finally escaped her lips. A part of her already knew the answer. It had been why she had been so frightened to ask in the first place.

The man looked confused but lovingly reached forward to brush some hair out of her face before gently taking her arm. "Perhaps you should come home and rest a while. The Journey must have been quite taxing on you so far."

"Um.." Still not knowing what was going on, she found herself being led by him past the general store and the school where both Yuan and Kraine had taught at one time or another, to the house where Phaidra lived. She stopped at the steps and watched as the man moved to open the door for her. With a glance back at Sheelos and Martuan and watching them nod at her to say they would be following right behind, she entered the building and immediately smelled the scent of Phaidra's famous baked apple pie.

"Chosen Colette!"

She looked to her left at the stairs and watched as the lady she had been most of all hoping to see came down and looked at her with a huge smile on her face. The kind old woman slowly made her way down the stairs, leaning on her gnarled walking stick as she did. It seemed she hadn't yet fully recovered from the attack at the Temple of Martel. Colette frowned in thought as the man ushered her to a chair at the dining table, still seeming ecstatic to see her. Sheelos sat down next to her while Martuan assumed a more guarded stance by standing instead. She couldn't really be blamed. Things didn't exactly seem normal at the moment.

"You've returned to us, dear Colette," Phaidra said, pulling up a chair of her own and lowering herself with a short grunt. "Tell us my dear, how has The Journey been?"

"Phaidra," she started, wondering how to continue. The wrinkles on Phaidra's kind face contorted around her mouth and she let out a low laugh before gazing at the blond man. He shrugged his shoulders and eyed Colette. "A bit of apple pie and some rest and I'm sure she'll remember who her family is!"

"No.. I.." Colette gulped and looked at Phaidra. "I don't understand. What's going on? Please tell me."

"It must be a side-effect to becoming the Chosen," Phaidra said to the man again before scanning over Sheelos and Martuan. "Many Chosen are said to have lost their minds over the course of the Journey of Regeneration. I have never had the chance to see it for myself though." Colette watched her eyes slowly trail back over to her. She was starting to feel quite ill.

"So you all know Colette as the Chosen?" Martuan asked to the 'family' Colette had never known.

"She has been the Chosen since she was born with the Cruxis crystal in her hand," the man explained. "I suppose hired mercenaries such as yourselves might not understand though."

Martuan's eyes narrowed at him and he shrunk back a little. Colette noticed Sheelos hadn't said much. She wondered whether the _other_ Chosen in the room had much idea on what had happened to make these people think they knew her or were her family.

"Colette," Sheelos whispered so quietly that Colette was quite sure that she and Martuan, with their sensitive hearing, were the only intended recipients. "Maybe we should leave here."

She gave a slight nod without taking her smiling face off of Phaidra, now trying to decide how they could leave without seeming too rude or suspicious. Martuan left the corner of her vision. The door behind her creaked open, revealing that she had decided to take charge of the situation. "We have wasted far too much time here Chosen. We must continue on our trek now."

Phaidra and the man looked disappointed when Colette stood from her chair, but they didn't look like they were going to stop them from leaving luckily. Colette bowed her head to them. "Thank you for having us. May the Goddess smile on you Grandmother, Father." The pair smiled happily which in turn made her feel happy too. After a small awkward silence where she waited for them to say something more, she nodded at them politely again and excused herself to follow Martuan from the house while Sheelos brought up the rear.

The moment they were outside, Sheelos held her head for a second before turning to them both to start. "Okay.. so... I think there might be a small problem." She held her gaze at Colette. "I.. I think I'm starting to believe what they're saying." She tapped her head with her fist. "It's weird. Its like my memory of Lloyd and you being one person is starting to disappear."

"What do you mean?" Colette asked, confused. She giggled to herself as she imagined what her friend had just described. She and Lloyd were close, so she supposed it wasn't difficult to imagine them melting into one person one day.. especially if...  
The heat of blood rushing to her cheeks made her want to hide her face.

"Yes, I'm in agreement with the Chosen. Is there something you're not telling us?" Martuan mimicked with a touch of sarcasm in her voice. Sheelos didn't seem to understand why they were so confused. Colette began to wonder whether she was feeling ill while she watched her friend gaze up at the sky in thought.

"Nah, I'm just kidding with ya!" Sheelos eventually said to end the confusion. Colette received a playful jab in the arm from her and watched as she went to do the same to Martuan but quickly backed away and held her hands up in surrender when she received a glare of warning.

Colette sighed to herself when it went quiet between them all again and looked at her feet. She hadn't slept much the night before because her thoughts had been all over the place. She hadn't had a chance to discuss things properly with Sheelos, but she figured she would be okay with it anyway since the plan had come from Yuan. He had told her that Lloyd and Genis would be alright while Kraine was with them and that the best way to help their cause and the world before Mithos managed to succeed in the next step of his plan was to collect the Summon Spirits. She wanted to believe in both professors, but it still wasn't easy. Lloyd and Genis were her childhood friends after all. During their tough years at Iselia, they had been the only ones to not treat her differently. Actually, it was quite funny. Genis had started off their friendship by calling her the Chosen and acting differently around her until Lloyd had stepped in and made him cry. Since that time, the three of them had become close friends.

She noticed the Tethe'allan Chosen was looking at her with concern and quickly smiled. "I'm sorry Sheelos."

"What are you apologising for this time?" the ninja asked, chuckling and tilting her head. "The only thing we'll both have something to apologise for is if we keep Martuan waiting once she's done at the general store."

"Huh?" Colette turned her head and noticed suddenly that their new companion had wandered off. She quickly turned her eyes on the store in the distance when she saw a brief flash of long blue hair flying in the breeze before the door to it shut with a faint jingle. She glanced back at Sheelos and nodded. "Of course. Let's go."

While following Sheelos, she fell back into her thoughts about Genis and Lloyd. They'd had such wonderful times together. She had been truly blessed during her sixteen years in the world. She paused in thought for a second after that. That didn't seem right. She remembered that their teacher, Kraine, had come to the village... but that had been only a few years ago and yet she remembered Genis from a young age even though her memory also dictated that he and Kraine had come to the village together. A quick memory of a head of pink hair and a girl with a kind but somewhat timid face also entered her thoughts. She bit her lip and tried her best not to show her confusion as to not worry Sheelos unnecessarily.

" _Perhaps this really is a side affect at becoming an angel,"_ she thought before considering that it may also be the worlds way of punishing her for not becoming the sacrifice they needed for Sylvarant to flourish. _"Either way, I must deal with the consequences as best I can so that no others need to take my place."_ She looked at Sheelos and thought about what would have happened if she _had_ completed the ritual. Her friend would have surely been sent on the same quest to endure becoming an angel as she had. She couldn't let that happen. She and her friends would save the people of Sylvarant and Tethe'alla.

The suffering would end with her.


	59. Summons, swords and flying feathers

"Still so many," Kraine thought as relaxed his sword arm and assessed the situation. "Just what are you planning Mithos?" His strength on return to protect both his body and beloved fading, he needed to go with his second plan in order to get things over and done with as quick as possible. Luckily the respite Annalicia had afforded him from the battle at hand had done more than irritate him. The situation he had found himself in could be used to his advantage if he played his cards right and as long as the correct opportunity presented itself.

Taking a deep breath, the seraph-swordsman pointed his sword to the ground and waited for the seraphinalia to be within striking distance. The horde of still two-hundred-some angels seemed to be rather distracted with a ruckus a bit off to the front side of the room but it was impossible to tell what was happening through the sheer amount of mana signatures in the room. Whilst in the exsphere, he had discovered it much easier to find the energy to cast and hold on to his spells mana. He had thought it to be incredibly useful and had repeatedly asked Annalicia to allow him to come forward after conjuring his plan. She seemed to have figured out, just as he had, how the switching worked however. He had been careless around her sharp mind, it seemed. Using his stored mana to his advantage required optimal timing. Releasing the magic too quickly would result in-

He couldn't help it. All control he had been holding on to was relinquished during his brief lapse of concentration as he spied two short figures, one with pink hair and the other with silver, skid out from underneath the chaos of angels, their hands intertwined with one another. Paying him no special attention, they separated quickly and assumed a back-to-back stance before springing back into the action. The air slowly began to crackle with the beginnings of the mana storm he had conjured and released and the palms of his hands tingled all the way up to his fingertips from the magic. The girl- Presea- slashed an axe that looked far too heavy for her petite body in a wide arc around herself and Genis square in the direction of the first line of seraphinalia as they soared in for their attacks. The silver haired half-elf (who had somehow become involved with Lloyd's group, along with Mithos) finished his companions job with some speed-cast fireballs and icicles. The last thing he saw before the noise around him muffled in his ears and the signature light-headed feeling of exhaustion kicked in was the striking blue eyes of Presea turning on him, wild with battle adrenaline as disintegrating members of the angel horde fell to the ground around her and Genis, their feathers going everywhere like they'd been having a pillow fight.

His suddenly worsening condition came as no real surprise. Annalicia had prevented him from pushing it beyond its limits but it had been inevitable for even her to do much about it given their current situation. He had recovered somewhat during his time in the Cruxis crystal but it hadn't been enough. In an ironic twist, had he not donned the second Cruxis crystal to be able to swap spirits with her, his limits would have taken far longer to reach. Now, with the mana constantly draining from his body and feeding both exspheres as was their nature, it was only a matter of time until the seal on Origin was completely gone. He was hardly being a good role model for Lloyd now- not that he had ever deserved such a title to begin with.

" _Kraine!"_

The frenzied yell of Annalicia awoke him from the foggy ramblings of his mind. Awareness of the situation kicking in, he sprung his eyelids open to find that he had fallen to his knees. The light of Judgement had faded now and it appeared he had at least hit a few angels who had gotten close enough. Genis and Presea stood not too far from his location now, keeping the next wave of angels at bay. Knowing he needed to be a contender in the fight still, he struggled to his feet and began to cast a healing spell in the direction of the children. The seraphinalia that he hadn't caught in his Judgement were angered now and to get to him, they would have to go through them first. If he could not fight, he could assist. Surely.

"Nurse!"

xxx

Many things bothered Sheelos as she directed her rheaird away from Iselia and toward the Triet ruins, home of Efreet. The first of immediate frustrations was _her hair._ She _hated_ it. The fact that it was short and that running a hand through it felt strange was one thing, but the fact that it couldn't be held up above her head and away from her eyes anymore was another issue entirely. Kuchinawa had some serious explaining to do the next time they came face to face, though she expected they may come to blows again before being able to talk. She had wondered why neither Martuan or Colette had asked more about how she had gotten to Sylvarant or why her hair was a good head's length shorter for a while but eventually figured that Colette was too polite to question her out of fear she might make her self-conscious and Martuan had other motives on her mind. She hadn't said anything to the contrary of Colette's brief suggestion to check out Iselia after all.

She blew her fringe out of her eyes for the millionth time and sunk into brooding about the next set of concerns that threatened to drive her insane before nightfall. Something stunk about their situation and what had happened in Iselia in particular, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Her head had felt fuzzy and all meaning to her alliance with Martuan and the Renegades seemed to make little sense now. The words out of her mouth outside Colette's old house still bothered her too. Why had she genuinely believed for a second that Colette and Lloyd had actually literally been one person once?

No matter how she sliced it, she couldn't understand what had possessed her to think like that.

Besides, if they _hadn't_ been once person, then why did she still remember the conversation she had overheard between Genis and Mithos during their trip to Volt's temple? Mithos had explained many things at that time, particularly his goals and the properties of the Angelus Project. He had even made plans with Genis. If word of mouth wasn't enough to cement something fishy was going on with her memory currently, then the fact that she had discovered that Gesea had split into Genis and a girl called Presea confirmed it. Discarding the confusion she had on the matter of Gesea having the Angelus Project at the same time as Lloyd when she had assumed there was only one, she knew the only logical conclusion was that her words had meant something and that the splitting of two people _was_ possible. If that was possible though..

Sheelos sighed and blew her fringe out of her face yet again as they lowered now toward their destination. She could hear Colette explaining the events that had happened during her last visit to the ruins to Martuan but she zoned it out to keep trying to unravel the mystery that seemed to go around and around in her head.

If splitting people and 'saving' his 'sister' was the reason Mithos wanted the Angelus Project and it _was_ possible.. then why did her memory contradict it so perfectly?

She clearly remembered the first time she had met Lloyd and Colette at the Ossa trail. It had been when she had still been reserved to kill the Chosen in order to save Tethe'alla and finally be respected and acknowledged by the people of Mizuho. She might have been seen as a killer to some, but she would have finally been a hero in their eyes rather than the girl who had failed to make a pact with Volt, killing many from her village including Kuchinawa's family, in the process.

Even after she had made the most unfortunate mistake of not examining her surroundings before going in for the kill and fallen through a trap door, the first words out of Colette's mouth had been to the effect of asking her if she was alright and practically pleading to be friends. She remembered seeing Kraine and Gesea there too- both half-elves were far more reserved in the more logical department of distrusting her.

She looked at Martuan and her blue hair that she quickly untied from its makeshift bun the moment their rheairds reached the ground while she eased herself off of her own flying bike. She was inclined it was all some kind of smart trick the Renegade had developed in one way, but the other part of her- the part that trusted Yuan's involvement in this and the fact that he had sent her with Colette to Sylvarant- wanted more to believe that she wouldn't sink that low. Plus the question of _how_ she had done it to a whole village plus Colette and her when she had clearly been in Tethe'alla only the day before seemed to be pretty difficult to answer.

"As soon as Tethe'alla's Chosen decides she is finished daydreaming, we shall be on our way."

Her ears caught Martuan's reference to her and she zoned back into the current happenings to see Colette and Martuan both looking at her. When they stood side by side, they looked incredibly similar in some ways. They had the same softness to their eyes when they cared about something and the same stance in battle despite the fact that they both used vastly different weapons. In a lot of ways it seemed like she was looking at a mother and daughter, but she would never in a million years have the guts to point it out to them, unlike Botta who had so bravely pointed out the striking similarities between the lady Renegade and Yuan- the mysterious friend-professor-Cerberus-seraph whom was not a member of Cruxis.

Colette giggled at her and she realised she had been dangerously close to zoning back into her confused thoughts. She looked past her to see that Martuan was now peering into the open mouth of the ruins that led down via steps to the lower and much hotter dungeon. Nodding to Colette, she caught up with the woman and stared down the entrance too, waiting for her lead. Martuan gave her a look before heading down first.

"H-hey!" she found herself defending as she followed, Colette in step with her. "Sometimes a girl just has to think, alright?"

"I have no issue with you thinking," Martuan responded back curtly. "It is your lack of ability to keep moving while you have such thoughts that annoys me."

Sheelos decided silence was needed. If the conversation kept heading in that direction, there was no doubt that she would end up explaining what she had been thinking about. Since she barely understood it herself and it was clear that Colette at least hadn't had the slightest clue as to what she had meant by her earlier comment in Iselia, she wanted to avoid that conversation as much as possible. If playing the Game of Questions with Yuan had taught her anything over the many years she had been forced to play it, it was the ability to judge the direction of a conversation much more accurately and steer it in a more desired direction.

"So how will getting the Summon Spirits help Lloyd?" she asked, even though she partly knew the answer. Martuan, of course, had her own reasons to stop Mithos from having so much power and probably taking the Angelus Project from Lloyd, but she suspected there was more to it than that. This would be a good test to know how much she and Yuan had been planning together. There was also the fact that Martuan wished to use her and the Summon Spirits in her plans to use the Mana Cannon.

"The world can no longer continue the cycle it is on," Martuan answered simply.

Colette's face scrunched in delight at hearing those words and she nodded enthusiastically even though Martuan couldn't actually see her from up front where she was walking and leading them through the dungeon. They were already more than halfway and the enemies that lurked in the corridors (that she and Yuan had killed the first time around) were back but for some reason paying little attention to them.

"Lloyd needs to in the very least escape Mithos and by getting the summon spirits, we will distract him for a time," the Renegade added. It was a pretty smart move on her part. She'd stated the truth in such a way that it sounded different depending on the ears that heard it. Sheelos grinned briefly at her cunning. Colette would have had no choice to imagine Yggdrasil hadn't wanted them to change the world he had created by releasing the two worlds from their mana link and splitting them since he had 'created' the world in the first place.

Deciding it was time to steel herself for the coming battle, Sheelos decided questioning Martuan could wait. A teleporter stood not too far away from them now, it's blue hue standing out amongst the general atmosphere of reds, oranges and browns. They'd gone through the middle door leading into the giant room and headed up several raised blocks. She passed a flying bird monster and watched as it merely tilted its head at her as though curious. She snapped her gaze back to Martuan. The woman had done _something._ She wondered what the fight with Efreet was going to be like.

Xxx

Two mana-doctors ran diagonally across the field from opposite ends, sending healing signatures to all that were close enough. Seeing that the children were all replenished, Kraine dearly wished he had time and opportunity to ask Annalicia if she were still alright. That however, had gotten him into trouble the last time and sent her coming forth into his body. He couldn't let her be put in danger like that again, so he resisted the urge to gaze into the blood red glass ball attached to his hand and kept his eyes on the field.

His searching eyes quickly spotted a flash of red amongst the sea of white, black and mostly blue outfits the members of the seraphinalia wore. Every instinct in his body switching to the same somewhat frustrating capricious mode he had found himself in earlier while facing Mithos, he threw caution to the wind and bolted into the fray. Of course, the angels were smarter than to let him be on his way to his son. Lifting his sword to be ready for them, he waited for them to charge in. With a laborious swing of his sword in a crescent-moon around himself, he finished them and continued.

Slowly getting closer to reaching Lloyd, he noticed several things had changed about the boys demeanour. The first was that he wasn't _fighting,_ just dodging and sinking further back into the crowd away from him with each passing moment. It was no surprise. He had been unarmed since their run in with Gabriel's underlings at Altessa's house. He was vulnerable. But there was something else that bothered Kraine too. Lloyd's mana signature. When he'd been young, he had not had one, but as an angel thanks to the exsphere he wore on his left hand, it had always been rather calm in nature unless he was fighting. Now however, there seemed to be something different mixed in to the signature. It hadn't been there before when they'd been trapped in the cage together.

Squinting through the gap between angels at him for a moment while he fended off a new attacker, he understood it better. Something was definitely different. The usual orange and blue hue of Lloyd's mana signature spread out far beyond its normal aura-like appearance. _This_ had to be why Mithos had kidnapped him. If he had only wanted the Angelus Project, he would have been able to take it easily during the lapse in paused time after knocking Lloyd unconscious. He finally got the upperhand and ended his opponent before taking the time to cast another spell for the party in the general vicinity. He felt his legs buckling underneath him even before releasing it.

x

Lloyd watched as yet another nurse glowing in hues of blue and green ran past his location. An enemy scraped at his shoulder from the side right as it happened but he barely even felt the pain. Instead he felt the cool sensation of being healed. It seemed Kraine was still alright. The magic did wonders for the small cuts he had continued to sustain while trying to reach where he had started off. His back still stung badly and the aching in his neck that he had coped with for days now ached even worse than before. The earlier searing on his hand had transformed into painful throbs of heat as well.

Turning and running into a new empty gap slightly closer to the other side of the room, he noticed two large swords on the ground at his feet from downed seraphs. Hearing the flap of enemy wings from above, to the side and behind as well, he didn't have time to contemplate whether it was a good idea or not and just picked them up with each hand. Immediately he noticed just why twin swords were sold as a set. The weapons felt incredibly heavy and unbalanced. Lifting them to catch the two short daggers driving toward him from above, he was confident to add how unnatural they felt to the list. He sidestepped when the angel that had thrown them toward his head flew down to get in an attack of opportunity and struck the winged foe in the side with one sword, the other he had been bringing up behind it awkwardly missing its target. He watched as the angel fell into another one, giving him time to turn and catch the next attacker in a side swipe. The moment the first sword connected, he felt a horrible twinge run down his arm and to his back. The large wound he'd gotten from another angel during his fight with Remiel ached unbearably for a second and he dropped the sword that had connected.

He didn't have time to catch it before another enemy lunged a small flail he'd started spinning above his head at him. Just barely hitting it away with the flat of his sword, he ducked and stabbed into the angels stomach with the second sword to end things. Pulling the sword out after the stab seemed nigh impossible and he didn't have much time to try before he heard the twang of an arrow being released from a bow from behind. It grazed against the top of his right ear as he stepped to the side and whirled around to see his attacker.

" _That was a close one.."_ he thought as he breathed heavily and tried to distance himself from the archer now in his view. No weapon felt like a better option at this stage. If he attempted to move more with the swords, he might end up impaled.

Turning his head slightly, he finally saw the eyes of Kraine straight on him, the signature blue hue of his wings soon after. It still seemed strange to see him with wings behind his back, even after all this time. Something was wrong though. The attention the professor usually commanded using his eyes was not there. It was like he was looking at a shell. Memories of how Kraine had acted the night before came to the forefront of his mind. "Kraine!"

Kraine didn't react all that much to his name being called, confirming his fears. In such close proximity, he would have definitely heard him under normal circumstances. Seeing another opening through the barricade of angels that were ready to start fighting again, he skidded under it to land closer to Kraine. Through the gaps as he dodged enemies to his left and right, he could see the seraph's full form properly. He looked to be in the middle of casting a spell in the direction of Presea and Genis and didn't appear to have seen the enemy coming at him from behind yet. He opened his mouth to call out but was stopped by some attackers of his own. "Not now," he growled, landing a dwarven fist on one. "One of my friends is in trouble!" He stole a glance in the direction of Kraine again but could see nothing now. It didn't seem like he was standing anymore.

x

" _Kraine,"_ Annalicia called to him worriedly while he tried to gain a grip on reality again. _"Take off the Cruxis crystal!"_

It wasn't as easy as just taking it off. He knew she knew that. It had embedded itself into his skin long ago and the only way it was going to be removed was by a sword to his hand. He couldn't do it anyway. Annalicia had survived within the Angelus Project, but without him she would lose her connection with the world once again. That wasn't the only issue with her plea either. He was sure that regular Cruxis crystals did something to the people they absorbed if they were trapped for longer periods of time. That was why they never worked in Mithos' experiments and only gave their wearers seraph wings and angelic abilities. Overhearing the researchers back at the facility where the Angelus Experiment had first started talk about the properties Cruxis crystals had in comparison to exspheres was enough to suggest that a similar difference existed between Cruxis crystals and the next state- the Angelus crystal.

He became suddenly aware of movement behind him. Instead of circling around to face his enemy, he instead found himself on the ground and looking up at Lloyd, his son, as he blocked an attack using his arms. He yelped in pain and fell down beside him as blood dripped from the wound he'd sustained. Kraine looked over him, unsure what to say. He'd been careless and allowed Lloyd to save him when it had been he who had been trying to find him in the first place.

"Kraine," Lloyd breathed to him, his voice hoarse as he clutched the wounds on his arms. "You're not proving anything by dying here. We _can_ win this fight." He looked up and grinned his usual confident smile. Any other time, Kraine might have berated him for being so careless, but instead he found himself smiling at his fighting words. Lloyd had the effect on everyone he met. No matter how bad things seemed, it felt as though that when Lloyd professed everything would be okay, it might actually be true. Always the idealist. So much like Mithos... but so different too.

Using the remaining part of his energy while they sat there practically waiting to be finished off, he summoned a small barrier around the two of them to deflect the oncoming attack in four directions by the four angels around them. The angels that hit it screeched and flew back from the impact, but the shield faded soon after. Without even a second thought, he threw himself in front of Lloyd. Panic spawned in the boys eyes.

"Lloyd," he muttered, "don't die." With those words said, he closed his eyes and waited.

The moment he waited for the pain to come seemed to last a little too long. It was only when he felt the lack of Lloyd's presence in front of him and the slight tickle of something soft like a feather on the back of his neck that he sprung his eyelids open once more to discover first of all that Lloyd was gone.

"I won't die," he heard Lloyd say to him from behind. He twisted around on his knees to see the boy grinning at him, two gleaming swords of gold and white in his grips. The almost blinding white blades were slicked with blood but he didn't have to wonder what had happened. The corpses of their attackers lay on the ground at Lloyd's feet, their eyes and mouths wide with the surprise they'd experienced at the time of their deaths.

Lloyd waved one sword in front of his face and followed the movement with his eyes. "Cool. Didn't know I could do that!" He looked pretty surprised and looked at Kraine questioningly. He didn't know what to say to that though- surprised for a different reason. They weren't just _any_ swords. Somehow Lloyd had learned the art of summoning swords in the same way half-elves did. Not only that, but the swords he had summoned looked uncannily similar to one he had seen before in the hand of a young half-elf boy who had once been his apprentice. The coincidences of their situation continuing to mount, he felt a stronger urge than ever before to keep Lloyd away from Mithos.

Lloyd turned his head up from their brief glance at each other to the battlefield that had been behind them. Genis and Presea were still fighting; Kraine could still hear the cries of Genis' spells and the yells of Presea as she swung her axe. He turned hus head to look too. When he felt the mana welling up in the air though, he realised his error in looking away from Lloyd. Even to a non-elven eye, his mana signature glowed outside his body.

"Let's finish this," Lloyd said, an unnatural gleam of excitement in his eyes. He spread his arms out wide by his sides and then slowly moved his left hand out to his front, flexing it so it looked like he was holding out his hand to Kraine to help him up.

Kraine knew better though and finally managed to get to his feet. "Lloyd!"

Lloyd didnt even look at him, just continued to focus. He stomped over and shook him. "Lloyd wait! Stop this!"

It was too late. Whatever Lloyd was doing with the magic he was using, he released it. An almighty crash sounded from behind and he whirled around to see an enormous magical blade the height of the room had fallen into the middle of the fray. Genis and Presea froze what they were doing and stared up at it for an instant before a single wave of light pulsated from it. From the center near the blade to the outer edges of the battle field, the seraphinalia started to disintegrate, letting out high pitched shrieks and yells as they did. All was silent in the moment that followed until Kraine heard a gasp and turned in time to catch his son as he fainted into his arms.


	60. Associates of the Angelus

Several things ran through Presea's mind as the giant sword of magic that had appeared before her and Genis vanished in a bright flash of light. Everything including the feathers from the downed seraphinalia and their weapons too had vanished after the fight as though there had never been one to begin with. The first question was who had done it? It certainly had not been her or Genis.

The second question was where had Lloyd gotten to? Glancing over to the north-west area of the room, she could see that he had left the spot she had seen him last. She didn't have to question for too long though because Genis let out a call in his name when he turned to face in the opposite direction to her. She whirled around just in time to see the twin-swordsman collapse into Kraine's arms, two brightly glowing swords similar to the giant magical one she had seen before disintegrating from his hands.

Kraine sat still with Lloyd collapsed in his arms, seeming content to watch rather than wake him. Trying to ignore her fury at him currently, she sprinted beside Genis to their location on the floor a short distance out from the cell that they had been trapped in when Genis had last spoken with them. That had been right before the Angelus Project had practically spat her out into the real world. It still felt odd to be able to run in any direction and not hit a wall almost immediately after being in the exsphere for so long, but at the same time it didn't. She had been as one with Genis for a long time before now after all.

"Kraine!" Genis greeted the seraph with relief, not really to her surprise. Kraine looked up from Lloyd at the two of them, setting his eyes on her first. She made sure to stay as apathetic as possible while he was focused on her. They would need to have a conversation, but this was not the time. The seraph looked to Genis, who smiled awkwardly at him. "Are you okay Kraine?" He looked past him at Lloyd. "Was that magic.. Lloyd?"

Some strange things had been happening to her since she had emerged from the Angelus Project, but even lacking the ability to sense mana signatures anymore, Presea knew enough about how Kraine's magic generally felt and looked to know it must have been someone else. It hadn't been Genis or herself, so that really only left one other option.

"Yes," Kraine answered, turning his head back to look at Lloyd. He seemed to be completely out cold. "As things are, I believe it's important to leave post-haste." With those words he stood and gave Genis a look that they both recognised. It was the kind of look that was usually preceded by an uncomfortable question. "Where is Mithos?"

Uncomfortable it certainly was. The two of them had expected it to come up, but they hadn't yet formed a plan on how to answer. Presea glanced over to the exit. She didn't care much for Mithos or his ideals (even though Genis did), but she did care for Yuan. The blue haired half-elf had come to them just in the nick of time to enable them to race in and help Lloyd and Kraine. Powerful though they were, Mithos had put them in a death trap. Yuan had told them to not tell anyone of his presence in Welgaia but with the way Genis still trusted Kraine almost fully after everything he had done to them, she was pretty much just waiting for him to spill the beans.

"He's kind of tied up at the moment," Genis said in the most awkward dodge of a question imaginable. Kraine was far too smart to let it go. Presea kept her eyes averted and a blank look on her face even though she could feel a giggle building up in her chest. It was hard to be angry at Genis for how he felt toward Kraine and Mithos when he was so smart but so socially awkward. Not that she could really say that she was much different. The distinction between her life and Genis' still wasn't all that clear, but she knew in her heart that they were different people.

"Mithos will not be trying to track us right now," she decided to add to his statement since it couldn't get much worse. She figured that at least if Kraine tried to get the truth out of her, she could easily just ignore him. Kraine had lied to them and he had lied to Lloyd. He'd been willing to sacrifice his own son at the Tower of Salvation. For that and for his involvement in Annalicia's death which she still had yet to hear come straight from him, she could not ever forgive him.

As anticipated, Kraine looked instantly suspicious of her and Genis. He dropped his curiosity sooner than she thought normal though, standing and lifting Lloyd over his shoulders like a ragdoll. It was only then that she noticed how wounded _he_ was too. A once most likely quite eye catching button up suit shirt was now reduced to a dirty rag, torn to shreds by the battles and showing Kraine's bruised purple skin underneath the gashes. Having never seen him in such a state, she would have been lying to herself if she didn't admit that it made her feel incredibly anxious.

Just looking at his skeptical blue eyes on her and Genis set her memory reeling back to the night they had become themselves inside the Angelus Project. Annalicia had taken over to protect them. The tender words Kraine had spoken as he looked at her sister and the words she had responded with in kind left little to the imagination. They had very clearly been in love, but if the rumours were true and he _had_ admitted to the crime of killing someone, everything she had ever spoken to him about was a lie. He was not her brother. He was nothing more than a criminal with a guilt complex.

Being able to believe that fully would have made things so much easier. She was not an idiot though. Things were rarely that black and white. When all was said and done though, Annalicia would still be dead.

Or would she?

xxx

Fatigue buzzed through Mithos' body and forced him to sink to his knees at the most inopportune time. Clutching his chest with one hand and his forehead with the other, he regarded the blue haired half-elf whom he had once called his friend and the classic butterfly blade gripped in his left hand. Things didn't seem right any more. It was the same feeling he had experienced over and over during the time Lloyd's group had started to get the summon spirits. This was by far the worst of it though. It didn't just feel as though he was missing a finger- no- it felt like a whole entire limb had been ripped from him and thrown to a pack of wolves. An indescribable emptiness.

"W..what's happening?" he asked to his would-be assailant as he winced again. He didn't _really_ need to ask. It was more of a question of _why._

"You could consider this to be your just desserts for going against our deal," Yuan remarked airily.

"Just what have you done?" He gave him the evil eye, trying to get any semblance of information from him since he knew Yuan would not give him a straight answer.

"Nothing but attempt to save your life," Yuan said casually as though it was such an obvious thing. Mithos found himself at a loss as he usually did. Yuan's battle-ready expression wore down to a more relaxed one at seeing that he was obviously in no state to fight him again yet.

Mithos found himself mocking his choice. "Wouldn't finishing me off make everything easier?"

Since seeing Yuan at Origin's seal, he had been convinced that he was just like the others; out to take the Summon Spirits from him because of the fascination with the idea that the world needed saving from its ordeal. While it was true that Tethe'alla had prospered for a little too long currently, nothing good had come from the two countries when they had been together. Martuan's idea of creating a new world tree by somehow feeding the dormant seed enough mana to grow was preposterous as well. It created as many problems as it solved.

Though Origin had not told him much about anything (including combined souls and why he had been able to see them), he had seemingly not been able to withhold everything from him. One night in a dream, he had experienced what he had always thought to have been a premonition or a sight of the future where the Great Seed had germinated. Cities had been destroyed by the sudden imbalance in the mana and the world began to abuse it more than ever before.

"To quite the contrary actually," Yuan scowled in response, collapsing his blade in the overly showy fashion that was pretty typical of him. "The world needs a leader to follow by example," he continued to add. "I've seen what happens if you continue down this path. It is.. undesirable." He looked like he had more to say but was holding back.

"Cryptic as always," Mithos stated, turning his head away to hide the smile tugging at his lips. Yuan had not changed at all. "Just when were you planning on explaining yourself properly to me?"

"There is no need for that," the bluenette quickly responded. He rested a hand on his hip and raised a questioning eyebrow a him. "You accepted my guidance long ago. Why should that have changed?"

" _Let me think.. maybe because you're_ _ **still alive?"**_ Mithos knew better than to voice his thoughts though. The half-elf responded as though he had heard his remark however. "You have not changed. You are still as easy to read as the books in my knapsack." He crossed his arms. "Half-elves have never been accepted. I am simply trying to ensure things are different this time." He hesitated at the end of his sentence and his blue eyebrows furrowed. "In a sense at least. There are some things that even I cannot change."

"So you have seen the future?" Mithos asked, unsure if he was ready to believe such a simple answer to the question about the Yuan enigma that had been bothering him for so long. If that _was_ in fact the truth, he was going to demand know how Yuan had come to have such powers. Even he, when he had been in control of Origin, had not wielded such abilities.

"I don't make a habit of repeating myself," Yuan responded, "but in a sense." He turned his back to him and summoned his pink seraph wings. Though Mithos rolled his eyes when Yuan wasn't looking, he understood how good they were for making a statement that needed to be listened to. He waited for the explanation to start but was surprised when Yuan walked toward the door instead. "This world needs Mithos the Hero to return. Do not be foolish with this chance you have been given to do the right thing."

He held up the wrist that the Cruxis crystal he wore sat on and whipped his head back to peer back at him. "It may be hard to believe Mithos, but I assure you that we want the same thing." His eyes narrowed with seriousness then. Mithos felt a chill go down his spine at that. It was like he was about to be scolded by Martuan. An involuntary gulp made its way to his throat. "We both want Martel back," Yuan finished. He pressed the button on the door and left.

Now alone in the data chambers where he had been watching the fight between Lloyd, Kraine and the seraphinalia he found himself staring at the silver door long after it had whooshed shut behind Yuan. He allowed himself to sink into his own thoughts to try and correlate the information he had so far, confident that he would not find himself disturbed for some time. He closed his eyes in order to concentrate a little easier.

Yuan had come in to his life in as much of a mystery back when he had first met him as he did every time he subsequently met him four thousand years later. In truth, he hadn't needed to threaten the truth out of his old friend the night the group had left them alone at the sail boat. He'd known just by the colour of his blue hair that it was the same Yuan. It was the same impressive shade of electric blue as Martuan- an odd colour for elves and half-elves even more so. There was no way he would have mistaken him for anyone else. He hadn't been able to resist seeing him squirm a little though. It served him right anyway for attempting to pull the wool over his eyes by hiding his mana signature from him.

He had met him the first time only a short time after he, Martuan and Kratos had made a break for freedom with exspheres in tow after giving the scientists of the Angelus Project what they deserved. Gabriel had been the next to join them after quite literally bumping into them during their escape. Showing them the exsphere implanted into his chest, he'd told them that he too had been a test subject for the project. Shortly before leaving the facility, they had been stopped by a howling noise from one of the chambers. Even if he hadn't had a soft spot for animals, Martuan would taken the initiative and led (forced) them to save the beast. With their combined reason against the other two members of their party, they had sprinted to the rescue despite their limited time to escape while the alarm blared overhead.

Finding the beast and finally escaping their ordeal soon after, they had curiously began to wonder what he was. He certainly was no normal dog. After some brief research following a hunch of Kratos', they had discovered him to be a rare creature called a Protozoan- the first race to be born in the world. He was a creature guided by mana, similar in many ways to the Summon Spirits that governed the elements of the world. Though they had never seen it, they had learned his first form had been a fish-like creature called an Aquan and his second form had been of avian nature, called an Aeros. He was still currently in the third form they had found him in, the dog-like Arshis, but would eventually evolve to have a fourth and fifth form. Not a lot was officially known about his next forms, except that his fifth and final form was a human who would fight evil. Mithos grimaced to himself at the irony that was the fact that they wouldn't have been able to happen across information about him if he had not once been in the hands of researchers prior.

They had not forced the Protozoan to stay with them, but the creature had taken quite the liking to Kratos in particular and had just sort of stayed with them after that. Kratos had then voiced his discomfort at them calling him "dog" "puppy" and "sweetie-pie" and suitably named him Noishe after that.

His first fateful meeting with Yuan had happened on the very same night he had first discovered his wings and they finally started to understand the true meaning behind the Angelus Project. After some intense conversation between the group about hiding his secret as much as possible and them monitoring him closely, he had felt the urge to separate himself from them in order to gather his thoughts and feelings about what was happening. The idea of being closely monitored bugged him since he had been losing his appetite for days. They had only just escaped from the testing facility, so he didn't want his friends to worry about him. Martuan monitored him enough already as it was, even back when they had been test subjects. He had always been made to eat his food no matter how foul it was because she insisted that he keep up his strength.

After finally getting his companions to agree to let him go as long as he didn't wander too far, Noishe had quickly joined his side and gone along with him. The Arshis' had quickly sped into a gallop after they had gotten a distance away from the group however. Only _just_ managing to get a grip of a tuft of his fur before he ran out of reach, he had managed to vault himself up to the 'dog's' back in time before he accelerated and dashed further away.

Stopping in a clearing, the first glimpse Mithos had ever seen of Yuan had been his blue hair. It was so much like the woman who he'd been unable to not dote over after she had shown such kindness to him over their time trapped in the facility together. Before any surprised words could be exchanged between the two as they immediately sensed their half-elf signatures, Noishe had bolted out from under his grip to take a juicy looking red tomato straight from Yuan's hand, sending him falling onto a patch of very damp grass. Being a somewhat sheltered boy at the time, he hadn't met many other half-elves aside from Martuan. Because of that, he had pretty much instantly and almost instinctively trusted him. Thinking of that, Mithos chuckled under his breath at how naive his child self had been.

While feeding Noishe tomatoes and dodging question after question by responding with other questions when it came to do with why he was there in the first place or how he knew Noishe, Yuan had quickly showed him that the trust he had placed in him was indeed warranted. Though he had been made to promise not to share the information with his friends, Yuan had been the one to impart to him some extra knowledge about Protozoans and the fourth form, the Fenrilra. The fourth form of Protozoan was the most curious of all as it would eventually give Noishe the ability to change between his forms at will. Fascinated by that idea and by the other information that Yuan had given him, Mithos hadn't been able to resist seeking him out each night after that when Noishe got restless and ventured from the group.

Each night, Yuan would have new information or stories of "other times" to tell him. His favourite one had been the one about a young boy who had risked everything to save his sister. The story hadn't had a happy ending, but Yuan had explained that it was not because the boy did not care enough that his sister had not survived. It had been because he had only been as young as himself at the time of his sisters death and had linked something in her dying words with the ability to bring her back to life when he succeeded in fulfilling her wish. Yuan had also explained that things may have turned out differently had the boy received proper guidance from his friends. Funnily enough, Yuan had ended the story with "and everyone else lived happily ever after.. for a time, anyway."

The mysterious man always liked to leave his stories on cliffhangers. Despite the Kharlan War going on all around them and causing the mana in the air to grow thinner each day, Mithos had found himself hooked and constantly pondering things. By the time each night fell and he met Yuan, he had always found himself bursting with questions. At first his questions had yielded little answers in return from his half-elf friend, but that hadn't stopped him from trying to ask again and again. Through questioning Yuan back about the questions he responded with, he had started to figure out just how to get answers through the questions by 'reading between the lines'.

Sighing to himself at the particular memory, Mithos realised he was probably the most to blame for Yuan's current frustrating ability to dodge questions so expertly. He hadn't made it easy for himself.

After discovering that Yuan followed them wherever they went, his desire to introduce him to the rest of his friends had grown insurmountably. He was certain Yuan and Martuan would get on quite well and that Kratos and Yuan would argue but probably become best friends. Since he had considered Yuan to be in the same league as his other friends, it only felt natural. Upon asking him if he wanted to meet them though, Yuan had given him the most cryptic answer he had ever heard in his life.

" _My direct involvement in the outcome of your journey will lead to severe consequences not only for myself but for the world. More than you could possibly imagine."_

Of course, he had asked for an elaboration. Yuan had given him an ultimatum instead of an elaboration however.

" _If you would allow me, I will assist you and your friends where I can in order to ensure the world and half-elves will eventually know peace."_

Just a brief couple of sentences had been all it took to get the wheels in his mind turning. Since that night, he had started to notice the suffering of people around him more and more. On one hand, he had thought the humans deserved it for starting the war to begin, but on the other he couldn't help but feel bad for them, especially when Martuan looked so sad whenever they passed through a village of regular civilians affected by the war.

What bothered him the most though was seeing how the decrease in mana was affecting nature. After a long trek across the land to find Yggdrasil- the world tree that he had only heard about from his friends- he had discovered it was no longer as they had described it to him. Standing under its majestic foliage and touching its trunk was enough to tell him something quite serious was wrong. Nothing, not even the development of exspheres to enhance battle stamina, had affected him as much as seeing the tree dying before him. Taking the trees name as his own since he could not remember his original one, he had vowed that day to stop the war. Martuan had been by his side, agreeing to his notion in a matter of moments, Kratos and Gabriel soon after.

Their goal clear, they had initially lacked any direction. It didn't take long for Yuan's words to him to seep into his brain again though. His next encounter with his friend had been one of more importance than the usual tales by the side of a snoring Noishe.

" _Where can you find out how to help the world?"_ Yuan had asked back pointlessly before responding a little better. _"Where would one normally go to gather information on Summon Spirits?"_

The answer had been a library and the subject was Summon Spirits. Finishing his Game of Questions quite prematurely with Yuan, he had dragged Noishe back to the group to tell them of 'his' idea. If any of them had been suspicious of his sudden stroke of genius, they had never said.

After both Martuan and Kratos had used their connections to their advantage in order to sneak into libraries without being seen by anyone who may have been connected to the Angelus Project, they had found themselves formulating a plan. If they were able to control the Summon Spirits, they may also be able to control the flow of mana and stop the war. If they couldn't do that, it was possible that they might be able to gain leverage on the people and scare them into submission. Though he didn't say it to his friends, the idea of using his wings to portray an even scarier image had crossed his mind more than once.

After seeking out Undine first, he had discovered to much his surprise that he was the one who would be enlisting the help of the spirits. They had all decided prior to the battle that Martuan would be the best bet. Her ability to read mana signatures was the best out of the two of them by far and so it seemed she had more spiritual power in general. Everyone had been stunned in the moment that Undine had looked at him and requested he make a new pact to annulst the pact she had made with a woman named Sheena in the past.

Eventually it came to making the last pact- the one with Origin. That was when everything had changed. The moment Origin had begrudgingly given him his power and he had come up with the idea to use the eternal sword to split the nations apart since their earlier plans had been met with failure, he had never been able to see the world normally. All of a sudden the reason why people did not understand the concept of loving in a non-maternal way started to make sense. Though Origin did not answer him when he asked, his reluctance to answer had been an answer in itself anyway. Origin had done something to the world.

After using the eternal sword, he had found himself with the ability to see the separate mana and energy signatures of people around him. Martuan had two separate ones that seemed to compete for dominance and Kratos had two others that had been quite dormant at the time but steadily grown in power. The only one of his friends who did not have two energy signatures was Gabriel. Yuan had disappeared from his life from that point onward so he hadn't ever been able to get a good reading of his.

Even being sheltered, he had been taught a little of his ancestry by Martuan and by reading about it through books. Elves had always understood the concept of love- it was only most of the humans that did not seem to. Though he still didn't understand why half-elves that were combined souls understood the concept and humans did not, the problem had definitely started with Origin.

Learning more about his new power and training it so that he could gradually gain more information from the souls within the bodies of almost everyone around him, he also began to notice other afflictions the world seemed to have. Though elves and half-elves understood love, the half-elves in Exire had still exhibited afflictions similar to the humans. Some people and half-elves changed their appearance and personality as they grew older and as the weaker spirits that sometimes resided within the stronger ones became more dominant. The world seemed to go on as normal when people quite literally woke up looking different. It was only when he had been researching the phenomenon with Kratos that Origin's influence on that had been pretty much confirmed. His human teacher had always remembered what the people had looked like before and their names when others did not. The only plausible reason they could come up with was the fact that he had some of Origin's power as well since he was quite literally the seal for Origin.

Getting better at using his new power had led him to the startling discovery that one of Martuan's souls was such a close match to his mana signature that it could have only meant one thing. At first he had been surprised to discover that she had been his sister possibly at some point and he may have just forgotten, but then he had started to realise that it made sense. He had always loved her as a sister and she had seemed to always respond in her own kind of sisterly way to him as well.

It was when he confided in Gabriel about his findings that the human-turned-seraph had come up with a plan after saying that he remembered reading about some other properties evolved exspheres had. Though initially reluctant, he had agreed to begin a new Angelus Project. Enlisting the help of Rodyle and the other Grand Cardinals, they had eventually come to the conclusion that exspheres worked by absorbing mana and so it was definitely possible to use them to absorb a souls mana and that if they could control the way they absorbed mana, it would be possible to transfer a soul from one body to another. In order for compatibility though, a soul with a close mana signature to her own would be needed. That was when he had decided to set up the Journey of Regeneration- not just as a means for the balance of mana to shift, but as a way to be able to save his sister, Martel, from her current situation as a twin soul.

Everything seemed to be going according to plan when Colloyd finally made it to the last seal. Then the unexpected situation of the Chosen splitting into the two souls that inhabited his body had occurred. He had thought Colloyd had a mere Cruxis crystal since the Angelus Project had been lost since the night the boys mother had been killed by Kraine. He had tasked Kraine and given Gabriel the order to hand down to the Grand Cardinals to find it again but had not heard of any success. His curiosity on Lloyd's exsphere before he had known there were two had led him to do a little investigating on his own. Becoming their sail boat captain, he had much more of an opportunity to research just what might have caused the split to happen at the tower. After all, Cruxis crystals were far easier to develop than Angelus Projects.

Never had he suspected that the Angelus Project had only moved to Kraine's own son, nor his sister-in-law. He still did not understand how there could have been two Angelus Projects when they had spent hundreds of years trying to create just one with the right host body.

Something caught his eye on the monitor that sat on a desk just a little bit away from him. Yuan had long since left the area, as had (presumably) the others. He stood from his spot and headed over to it and the control panel that sat in front of it, noticing he had recovered while deep in his thoughts as he did. Pressing the directional keys on the control panel, he scrolled through the different rooms until he saw movement. A door shut behind a figure. Mashing the keys, he waded through the rooms until he found the one that connected to the other one. He eyeballed the figure immediately to discover it was one he recognised. A familiar brown haired man in a Pope's outfit stood waiting for an elevator on one of the lower floors.

" _Perfect."_ He looked to the door and planned his next move out in his head while he waited for Gabriel to reach him. Despite what he had seen at Origin's seal in Torent Forest, a part of him still did not want to believe that the human could have planned to betray him. It sent a stab to his heart even more than the idea that Martuan or Kraine may have planned the exact same thing. Gabriel had never voiced negativity toward his idea and always helped him toward his goal of saving Martel. The question still remained though- had he really wanted to simply take Origin's power from him to save him from the burden? Still holding onto the toggle while he watched and waited for the door to his room to open, he clenched his fist around it. It didn't seem right. He wanted to believe in Gabriel more than anything but the evidence against him was currently pretty damning. It was a confusing set of feelings that he hoped to be rid of post-conversation with his friend and old comrade.

Even though he had been watching intently, the door still startled him as it whooshed open with its usual electronic buzz to reveal Gabriel on the other side. Annoyingly, he found himself tongue tied as to what to say first.

Luckily the human took the initiative. "I should have figured that you would go to these extremes." He scanned the room over carefully for a second before looking back at him, this time with a less serious look. Mithos felt himself relaxing again but waited for him to say something more. He did. "Yuan has left, I hope?"

"Yuan?" he asked, finally able to get his voice out. "How did you even know he wa-"

Gabriel waved his hand around to cut him off and he obeyed like a child. He felt like kicking himself soon after though. Gabriel took a few steps toward him, making him quickly summon his sword in response. The human didn't flinch at the sight though and instead proceeded to place a hand on his head. "Nevermind that," Gabriel spoke softly to him. He had a great gleam in his eye now. Even after all this time, Mithos didn't know whether the look was to be feared or savoured. Gabriel continued. "Because I have decided that it is finally time to tell you the truth."

"The truth?"

Gabriel sighed and bowed his head. "The truth about Yuan and about the time I first met him four thousand years ago."


	61. A breath of blue air

"I suppose you would know how to get out of here," Genis commented quietly under his breath as he looked up at Kraine walking beside him. Presea walked a couple of paces behind, deliberating her next move carefully. Should they force Kraine to come clean right away about what had happened to Annalicia? Or should they get as much other information they could out of him about what he might have suspected was happening with Lloyd first? Would Genis allow her to go all out on the man who had killed her- _their_ sister?

She frowned and tilted her head in confusion at herself. Even when she imagined her sister, it was hard to imagine that Genis was also her brother and that the two of them were related. Doubly so since she had appeared to be a human now after their split. Genis was clearly still of half-elf blood as he could use magic. No matter how she had tried while she had been fighting the seraphinalia, no magic had come from her body to her weapon.

"I am a member of Cruxis," Kraine answered to Genis. "Welgaia, the angel city, has been a part of Derris Kharlan since its origins."

"I bet Lloyd would love this place if he had a chance to scout it out," Genis supposed. Presea smiled to herself at picturing how he _would_ react. He'd been enamoured by the buildings in Meltokio as it was. She supposed having a dwarf for a foster dad had done that to him.

"Dirk is a good father," she said, knowing even without seeing Kraine's reaction that she had hit the spot where it hurt. "Colette and Lloyd are lucky to have him." Even if it did hurt Kraine's pride, she feared he was going to have a lot more than that hurting by the end of their inevitable conversation. She felt a pair of hot tears run down her cheeks and quickly looked down. Her head and her heart both hurt and wished for the inner turmoil to be over. She wanted.. no, she _needed_ answers.

She realised she had stopped walking while in her thoughts and that Genis had approached with a concerned look on his slightly elven features. She did her best to smile, but he didn't look like he was buying it. It was still kind of strange to look at him and think that they had both been one person once. It seemed like so long ago now. So much had happened since then. What was stranger though, she thought, was how _normal_ it felt to be herself.

"Are you okay Presea?" Genis asked, tilting his head and crouching his knees a little to try and get a look at her face. She kept her eyes downcast and closed them so he could not figure out she had been crying. "I am fine Genis. We shouldn't dawdle here."

Her silver haired companion agreed with a nod but still didn't move. She waited for him to explain what else was on his mind, meanwhile knowing Kraine was watching them from the next door like a hawk. "What do we do?" he whispered under his breath.

"Our first priority is Lloyd's safety," she explained as delicately as she could. "He was not a part of y- _our_ deal with Mithos." She hoped Genis would see sense in her argument. To her relief he seemed to be happy with her point. Hearing a loud sigh from Kraine, she shared another glance with him before they went about moving to catch up to the seraph. He pressed a round red button at the side of the door, making it whoosh open and let in a waft of air that briefly smelled like Ozette. She puzzled over this for a few seconds while Kraine checked to make sure the coast was clear. Nodding to himself, he led them down the west path of the three readily available to them.

They only spent a short time in silence, listening to their feet clacking on the echoing floor until Kraine let out another sigh. It meant more than impatience this time though. "This is far too easy," he elaborated, seeing they had both cast questioning expressions at him. "Does Mithos truly wish for us to escape after he went to the trouble of bringing us here?" He scanned the area to the north where a teleporter sat. Presea knew that one well. _That_ led to where Mithos had been. He knew exactly where Mithos was. For a second, she watched him hesitate in his actions to keep heading toward the exit, turning one foot to start toward the teleporter instead. Whether or not he sensed her fury at that, she wasn't sure, but he stopped his action and quickly kept going down the original path he had been leading them.

"I'm pretty sure he doesn't _want_ us to escape," Genis voiced, walking in stride next to him. "He brought us all here for a reason. He said he-"

"Genis," Presea cut in, "we should not trust Kraine with any information we know." She traipsed up next to him as she instructed him so that she could gauge Kraine's reaction easier. She was a glutton for punishment. She wanted to see him keep up his hardened barrier around even them. "Do not forget that he is our enemy," she added. "He is using Ignorance is Knowledge on us, Genis."

To her surprise, Kraine smiled a little at that. "Quite the wise one," he said, sounding amused to much her annoyance. "Don't forget who it was that taught the two of you that creed in the first place however."

Genis made a face that looked as though he were trying hard not to smile as he looked down at his feet. They pressed forward in silence briefly, in which Presea gave herself the opportunity to wonder which half-elf she was being too hard on. The question she'd had for a while hung in her mind still. Just why was Genis acting so differently to her about it all? They had exactly the same memories of everything.

"Might I point out that there is nobody I _could_ give whatever information you have acquired _to_ that wouldn't already know?" Kraine asked. Presea rubbed her temples in silence. He had them there.

"That's what I thought," Genis agreed, perking back up and smiling cattily. His eyes darted back up to Kraine. "Besides, I don't think Kraine would hurt us."

As expected, he was far too trusting. Still, a smile suited him much better. Presea felt sad when he looked sad. They fell quiet again while she decided to walk in pace on the other side of Kraine. She noticed the troubled look he had in his eyes right away when she caught up. "I am humbled by your confidence in me still Genis," he thanked. "I suspect you both have many questions for me but there are more dire matters at hand."

She clenched her hand around her weapon until Kraine noticed and bowed his head to look directly at her this time. "That is not to say that the other matters are not as important." He switched sides and gazed at Genis. "You know far more than I expected about Mithos' plans."

Genis gave a short nod. "It's a long story."

"Perhaps the condensed version then," Kraine replied. "I will be more than happy to listen to the long story at a later point however."

Presea watched Genis poke his head to look past Kraine to her as though asking for permission. Still conflicted, she bobbed her head briefly. She doubted Genis would say anything about the deal he had made with Mithos, but she also suspected Kraine would be able to discover that fact on his own. Kraine's perception was intimidating at times, even to those who knew him well like her and Genis.

"You know what his plans are and about the current situation of the world, correct?" Kraine asked, determined to drive what he wanted out of them. When Genis bowed his head in uncomfortable acknowledgement, Kraine continued. "And Mithos made you a member of Cruxis?"

At those words, Presea couldn't just stay quiet. "Genis did not willingly agree to that." While it was true that Mithos _was_ partly to blame, he wasn't the only one. She hardened her gaze and stood straight while she addressed Kraine. "Let us not forget who it was that forced the potential for seraph status on Genis." She glared angrily. "You allowed this to happen from the moment you gave him the Angelus Project, Kraine Bryant." Swallowing hard, she forced herself to finish the remainder of the words on the tip of her tongue out into the open. "Or perhaps you would prefer to be called by your alias, Regal Bryant?"

As she wondered what his reply would be, she found herself starting to feel a little bit guilty. Not that she really knew herself that well, but she had the feeling it wasn't very much like her to be so outspoken, especially in the face of so much danger.

"W-wait a minute," Genis spoke up before Kraine even opened his mouth to address the situation. "Presea, it's n-not like that." He seemed to be having some kind of issue with his speech when she looked directly at him. He'd been like that when they had spoken inside the Angelus Project and in Genis' dreams as well. She questioned her harshness once again until Kraine looked ready to talk.

"I offer no excuse," the seraph acknowledged, the hurt in his voice real despite his lack of facial reaction. While she was unsure on how to retort, Genis reacted according to his own emotions. He shook his head very suddenly and reached out a hand to grip Kraine's arm reassuringly. "I know you did everything you did because there was no other way. Presea is.." He looked in her direction. "I-I think she's just a bit confused because we don't have the full story yet."

Presea considered his input carefully while she kept her eyes peeled on the hallway ahead. She wasn't sure where the exit hailed, but it didn't take a genius to realise that if she did not keep her mouth shut and her head focused on the more important matters, there would be a scene at a rather inappropriate time. _Confused,_ as Genis had put it, did not quite seem the word for her feelings.

Her thoughts abruptly stopped a moment later when a familiar figure appeared out of nowhere. With pink hair of the same colour as hers, there was no mistaking her. She let out an involuntary shriek and froze on the spot at the same time as Genis and Kraine. Before any of them could utter her name, she greeted them first. "I'm so glad the three of you are safe."

Just hearing her voice sent shivers down her spine. "Annalicia," she mouthed at the same time as Genis. She glanced to her equally as stunned half-elf friend and then to Kraine. He had a genuine stunned expression on his face which she would have found funny normally.

"Impossible," Kraine muttered under his breath. "It can't be." He looked away from her and bit his lower lip for a second as though he were having trouble believing his own words. Presea found his focus had shifted to her. "Do not believe what you see Presea. This appears to be another of Mithos' tricks."

Presea bobbed her head once but couldn't find the strength to look away. There was Annalicia, her very own sister, standing before her in flesh and blood. _And_ she was how she remembered her- not as she had seen her that night she had sacrificed herself for her and Genis. She closed her eyes hard. "No! You can't be her. Annalicia was murdered!"

"..That is correct," Kraine agreed softly. "Even with certain _circumstances_ being as they are, this is not the Annalicia we love."

The Annalicia standing before them gasped and put her hands to her mouth. Tears appeared to be ready to flow from her eyes at any moment. "I can't believe this. My very own sister and my husband do not believe of my existence."

"You are mistaken," Kraine responded. "I just happen to know beyond reasonable doubt that it is impossible for you to be appearing before us."

Annalicia frowned. "Then what am I?" She looked at Presea again. "Don't tell me you actually believe him after everything he has lied about in the past?" The angered look she'd worn faded and she spoke softly once again. "I am standing right here, living and breathing. I expected to be welcomed with open arms."

"That is quite enough." Kraine unsheathed his sword. "I will not have you toy with any more emotions Mithos. Be gone!" He took a few faster steps toward her suddenly. Before Presea even fully understood what she was doing, she found herself blocking his path.

When he stopped his advance and looked at her to explain, she forced herself to realise her thoughts. No matter how slim he seemed to believe the possibility of Annalicia standing before them was, there was still a small chance. "We don't know for sure that she is an illusion," she said, bringing the axe Genis had summoned for her before they had burst into the battle with the seraphinalia out in front of her. She had barely noticed herself carrying it this entire time. She had expected it to become quite tiresome since she could no longer collapse it into another universe, but it felt surprisingly natural and light in her fingers.

"You believe me after all Presea?" Annalicia asked her from behind, sounding joyous. Hearing such happiness in her sisters voice made her want to smile as well. She turned her head to examine her once again from a closer vantage point. If she were an illusion, she was immaculate in design. "Thank you!" Annalicia said when their eyes met, bowing her head and making her hair flop to the front of her head the way she remembered.

Presea looked at Genis. He looked pretty confused on which side he should be on. She felt she understood his inner conflict this time though. Kraine scowled and took a step closer again. "Don't believe her lies Presea. The real Annalicia would not stand by and pit us against one another like this."

"I'm going to have to side with Kraine on this one," Genis stammered, finally putting his thoughts on matters into words. "This all just seems really off."

"Of course _you_ side with _him_ ," Annalicia scoffed. She sounded more angry than upset this time. "Your blood is closer to his than to Presea's after all."

Presea looked from her to Genis and then back to her. "What do you mean sister? Is there something else about this whole situation with dual souls that we have overlooked?" Her next question would have been to ask how she could have possibly known that but she didn't get an opportunity. Annalicia collapsed to her knees. She reached out and caught her before she fell even further and supported her while she looked at Kraine and Genis. "I can't believe the man I once loved would want to attack me again," Annalicia said in-between pained groans. "With a sword this time, no less."

xxx

"Wake up."

Lloyd squinted his shut eyes when he heard a voice. His mind still a little fuzzy, he waited for voice to speak again to see if he recognised it now he was more-or-less awake.

"I **said,** wake up," the whispering voice instructed him again. "Unless it is your wish to remain an ignorant tag-along forever."

He wanted to ask what the disembodied voice meant but found that his mouth wouldn't open. A strange feeling came over him. It was as though he felt _smaller_ than normal somehow. He noticed the usual black of his eyelids had changed into a light blue coloured hue, too. He opened his eyes to find that he was laying flat with blue surfaces surrounding him in all directions. Memory coming back to him, he shot up from his position and circled around. _"What's going on? Where's Kraine and Genis and-"_ It felt as though an invisible force held his jaw closed and that no strength he had would open his mouth until the force left. He hated the feeling. It reminded him far too much of the trials to become an angel.

"Genis, are you really going to stand by and watch?" A soft and feminine voice asked from somewhere that felt like it was next to him. He knitted his eyebrows for a second before the recollection came to him. It was the voice of the girl who had come to his and Kraine's rescue when they had been fighting the seraphinalia.

" _Presea!"_ He clicked his fingers when he remembered her name. For the first time since he had first heard Genis utter her name, he realised how similar it sounded to another name he had heard many more times. Instead of letting her name burden his thoughts, he steered them in a different and more appropriate direction for his current whereabouts. The last thing he could remember _was_ the fight with the army of angels Mithos had summoned against him and Kraine.

"Presea, I will ask you again to stand down."

He heard a much more recognisable voice this time. It was the voice of Kraine.

"She is an illusion. I don't really understand the full circumstances as of yet, but I believe Mithos plans to make us fight against one another," Kraine continued to explain.

Lloyd wondered what was going on. He felt like he had missed more than half a conversation. More than that though, he couldn't help but wonder what Mithos wanted with them. More of his memories coming back, he recalled how he had explained that his mana signature (the thing half-elves could see on other magical beings apparently) was changing to resemble his own. He didn't know how that was even possible. As far as Gesea and Kraine and the others had told him, only those who could use magic had an actual mana signature- races like half-elves and elves in particular. So why did he have one; and why did it resemble Mithos'?

He looked around himself again and this time jumped at the sight of his pink haired saviour looking almost directly at him, her axe firm in her grip and pointing in his direction. Only she wasn't right in front of him. It was as though he were in a house on one side of a window and she was outside on the other side of it.

Presea quivered as she held the axe. Tears streamed down her face all of a sudden, making her eyes seem even more blue than normal. "You killed my sister Kraine. Even if Annalicia is a fake, I can't forgive you."

Lloyd wasn't sure what to be confused or stunned about first. The first thing was that Presea was claiming that Kraine had killed _her_ sister, and had named her Annalicia. The second thing was that _Gesea_ had been claiming Annalicia to be her sister. There was a whole shopping list of even more confusing circumstances regarding Annalicia as well- the fact that she had somehow been in Kraine's body and had acted like she had _and_ possessed the voice of the woman he distinctly identified as his mother in his dreams.

Disregarding that mound of confusion for a second, he focused on the _other_ thing Presea had said. She had looked at him and addressed him as Kraine. That didn't make much sense at all. Legs feeling somewhat difficult to move, like he was being weighed down by a heavy backpack, he managed to stride over to the 'window' of the blue room. As he approached and took in its size, he noted that it actually arched around in a spherical shape rather than like a normal window would sit- flush with its framework and the building.

" _Not like I'm in a building though,"_ he corrected himself. Craning his neck for a second before it hurt too much with the pain that he was more than used to by now, he managed to catch a glimpse of auburn hair. Only one person he knew had that kind of shade of hair. His hair was sort of close, but no real contest. Despite his neck ache, he took another quick glance upward to confirm his suspicions. This time he managed to observe the pensive stare of Kraine and- He gaped and faltered back. He would have let out a cry of pain from the sudden movement if his mouth were not paralysed.

He hadn't _just_ seen Kraine when he had caught a glimpse before. He had also seen an arm clad in red latching around Kraine's neck. Following the arm, his eyes met the figure of himself as he had come to know it since the time he and Colette had split into their two different personalities.

Come to think of it, he had also noticed the perspective of Kraine had looked kind of skewed, like he was looking at him from much lower. He was a little shorter than Kraine, but not by that much.

"Don't tell me you don't understand yet! Gods, you really _are_ the same Lloyd, aren't you."

The voice that had awoken him returned. This time it was much less of a whisper. Though he recognised it immediately, but he didn't believe it. He heard a sigh.

"Since you still have that confused look on your face, let me explain things a little."

A bright circular ball of light appeared in front of him and slowly formed the body of a person. He had white and blue attire and blond hair. The glow that had surrounded him faded and he opened his eyes to complete the picture.

" _Mithos?"_ He had recognised his voice and been unable to believe, but seeing was a completely different kettle of fish. He made a sound as he tried to talk, but it was still no use. Mithos' mouth smiled, but his eyes didn't follow. The half-elf leader of Cruxis that had once been a friend of his cackled mockingly under his breath and turned to face away from him. Lloyd clenched his fist angrily. _"What is going on Mithos! I demand to know!"_ His voice still didn't work.

"You're probably wondering where you are," the boy mouthed in a flat tone that made him sound like he was bored. "I'll just tell you since you're paralysed. Do you recognise the blue colour around you _at all_?"

Lloyd shrugged his shoulders and trained his eyes on him more seriously. Mithos continued, "You're in your exsphere Lloyd." Turning back to him and seeming to be enjoying the shocked look on his face, he added "And you'll probably be staying here a very long time Lloyd."

There were so many questions Lloyd had and none he could voice. Mithos chuckled and looked past him to the window. "Yuan did try to ensure you didn't feed your exsphere too much. He must have known from the moment he gave you it to you that it was a possibility. Thanks to his promise with Origin, he had no real choice though." He laughed even louder. It didn't sound like a happy laugh though. His voice was course and there was a note of bitterness in every word he had spoken to him so far. He seemed.. different... than Lloyd could remember. Mithos stopped laughing though and smiled once again. "Thank you Lloyd. It's finally happening! Martel will live and the world will be saved!"

xxx

"Tch," Yuan mouthed, stopping in the hallway and looking at the camera following his every move. That was going to have to change. Making sure he hid from the cameras sight temporarily, he cast a couple of throwing stars into his hands. Though nothing like his usual weapon of choice, they were the most practical for the situation. His eyes scanned the skirting on the walls above him until they locked onto the inconspicuous white cord running across the length to the camera itself. There was no need to attempt needless destruction on an unsuspecting camera if he could simply take out its power source. Besides, the power source went to more than one camera. He simply had to hope that Gabriel would keep Mithos distracted for long enough.

The human had thought himself _so_ cunning, but Yuan himself had a secret weapon. Derris Kharlan _was_ now a ball of mana practically again after all. His pact with Mana sure came in handy where _that_ was concerned. It wasn't as though he could feel every living thing though, just the ones whom the Queen of Summon Spirits thought necessary to alert him of. Gabriel was apparently having a chat with Mithos. He would get Tabatha to recount it properly to him later when he inevitably returned to Altessa's house. Besides, now he knew that Martuan also had a connection to his thoughts or actions, he had to be careful. Until he could be sure just how much she received on her end, his discussions about things of vital importance with her were going to need to be brief. That thought was what brought him to be sneaking through Cruxis' base too.

He glanced at the Cruxis crystal embedded into the keycrest on his ungloved hand while he made his way around a corner and hid again. Surveying his surroundings and hearing the fizzling of the camera electricity shortage even from his location, he thought it safe to proceed into the next room. The doors to the room he was headed shifted open and shut to reveal a wider room this time, elevators going up and down. He would have to be careful. There were likely seraphinalia on the other side of the door. He took a deep breath and looked around. Tossing a throwing star at the cabling above once again, he shorted out the cameras closest to the doorway and continued on his way, summoning his wings as he did.

Just as he expected, the seraphinalia on the other side of the door poised to attack him with their weapons. That was, until they read his mana signature. He showed them his Cruxis crystal.

"Li rie' phisis," he ordered them, accentuating the words so that his frustration at having to stop was obvious.

They turned to each other, nodded and did as he asked- to let him pass. He waited for them to turn their backs to him before quickly throwing some more stars at the cameras. For a brief second as the lines fizzled, he wondered if he might catch their attention again in the wrong way and have to take adverse action. When things went on as normal and they continued scouting the premises, he slipped around the corner of the square white room he was in and stepped into one of the elevators as it lowered to his level and automatically opened its doors to greet him.

His ears blocked as the elevator grew higher. Having forgotten how taxing the atmosphere was on the body, he found himself a little taken aback. When the elevator stopped and let him out onto another platform, he quickly paced to the next one. His feet were already feeling a little lighter. _This_ was why he hated Derris Kharlan. If confronted on why he had once set up the Renegades, he wouldn't have been telling a complete lie if he said that it was to get away from the base of Cruxis. He'd always been much more of a fan of keeping his feet firmly planted on the ground. His hair did weird things when gravity wasn't a constant, too.

The atmosphere was almost unbearable when the next elevator opened its clear doors. Still, matters as they were, he needed to press on. He needed assistance. Taking a deep breath before he took the next step, he allowed a niggle of hesitance to make itself known. Once this was done, there really was no going back. Shaking his head and growling at himself for being so wishy-washy when Mithos could become wise to the lack of cameras active on the mainframe, he rested his hand on a small groove in the wall. Electricity buzzed under his fingertips for a second before a screen hovered up from the groove and a keypad flapped out.

Typing quickly, he input the password.

**ORIGIN'S CALL AWAKENS THE BLUE ANGEL.**

After a few short beeps the door opened. He stepped inside.

 


	62. Simplified complications

Lloyd stared at Mithos for a time, trying to figure out what his game was. Just how had they both ended up in the Angelus Project? What did he mean when he spoke about Yuan's 'deal' with Origin?

The blond half-elf still had an ecstatic grin to his features. There were more problems on his plate to deal with than just Mithos though. He could still hear the argument between Presea, Kraine and Genis. Gazing to the window with one eye while he kept his other on the leader of Cruxis in case he made any sudden movements, he watched the event unfolding.

"Presea!" Genis yelled, for the first time stepping into the view. Lloyd saw the top of his head but not his expression. Genis waved his hands about as he stood in front of Kraine and him. "She's not Annalicia! Our sister..." His voice quivered. "She wouldn't want this! She loved Kraine and we both know it!"

Lloyd raised a brow. _"Our sister?"_ When he noticed the view changing and he could only see some bright lights on the ceiling instead of Presea and Genis, his heart began to palpitate. It was happening. _"No! Kraine! Stop it!"_ He ran to the edge where he could touch the view and smacked a fist against it. Of course, it was no use. He heard the clash of steel on metal and knew it was starting. He heard a yell from Kraine at Presea first.

"Move out of the way!"

"If you both wish to hurt Annalicia, you must go through me!" Presea cried back in response.

"You should feel glad to die at my sisters hands," came a voice next that truly sent shivers down his spine. The voice he had heard over and over again and still couldn't understand. The voice of Annalicia. "You always felt bad for killing me, didn't you Raine? Or perhaps maybe you'd prefer _Regal?"_ The laugh that sounded after was unnatural, even over the clashing of weapons. Lloyd strained to hear. "Or maybe _Kratos?"_

Upon hearing the last name, the twin-swordsman stared into space. That name. _"Why_ _ **that**_ _name!?"_ He let out the first audible cry he'd been able to muster since awakening in the blue room and heard a surprised gasp from Mithos soon after.

"H-how did you!?"

Lloyd blinked and tried speaking. "Mithos?" His voice not only came out of his mouth, but echoed all around him. The clashing of weapons stopped and he heard running footsteps. "Lloyd!" he heard Genis call. "Lloyd, are you awake?"

Genis knelt down in front of him and looked him over frantically. "Lloyd! Wake up. We really need you!" The battle between Kraine and Presea commenced again behind him.

"I _am_ awake!" Lloyd exclaimed, looking away from the window and to where he saw Mithos glaring at him. A dark aura surrounded his adversary.

"I won't let you leave that easily Lloyd!"

"Lloyd?" Genis sounded more questioning this time. Lloyd didn't have time to respond to his friend, recognising the attack as one that had knocked him out the first time Mithos had done it in Torent Forest. A blast of magic flew straight past him to the edge of the exsphere. For a second the whole room shook as though there were an earthquake. It subsided quickly enough before Lloyd fell to his knees.

Mithos cackled then. "Come now. I'm just getting started. Fight me some more, Lloyd!" He raised two eyebrows. "Or maybe even with the oldest exsphere in existence you're still too weak to beat me thanks to Yuan's _kindness._ "

"Is.. is that it?" Lloyd reflexively looked at his hand. His exsphere still appeared on it even though he now understood that he was in fact inside the Angelus Project, just like how Colette had been once. "Is _that_ why this thing is so important, Mithos?"

"You really are incredibly naive," Mithos responded incredulously, shaking his head while his eyes widened in disbelief. "This is why I need to take over before things get even more out of control. Don't you realise who _he_ is?!" He sounded kind of scared, Lloyd thought. He held his stance and wished he could figure out how to summon the cool swords he'd brought about before during the battle with the angel hoard. "I won't be denied my revenge for Martel," Mithos continued. "I won't let Yuan have it!" His aura pulsed again, this time sending out a large three-pronged shockwave toward him.

Unsure exactly what to do to dodge, Lloyd ducked to his left and then to the right. Two of the three waves flew past him. He got ready to duck under the third but found himself frozen on the spot again. The world went still and he lost his voice again. He could only watch as Mithos took some light-footed steps toward him. "All I need to do is kill you Lloyd. You won't die of course, but you'll remain here forever." He grimaced. "It'll be easy, pretending to be you. For a time." In one wave of his hand, he summoned a short sword and held it to his throat. "Any last words, my shadow?"

"No, but _I_ have a few things to say!"

A woman's voice boomed around the exsphere. It surprised Mithos so much that he faltered back and dropped his weapon. "No! Not you!" He covered his ears. "How in all the Old God's names are you still so strong!?" He whirled around in a circle, fear creeping into his expression. Lloyd would have found it amusing if he hadn't been wondering who was talking himself. Her voice made him want to smile. Whoever it was, she seemed to mean him no harm. He whipped his head left to right, waiting for her to talk again so that he could discern her location.

His eyes locked on to a glowing figure hovering just above Mithos all of a sudden. The glow slowly faded to show a woman with shoulder length brown hair and a simple red dress looking at him. She put a finger to her lips and winked once before descending down on Mithos. The seraph let out a surprised yelp as he tried to wriggle free. "You think I would allow you to take my sons body?" she asked him in a calm questioning tone. Her gaze shifted to look at Lloyd again. "Lloyd, you must go back to your body now."

"B-but-" Lloyd found himself understandably dumbstruck. _"Your_ _ **son?"**_

Of course, it made sense. He didn't know how he hadn't seen it sooner. Her voice made him feel the same way the woman in his dreams did.

" _I spoke to our mother,"_ Colette had told him once when retelling what it had been like to live inside the exsphere. " _She said her name was Anna."_

He started to mouth his mothers name but found he couldn't. Instead the name translated into "Mum..!" He bolted to help her when he saw Mithos overpowering her now normal looking body. She turned her head abruptly in the middle of the struggle. "Lloyd! Remember what is important! This is your destiny. You need to protect those that are important to you. Those that can exist in this world."

"My destiny?" he asked, blinking his eyes. Shaking his head, he went to help her again. "You're important to me as well!"

" _No!"_ she howled. The voice came from the exsphere itself again. Mithos covered his ears as though her voice hurt him. All Lloyd felt was the familiar buzz of warmth. There was a moment of silence. "I didn't want to have to say this Lloyd," his mother said softly, "But you need to help your father. Please help him forgive himself. That is the only way others will forgive him."

"My.." Lloyd gasped suddenly before he was able to finish his sentence. He stared at Genis and watched his friend stare back.

" _Kraine needs you, Lloyd. Kratos needs you. Your friends Regal and Raine also need you. Please help your father!"_

He heard the voice of his mother. It wasn't as loud as it had been a second ago, but was plenty loud enough for him to hear. Comprehending what she had said was another matter entirely. He'd heard 'Annalicia' call Kraine all three of those names just before.

His hand rested against his throbbing head, but he had to focus on matters at hand. He observed the situation. Presea and Kraine were still fighting, the image of the one he assumed was _her,_ Annalicia, behind them. Her image was blinking in and out of existence though, confirming what Kraine had said all along. "Stop it you two!" he cried, getting to his feet somehow and stepping past Genis.

They stopped mid-fight at his command. Kraine was looking rather battered, meanwhile Presea hadn't endured a single scratch. The older swordsman hadn't wanted to hurt her after all. Both pink and auburn haired heads turned in his direction, expressions telling him the same thing- to be a good boy and stay back while they had a fight about something he yet again didn't understand.

"Friends don't fight each other," he decided to say. "We've just escaped from that big battle and now you want to fight over someone you both care about!?"

"Lloyd," Presea sounded distressed as she said his name, "you don't understand."

"I _know_ I don't!" he snapped back, a bit harsher than he should have. He turned his harshness on Kraine instead. Meeting his eyes, he continued. "Help me understand. Tell me the truth. Who _are_ you, Kraine?"

Kraine met his pleading question with silence and a still face. Lloyd gulped and pressed forward, knowing he was going to be having to practically play a Game of Questions with him.

"Is it really true?" Tears of frustration threatened to pour but he ordered himself to stay focused. "Are you my father, Kraine?"

Though Kraine didn't react, Presea did. She covered her mouth and stared. It was almost as good as a confirmation. Lloyd shook his head and took a step back, almost bumping straight into Genis who had been coming up behind him. "No, I won't believe that." He snickered to himself. "Mithos must have been messing with my head too. There's no way." He tried to discern something, _anything,_ from Kraine's expression. "It's not true, right?"

Of course it wasn't true. Mithos had probably been behind the illusion of Annalicia somehow, so why not do the same kind of thing to him.

His heart told him otherwise. _That_ was why. He'd heard of instant connections children who lost their family had when they met again. The bond of blood was strong. Looking at Kraine- the man who had been his mentor and training companion, his confidant and friend, he started to have flashes of memories.

" _I don't want to hurt you."_

" _Don't die, Lloyd."_

A cold shiver ran up his spine. He found himself shaking his head even more in disbelief. "No, it's not true. Tell me Kraine. You wouldn't betray Colette and I and try to sacrifice us if it was.. right?"

**BEEEP BEEEEEEEP BEEEEP**

An ear-splitting screech of an alarm sounded. During the initial confusion and commotion, a flash of electric blue caught the corner of Lloyd's eye from one of the adjacent hallways. In a matter of seconds, a familiar half-elf was upon them.

"What are you all still doing here!?" Yuan looked pointedly at Genis. "What did you think I meant when I told you to help Lloyd and Kraine and _leave!?"_ He shouted, but it was more to be heard over the noise around them than anything else. He frowned at Lloyd. "Why are you staring at me like that?" He didn't wait for an answer, instead turning away and running, his cape flapping in the breeze behind him. Noting the "Annalicia" was gone pretty briefly, Presea and Genis ran after him, leaving Lloyd to stand and glare at Kraine. The seraph looked more interested in following Yuan than answering his simple, direct question.

"Answer me, Kraine!" he yelled. "Are you-"

He stopped abruptly when Kraine took a single step forward and rested a hand on his head.

xxx

While Martuan tended to the business of unlocking the door in front of them with an old fashioned lock-type key, Sheelos looked over the Sylvaranti Chosen next to her warily. She had been acting strange for a while now, since they had finished up at the Triet Ruins. She would notice small hints that she obviously thought were subtle. The thing about Colette, that she had noticed ever since meeting her, was that the more worried about something she was, the more she talked and smiled. That wasn't to say that she wasn't normally a nice person anyway, but Sheelos knew the look well. The look of hiding pain behind a fake smile. She had watched her slow transformation into an angel before she had reached the last trial at the Tower of Salvation. The further on they had gotten in their mission, the more 'happy' Colette had appeared to get.

She hardly needed to ask whether it had to do with her being worried about Lloyd and the others though- that much was obvious and a feeling they shared. No. Colette was worried about something else. It wasn't like she had no idea _what,_ either, but with Martuan in earshot, she couldn't risk her revealing enough to have the curious 'Yuanette' attempt to drag it out of her with her friendly-conniving nature.

There he was again. The Cerberus himself, invading her thoughts as easily as the Papal Knights invaded Meltokio during large corporate and royal meetings at the castle. Though she had never been a part of one since Yuan was officially the 'Chosen' of Tethe'alla, he had explained that they were too boring and people fell asleep frequently, to which she had always chided him with jokes about that being the reason his skin was so damn beautiful. From the bits that he had begrudgingly explained when it came to reporting to Mizuho though, meetings in Meltokio involved things to do with population, the W.S.P, money, or all of the above. Even hearing what they were about made _her_ want to fall asleep.

A hand waved across her field of vision, followed by Colette leaning over sideways to look into her eyes. Guilt washing over her, she cleared her throat and noticed the door to their room swinging open and letting a warm glow of light out into the semi-dark hallway. Colette, the one she had been debating in her head about, had been tossed to the side in lieu of more useless thoughts about Yuan. She rolled her eyes to herself and put it down to the fact that this was the first time in quite a while that they had not communicated. She walked into their room to see Martuan inspecting it, one finger trailing across multiple surfaces in the search for dust.

While she was distracted with the odd behaviour the Renegade felt free to show, a hand gently placed itself on her forehead from behind all of a sudden. She jumped in surprise and immediately heard a string of about a dozen apologies come from Colette as she made her way around to her front.

"It's okay," she quickly reassured, half wondering what the blonde was actually doing and half wondering why her hands were _so cold_. The one she briefly rested on her forehead while she appeared to be taking her temperature felt like a brick of ice even though the weather was beautiful and tropical. It wasn't exactly late in the evening either.

Colette's eyes squinted for a second and she shook her head while removing her hand. "You don't look sick Sheelos. Are you out of breath?"

"No?"

"Oh," Colette smiled a knowing smile, leaning closer as she did. "It's just that your face was all red. I was a little bit worried." She moved away and headed for the bed on the far left side of the room, closest to the ensuite and to the bed Martuan had claimed as hers.

Sheelos whirled around to find a mirror in order to investigate Colette's words. She found one peeping out at her from the connecting ensuite. She couldn't see any change now, but she knew the likely cause of her brief hot flush. _"Damn it,"_ she thought, but covered her mouth when she realised she had also uttered it, eliciting a confused glance from the other two girls. She stuttered and rushed to correct the situation, mainly keeping her eyes on Colette. "I-I was just thinking about all the handsome men you people have in Sylvarant. No shortage of people to ask to be your Salvatorian, that's for sure!" She laughed a little bit more loudly than she should have and felt like kicking herself when she realised she was doing the exact same thing that Colette did when she was lying.

"Oh, really?" Colette sounded amused but a bit unsure. She was so adorably innocent. "I suppose I haven't really thought much about men." She went about fluffing her pillow. "Being the Chosen was all that I thought my life would amount to." She stuttered. "N-not that I had anything against that." Her eyes lowered and her lip quivered a little. "At least, I never _used_ to."

Grinning to hide how much her last couple of sentences resonated, Sheelos quickly rebutted with "You will get all the guys one day when this is all over!" and turned to find her own bed at long last. She didn't want to get into _those_ thoughts again. For any Chosen, picking a Salvatorian was a no-go area. Even if they managed to do something about the current state of the world, she doubted that anything more would change. She shivered a bit. Just saying and thinking _that_ word brought up some memories of her time with Novariel in Palmacosta. A part of her wanted to know whether her playful advances felt so similarly invasive or whether it had been a unique attribute to Novariel. She didn't want to bother Colette with it, and she wouldn't have told Martuan if she were the last woman on the planet. Yuan seemed the most likely to give her an honest response but she didn't even know where he was.

" _Shut up!"_ she told her brain again, forcing her thoughts to take a different and less annoying route. She wondered whether Novariel had been discovered unconscious by the inn-keep and what manner of lies he might have spun to be able to avoid unnecessary questions and/or the bill for the damaged room. She hoped she would never have to see the slime of a man again. If he _did_ however happen across them and so much as _look_ at Colette the wrong way, she vowed to ensure the outcome would be much worse than when she had first had the 'pleasure' of such a personal encounter.

"Sheelos," Martuan called from behind her. She couldn't help but feel a little surprised at the genuine concern she heard in her voice. She turned in question and Martuan continued. "If you are content to daydream, perhaps we could have made the pact with Luna before retiring. It would be a simple journey to the east and the sun has yet to set."

It was because of the concern she had seemed to first have that Sheelos found her abrupt jab a little unnerving. She rolled her eyes and turned back to tend to fluffing her own flat-looking pillow. The Renegade was as focused on the mission as ever before. "It's just been a long day," she explained absently.

She sat on her allocated bed and focused on shimmying her boots off. Once the deed was done, she lifted her legs to finally sprawl out. Martuan _was_ kind of right though. It was kind of hard to sleep with everything on her mind, particularly the summon spirits. While Colette and Martuan each also got into their preferred sleeping positions, she gazed up at the ceiling. In any other city, their room may have cost an arm and a leg to be able to afford, but because even the dorm rooms of the Asgard inns were beautifully designed, the more expensive rooms were very little different in price. Besides, Martuan carried a wad of cash with her. She didn't know where she had gotten it from and had decided upon first glance that she didn't _want_ to know.

She felt a warm buzzing from under her obi and sighed to herself. This had been happening ever since they had left the Triet Ruins. " _Ignorance is knowledge,"_ said Efreet into her head. _"An age old creed, as old as the world itself."_

" _Really?"_ She had to admit, that was one of the more useful things he had said since he had taken to listening in on her every thought and making the garnet gem he had given her as a symbol of their pact heat up every time he wanted to have input. Among the list of useless information were things like "Birds of a feather tend to flock together," and "Apples tend to not fall far from their trees, but they do tend to leave a mark on those who lay beneath."

Since Efreet was an incredibly proud summon spirit, in particular of the trivia he seemed to know (though she hadn't yet asked why), she had little choice but to accept and try to appreciate it. Ignoring Efreet telling her he had caught wind of her subconscious thoughts and that the information he chose to impart was full of wisdom unlike Celsius' own apparent knowledge, she closed her eyes and sunk back into her memories of the day after they had left Iselia and headed for the Triet Ruins.

Fighting Efreet after breaking Mithos' pact had been an interesting ordeal. Being a 'Ruler of Hellfire', Efreet was adept at fighting with fire on his side. With the ability to incinerate everything he touched (and thankfully not her hair), she hadn't been able to _not_ notice something was off. She didn't quite understand what it was, but she did know that it wasn't exactly the first time she had felt unsettled. Sure, they had fought the summon spirits as part of the pact making process, but it was as though _somehow_ they were _going easy_ on her. The first time she had become wise had been when she had fought Undine. It had happened again with Gnome. In fact, Volt seemed the only exception.

Suddenly more than one of the gems heated up around her waist and she had to quickly pull them out of her obi before they scorched her. She laid them out on the bed next to her and waited for the inevitable.

" _We do not go easy on our pact makers,"_ Undine corrected her first. _"It is unflattering that you would think of us like that."_

" _Yeah, what the lovely maiden of the mist said!"_ Gnome added. _"After all those sudoku puzzles, you think I would want a fight to end sooner than it might otherwise?"_

"H-hold on a sec!" she said aloud, eliciting a startled jump from the other two girls. They sat up and looked at her. Martuan had instantaneously reached for the summoned staff she had rested against the wall between her bedside table and bed.

"Is something the matter?" the bluenette asked in a half-concerned, half-irritated tone. "Not an hour ago you were complaining that you were exhausted and wanted to rest. Are you saying you are ready to continue?"

It was true, she had complained. But it hadn't been for her own safety. Since noticing something was wrong with Colette, she had watched her for a while and decided that maybe it was better to rest. A lot had happened at Iselia as well. "No," she groaned in reply. "It's nothing." She hadn't meant to sound snaky but the woman just put her in that mood.

"Well, alright then." With a clearly frustrated sigh, Martuan slid her head back down to her pillow and squinted her eyes shut. For a few moments, all they heard was the clock on the wall behind their beds ticking and the sound of civilisation still alive outside. Sheelos closed her eyes and prepared for another onslaught in her mind.

"Excuse me, Lady Martuan?" Colette was the one to break the tranquillity this time around before the summon spirits. Martuan roused and turned her head to her left in question. "You're an angel, right?" Colette asked.

"I suppose you might as well call me that," she agreed half-heartedly. "I am far from what most people would expect an angel to be though, everything considered."

"But you're such a nice person!" Colette leaned slightly more forward toward Martuan as she said that. "Even though I hate not knowing what is happening with Lloyd and feel so utterly helpless sometimes-" her voice lowered a little before piping back up- "I'm happy to have been able to finally talk to you and understand you a little bit better."

Sheelos glanced away and let a smile come to her lips. Just the look of sincerity in Colette's eyes when she blurted out such corny things did the same thing to people as Lloyd's gentle idealism. Just like how Colette was always determined to see the good in people, even self-serving Tethe'allan Chosen such as herself, Lloyd had always been adamant that there was a way to save the world from its mana crisis and end the sacrifice of Chosen. She had thought herself a fool for believing in him at first, but he had come through. They now had a way to stop the cycle.

Something bothered her though. She had joined the Renegades because they had a way to make the duty of being Chosen go away permanently, but that was only if she believed her own memory and that it was possible that people had more than one soul. A small voice of reason deep down told her that she should just address the elephant in the room and get the confusion over with, but her training under Yuan's wing as well as a Mizuho ninja told her to wait and see. They were well on their way to separating the mana links and weakening Mithos anyway. She just hoped that Lloyd was alright and that whatever Yuan was doing would be helping him.

"Hmph," Martuan closed her eyes and clenched her bedsheets around herself almost defensively after Colette's polite words to her. "I'm flattered Colette, but you are looking for a friend in the wrong place if that is what you are trying to achieve." She didn't speak with any sarcasm when she spoke to Colette. Their conversations were always soft and gentle, as though they understood one another to a tee even though they had variably spent the least time together out of all of them.

Colette didn't seem to take Martuan's neglect of her too seriously. She just continued on as though she had proposed they be best friends or something. "I was just wondering how you can sleep still?" She seemed a bit nervous; clenching her hands together and apart as she continued her thoughts. "I always have such trouble sleeping, even though I actually sometimes get tired now."

"Your worry for Lloyd probably isn't helping matters," Martuan stated, avoiding the limelight on herself to no real surprise. Sheelos expected her response to end there and so found herself shocked when the lady continued on. "I think of fond memories of the past, when things weren't always so bad." She heightened her gaze to the ornate roof and studied it while she appeared to think. "Isn't it strange to think that some of my fondest and most treasured memories are ones where those closest to me, and myself, were in terrible danger?"

"Danger?" Colette asked, then shook her head. Martuan didn't seem to want to elaborate and Colette appeared to have known she had overstepped the line. Martuan slid down to rest her head on her pillow for the third time. "A story for another time, perhaps."

"Okay."

Despite really only getting half-answers, Colette sounded really happy. Genuinely happy. It was quiet again until the Chosen seemed to have one last thing to add. "I understand though. Without all these terrible things happening, I wouldn't have made even half of the wonderful new friends I have." Sheelos sensed her looking at her and felt her cheeks growing warm with embarrassment. She involuntarily stuck out her tongue and groaned. Colette giggled but said nothing else, letting them fall back into the idea of maybe getting some sleep soon.

As exhaustion from a long day started to take its toll on her, Sheelos allowed herself to fall into earlier patterns with thoughts. Thinking about impossible things were always the best way to fall asleep. She would have told Colette that if she had asked her instead of Martuan.

She first thought about the way the summon spirits seemed defensive about the whole 'going easy on her' part. When she was met with disgruntled spirits making her too hot by heating up their gems when they spoke with her, she gave an offhand comment about not knowing she had needed to read the fine print before making a pact and then moved on to the next topic- her strange memories that didn't align properly. Thinking about that wore her out a little but it wasn't until she thought of Yuan that sleep loomed over her head in full swing.

In her half asleep state, she was allowed to admit to herself that she missed his stupid beautiful face. She knew the feeling likely wasn't quite as mutual as she wanted it to be though and begrudgingly wished for just a second that she had never uncovered the secret of the elves and how they understood such strange emotions. Even practically snoring, her better judgement told her that she would not have understood the plight of her parents had it not been for her discovery though.

Slipping in and out of dreams until she couldn't be sure what was what, she thought about the times she and Yuan had gone together to Mizuho with news on various developments. Her being the Chosen and him being the Cerberus had always been such a nice dirty little secret they'd shared together, even if it wasn't a secret from most people she associated with.

When he had come to Sylvarant with her, she had been so happy to be joined in her ordeal. Even though they had been doing things differently, she had partly been glad for it. Though she had still been committed to succeeding in assassinating the Chosen of Sylvarant at the time, she realised that Yuan once again had known her better than herself. He'd known that she wasn't capable of murdering anyone, even after having been trained for it.

Of course, he had played her unrequited feelings for him like a fiddle. He was far more involved with whatever in all the hells was up with the world than she had ever fully realised until now. She hadn't been able to see past his stunning elven physique- not too skinny, but bulked up enough that he looked like a man.

When they had ventured over the Ossa trail together before he left her to go on ahead for supplies and such while she 'kept an eye' on the Chosen and the whereabouts of the group, she had walked in the footsteps he made in the dirt. Though Yuan looked incredibly light on his feet when he danced around with that 'Swallow' of his, he had a man's feet. No matter how many times he complained about his hair or his looks, he was still a man deep down. She smirked at that for a second before a more depressing thought replaced the semi-perverted one. He was a man alright. A man clearly devoted to another woman.

Another woman named Martel.

Martel was the name of one of Martuan's souls, the one Mithos so desperately wanted to split using the power of exspheres. When she looked at Martuan and thought of the way Yuan acted around her, she couldn't help but feel suspicious. It seemed pretty far-fetched, but it could be possible. He _had_ been leaning _all over her_ at her base when they had entered the rheaird hangar after all. Her last set of thoughts before giving in to the tug of sleep were pretty final. She needed the truth from the half-elf about everything. He was the answer to all of her headaches.


	63. Curious relentless idealism

The noise around him fizzled out, and for a moment all Lloyd saw was Kraine and himself standing in the void. The feeling of that hand on his head held more truth and honesty in its touch than any words could have said. He blinked up at Kraine again, flashes of thoughts appearing and disappearing constantly. "You really are, aren't you." The words that he had meant to keep tucked away in his mind escaped his mouth instead before he was really ready to believe them. Strangely though, it seemed that saying them was all that he needed to understand them as truth.

He'd seen Kraine every day of the week when coming to school, spoken to him so much over the journey, increasingly despised seeing his face after he had revealed his involvement with Cruxis and allowed Remiel to sacrifice him…. and yet somehow it felt as though he was seeing him for the first time properly. Coincidental similarities he had first thought to be interesting all of a sudden seemed far less coincidental. They were both swordsmen. They both hated tomatoes with a passion. They both apparently loved his mother.

He swallowed hard in realisation. Aside from a few other things like how Kraine intensely feared water and couldn't cook with normal ingredients, he realised how little he knew about him. Granted, had he been a random stranger off the street, he would have known even less. But he hadn't, and that only meant one thing- Kraine had known all along he was his father and purposely kept it from him.

It was only the awful flapping sound of seraphinalia wings that brought him out of his shock and sent the alarm bells literally blaring in his ears again. Kraine moved first, turning away from him and drawing his sword. Two angels approached them, happy sneers on their faces since they probably thought they had found the culprit of the alarm. They were probably right, too. Probably.

Lloyd found himself wishing he had his swords or the ones he had been able to summon to save him and Kraine in the last fight, but neither wish came true. Instead Kraine ran them both through with a flick of his sword across their throats. They turned to dust and flashed out of existence, leaving nothing but a flurry of feathers in their wake. Lloyd found himself dumbstruck. Kraine was as wounded as he was and hadn't had the energy to even stand only a short time ago, and yet he still had _that_ much power?

Suspicion that he had somehow been pretending to feel weak during the earlier fight blossomed quickly, but wilted just as soon when Kraine cocked his head back to eyeball him. "Lloyd," he said. Lloyd saw his mouth move and understood what was being said rather than hearing him. Kraine walked past him again in the direction the others had gone until he had his back to him again. "We must make haste."

Unable to look at him, Lloyd swallowed and tucked any more words he had to say away for the time being. Frustrated to the point of almost not being able to see straight, but supposing _that_ was probably something to do with the pain that still throbbed in his neck and back, he dryly agreed. It _was_ sort of odd that they had only been attacked by two angels. A part of him wondered whether Mithos had thrown everything he had at them back in the jail room; even Remiel had been there, after all.

Another part of him, apparently his legs, realised the possibility was far too good to be true. They were off and away, sprinting him down the shiny white and purple hallway that surrounded him even before the rest of his still reeling mind caught up. Kraine dashed beside him the whole time until they went through the doors and stood on a white, blue and purple veined brick floor. As if that wasn't strange enough, a rotating purple fog surrounded them in all directions. Amongst the purple fog, ice-blue bricked platforms floated about, suspended in mid-air like they were a part of a roadside magic trick.

"Wh-where _are_ we?" he stuttered. "I mean, I know it's Derris Kharlan but-" He stopped when his eyes fell on a few figures off in the distance. They didn't appear to be moving. When Kraine shifted past to start off again, that was when his autopilot reached the end of its tether.

He stood still, hoping Kraine would stop and tell him to hurry up as per normal. "I-I can't," he muttered, shaking his head. His head ached. "I _can't_ believe it's been you all this time." He uttered it just loud enough that he expected the seraph to hear, but not the others. Kraine swung around in response, signalling success, and opened his mouth. He cut him off, clenching his fists to try to keep his cool. "Why?" was all he could ask him. "If it's really true, why did you betray us?!"

Kraine closed his eyes and exhaled. Lloyd watched him clench the sword at his side. _"Another thing we both do."_ If he'd ever noticed it before, he would have simply put it down to having him for a mentor. It was funny how differently a change in perspective made things seem. More scenarios of their past conversations arose the longer he stood staring and waiting for the Angel of Cruxis to say something.

"You are well within your rights to hate me, Lloyd," Kraine finally said in an even tone. His brow creased and he glanced off to the side. "There is a better time and place for this discussion however."

"I _know_ that!" he spluttered in outburst. "But if you're really my..." He couldn't bring himself to say it. The voice dissolved in his throat and his hand burned. He was used to the Angelus Project doing that when he got emotional, but it didn't do anything to lessen his discomfort. He decided to just continue on with his point. "Then how can you justify sacrificing so many people for Mithos' goals?" He quivered in disgust. "Is that what happened to mum? Was she just another sacrifice or-"

"Of course I wasn't!"

At the sound of the voice, he was forced to look at the seraph. Immediately he noticed his stance had changed and that he wore a hurt expression. Kraine took a step closer to him but he back-stepped, shaking his head.

"Lloyd," the womans voice inside Kraine's body cried. "Please, listen to me."

"No.." He held his head and crouched to his ankles. "No. What's happening? What am I supposed to believe!?" Gasping for air amongst his panic, he couldn't stop the tears of frustration from falling as he punched the ground at his feet. "It's not fair! Things should be starting to make sense now!"

"Lloyd," the woman's voice murmured his name again, this time more urgently. He stumbled back when he felt a hand grip around his arm. Getting to his feet on his own accord, he ran past Kraine and down the stairs that led off of the first platform. Losing his balance in his desire to distance himself from the issue and make sure his friends were safely able to leave, he summoned his wings to catch himself. Immediate pain flourished from the base of his neck, fanning out to the areas around his shoulders, but he ignored it and flew across the strange purple abyss to the others.

Whether or not Kraine had followed him in flight, he didn't know or particularly care, but he felt distant as he landed again and received worried looks from both Genis and Presea. It was like his brain was floating beside him.

"Lloyd?" Genis asked. "Y-your face is-"

"My face?" He reached a somewhat numb feeling hand to his face automatically. Though he couldn't feel much through his gloves, he did feel _something_ that didn't seem right. There were more bumps than he remembered feeling. Since Genis and Presea were too busy giving him wide-eyed stares, he looked at Yuan for an explanation. "What? What's wrong?" He turned his head to look at the teleporter. "C'mon, we gotta go!"

Yuan looked impressed for a second before his gaze shifted to somewhere behind him. Lloyd heard the light tap of feet on the ground, confirming Kraine had joined them. "As Lloyd says," the man said in his normal voice. Lloyd almost felt relieved. He wasn't sure if he could take hearing the _other_ voice again until they had time to properly talk. He heard the sound of flapping wings again from somewhere off in the distance and briefly turned his attention to the non-existent roof.

"That's our cue," Yuan asserted. He turned his back to them and stepped into the teleporter first. Lloyd moved next, in front of Presea and Genis. As he felt his body become light and floaty when the teleporter did its thing, he wondered where they would end up. The last place he had been was Torent Forest in Tethe'alla.

xxx

Kraine knew better.

To stay with Lloyd and the others meant that he could not keep tabs on Mithos' movements. It was perhaps the final nail in the coffin that Mithos needed to be able to label him a traitor. He knew better than to push Mithos too far, but all he could do was hope that he had other priorities. A higher likelihood than normal considering that he was probably more curious about the strange alarm that had gone off in Welgaia.

Looking at their group as they stood on the spot and both admired and loathed the Tower of Salvation around them, his own priorities were rather obvious. A verbal investigation of a certain half-elf was extremely paramount since he had likely been the sole cause of the strange alarm, while a long overdue explanation to Genis and Presea presented itself with equal importance. He hadn't expected Lloyd to so suddenly declare he had discovered the true nature of their relationship either. While he would have liked to have thought Lloyd had awoken and somehow figured it out on the spot, he knew just by the seriousness in his sons brown eyes when he had glared at him that he hadn't just been guessing. Lloyd had breached the subject with good reason, possibly with hard evidence in mind. A hunch that it somehow had something to do with the Angelus Project only served to unsettle his mind further.

Those priorities weren't the ones that had swayed his logic and better judgement though. His real reason was far less logical and far more emotionally driven than he was comfortable admitting nowadays. Pure and simple, Annalicia would _kill_ him for choosing any other route in protecting their son. Had he chosen a more suitable way to be able to sit on both sides of the fence, he would have found himself locked in the Cruxis crystal again and watching her handle things. Had they been in a safer environment, he would not have normally had a problem with that. Annalicia was easily the best equipped parent to handle the delicate situation that had presented itself.

Given the precarious situation Lloyd had found himself in though, he couldn't say he blamed her for threatening him, but she definitely had him cornered. The group collectively had enemies from all over both worlds, and things were only going to become more dangerous. Only second to the protection of his own son was his instinct to protect her. He had already risked her life by experimenting with exspheres using the logic Mithos had been attempting to perfect for years; that was likely why Mithos had made him fight; and he wouldn't do it again.

He'd seen it before, though a part of him wished he hadn't. He knew Genis and Yuan would have seen it as well- the way Lloyd's mana signature fanned out in strange directions all around him. Not only that, but they had seen his skin. Just as it had with Martuan, Lloyd's skin had started to change colour, as was the nature of the sickness he had contracted. Resembling blue and white coloured fish scales, the skin of the boys neck just under his hair line and the skin of his face was beginning its transformation. It would not stop until it covered every inch of his skin, but that wasn't where the problems stopped.

Knowing what would come if he didn't do anything, Kraine found himself unable to respond as best as he could have in the moment the sickness took its first damning toll on Lloyd's body. With a pained yelp, the boy crouched to the ground, his body violently shaking all of a sudden. It was all Kraine could do to catch him and stop him from falling down the steps that led out of the Tower of Salvation and to the country of Tethe'alla. Yuan dashed back up the steps, his cape flapping in the breeze behind him as he did, and dropped down next to Lloyd.

"Lloyd!" he hissed, his tone urgent but not annoyed.

"I-I'm-" Lloyd's voice shook and he seemed to be struggling to get the words out. "Who am I?" An almighty cry from the boy made Kraine quiver, right to his core. It wasn't unlike that of his beloved that night on the cliffs near Iselia- the scream of agony she had released upon his acceptance to end her life. It tore at his heart in a way that he never knew was still possible.

Yuan looked over the brunet, trying to figure out what was wrong. Though Kraine wanted to speak, he found his nerves scattered. Mumbling and drivelling on and not being able to find the right words, he realised his clarity of thought was lacking. It was odd. He had seen Lloyd and Colloyd in pain time and time again over the course of the journey so far and barely batted an eyelid. What had changed?

The answer came sooner than he expected upon his questioning to himself. The difference was that his son knew who he was now. He had mulled the event over in his head repeatedly, convincing himself each time that the scenes in his head would never play out in life. But it had.. and now he was allowed to be his father. Not that he deserved that title of course. As far as he was concerned, that honour belonged only to the kind dwarf that had raised him all those years. He was the much more worthy parent.

The moment he realised what was wrong was ironically the same moment that he found it within himself to focus on the matter at hand and be of a little more help to Yuan. Gripping Lloyd carefully, all the while remembering how weak Martuan had been at this stage of the same illness, he assisted Yuan in helping him up. As expected, once Yuan let go, they almost tumbled over. Lloyd yelped at the sudden movement and summoned his wings what looked to be instinctively. The wings blinked in and out of existence quickly after he regained his balance.

"That was a close one," Lloyd declared, his voice sounded pained and shaky still. When he touched a hand to his face again, Kraine saw the terror in his eyes. "What's going on? I've gone kinda numb." His words sounded pretty slurred. Part of his mouth didn't seem to be moving quite at normal speed.

"Just relax," Yuan instructed, moving his gaze from the boy to Kraine. For a split second, Kraine saw straight through his friend. Yuan was practically hand-balling the responsibility of the situation to him.

Despite his reservations, he decided that things were better if he handled them anyway. Whenever Yuan did things, he always had the sneaking suspicion that there were other motives behind them. "We have little choice but to take him to Flanoir," he said with a sigh. Yuan's looked questioning for a second, but he seemed to understand pretty quickly as to why he had chosen Flanoir when Meltokio had competent doctors. "He is the only doctor we are able to trust fully," he said anyway for clarities sake.

"No, I'm okay," Lloyd said, still slurring. "I just need sleep." He craned his head up to look at the starry night sky and the moon that hung above, only to cringe and quickly look back down. His neck apparently hurt pretty badly.

"Lloyd!" Genis exclaimed, clenching his fist. "Maybe you haven't seen your face, but you're _not_ okay!"

"I am in agreement with Genis," Presea added in. "You don't look well at all Lloyd."

With the agreement unanimous, Yuan summoned the rheiards he had in his possession. They only had two. It was going to be a tight squeeze. While they piled on to them and made the decision as to who was going to be riding with who, Kraine thought about his decision to take Lloyd to Flanoir a little more. He wondered just what limb or vital organ he might have to barter for the doctors business, and could only hope that the man would do it for old times sake. Seeing the child he had once examined while still in the stomach of Annalicia all grown up had to count for something, surely.

xxx

The good doctor had certainly been surprised to see them, Kraine in particular. Exchanging as few pleasantries as possible before the whitecoat let them into his practise in the middle of the night, Kraine helped Lloyd onto the single bed in the corner of the divided room. Despite Lloyd's disagreement, the doctor asked for everyone but him to leave for the inn so that he could do what he was being paid to do, despite their actual lack of arrangement for payment being made yet. Conflicted though they were, Yuan, Presea and Genis agreed to do as they were asked and left them to go out into the cold town to find the place they would be spending the night.

"So, let me guess," the doctor started once the door closed heavily behind Presea. He began by narrowing his eyes the way he always had done at Kraine, as though he were the one to blame for it all. Though technically that was true, even Kraine had a hard time regretting the fact that he had played a role in bringing his son into the world. The doctor continued. "You've come to me in hopes that I would have the cure for one the rarest diseases to grace the planet."

"So you know what it is, then," Kraine said rhetorically. "I shouldn't be surprised, considering your background." The doctor hadn't _always_ been in Flanoir. He had done his fair share of research in the Sybak university and knew much more about the nature of exspheres than other doctors around. Having risked a background check on the man before allowing Annalicia to see him while in her condition, they had figured his knowledge would be more of a help than hindrance.

The doctor scoffed at his off-key remark and asked Lloyd to take off his red jacket. "I'm not the one who should be judged for my history."

Lloyd snickered but didn't say anything except in complaint of the cold as he stripped down to his black tank top. Kraine sighed. So _that_ was it. At the time he and Annalicia had last visited him, they had not had a gald to their names. Doing a background check in secret had been one thing, but it had been far too risky to use company funds while they were in hiding from the Desians. He had thought their luck to have all but run out until Annalicia had taken a risk in attempting to pique the doctors curiosity. She had succeeded and in the process won herself unlimited examinations in exchange for 'something he would never have the privilege to study up close again if he didn't take the opportunity now'.

Just remembering the sensations he had experienced when the doctor had manhandled his 'manafoils' and examined them with various tools of his trade made him cringe. It hadn't been _all_ bad though. Being a lover of curious things himself, he had been intrigued to peruse the notes the doctor took on his observations. For anyone other than Annalicia though, he would have sooner walked out and never returned than shown his wings. No woman had possessed him to ignore his common sense in the same way she had.

The doctor turned his focus onto Lloyd, an intrigued grimace on his face. "How long have you been experiencing discomfort?"

Lloyd looked naturally hesitant to answer but eventually did, saying it had been quite some time. Seeing Lloyd's confused expression, Kraine berated himself for not having cottoned on to the tell-tale signs of his condition sooner. It brought back memories of Martuan and how she had always sought to put their quest to get the Summon Spirits and end the Kharlan War above revealing her declining health to them. She had only come undone when, just the same as Lloyd, her symptoms had started to show.

Unlike that woman though, Kraine found himself quite sure of two things. The first being that Lloyd hadn't actually realised something too dire was wrong, and the second being that he likely wouldn't complain to him until the cows milked themselves for him to 'hurry up and find a cure' in the same way Martuan had. The first time with the Ozette flu, her ruthless nagging had kept him going until he had been met with success. With the new disease however, he had only felt the pit of desperation to save his friend growing bigger and bigger.

After endless hours of scouring the few medicine books he had been able to acquire rather fruitlessly and finding himself on the verge of admitting defeat, it had been Gabriel that had saved him from a life of internal torment with the suggestion that perhaps the root of all Martuan's sickness came from her Cruxis crystal. Just by saying that, he had set the wheels in motion for their inevitable return to _that_ place.

Unlike the beginning of Martuan's case however, Kraine _knew_ what needed to be done to help. Knowing what needed to be done did not stop him feeling helpless though. In fact, he wagered to himself that it made it somewhat worse. Even if he were able to acquire Zircon, or at least information about its whereabouts, the Mana Leaf Herb and the Unicorn horn seemed unobtainable. He tried to stay focused on the matter at hand- the doctors prognosis on something that was far and beyond out of his league.

"You have a rare disease, only to have been documented once," the practitioner explained, clutching the sleeves of his coat as he did. He seemed nervous. "The same disease the Goddess Martel is said to have had. Chronic Angelus Crystallus Inofficium."

When the doctor casually told Lloyd what his condition was called, Kraine cringed at the loose Flanoirian pronunciation he used. It took all his strength to not correct him. At the time of naming the condition, he had repetitively needed to teach Mithos how to break the words up into more manageable pieces.

"Chronic Angelus-what?" Lloyd attempted to repeat, just as Mithos had.

Kraine supposed he could only partly blame himself for it. Despite his best efforts, Colloyd hadn't taken to his studies very well at all. Yuan was the most to blame for carelessly teaching him during his most important years though. "Ch-ron-ic Angelus Crystal-lus Ino-ffic-ium," he repeated for him slowly.

Lloyd met his eyes for a brief second and pouted before glancing away. "What's going to happen to me?"

"I regret to say it," the doctor started, "but if nothing is done, your body will be overcome by the parasite and you will perish."

"The _parasite?"_ A sudden expression of undeniable understanding washed over Lloyd's features. "That sounds a lot like what was wrong with Colette before she came back to us." He looked at the exsphere on his hand. "And it comes from this?" He reached his other hand for it suddenly, eliciting both Kraine and the doctor to dart at him, seeing his train of thought before he even had the chance to express it. He quickly withdrew his hand, startled. "I shouldn't take it off?"

"Not if you don't want to be far worse off," the doctor replied. "I'm no expert but I am almost certain that a disease directly involving your mana and related to that exsphere on your hand wouldn't take matters politely if you were to remove its power source, so to speak."

Kraine again cringed at the analogy. The doctor _was_ correct though. Even basic historical literature regarding exspheres during the Kharlan War depicted the fact that they mutated the host and merged with the wearer. It hadn't been unheard of during the early times of the war for entire battles to be forfeit by either side when their commanders suddenly became ill and turned into monsters. Almost all of that information had been destroyed over time however and the most general civilians typically knew was that exspheres were dangerous without key crests and that exspheres were 'created by the Desians.'

"So we just have to find a way to fix it?" Lloyd asked, then shook his head. "No wait. We don't really have time for that. Can we do it later?" He attempted to get up off of the bed but stopped. "Uh.. Maybe a nights rest will do me some good."

"I'm not an inn," the doctor spat. "However, I will monitor you for the rest of the night, out of the goodness of my heart." He glanced back at Kraine and somehow he knew that his generosity was going to come at a hefty price. "Come back in the morning and I will show you some information I have, if I can manage to dig it up."

A bit wary that the doctor was still going out of his way before payment had been discussed, Kraine decided to ask Lloyd if he was comfortable with the arrangement. The boy shrugged his shoulders indifferently at his question- a vast change to how he had been earlier. Guilt threatening to spoil the going that appeared to be good currently, Kraine decided to query it again. "Are you certain?"

Lloyd opened his mouth to reply but let out a cry instead, making both seraph and doctor jump. Now with his gloves off, the shine the Angelus Project on his hand gave off was far more obvious. The veins around the exsphere and key crest on his hand became more prominent. As the trouble making gem shone a blinding blue hue, the veins that ran up his arm grew more visible. They vanished almost as soon as they had appeared however, leaving Lloyd a little shaken but otherwise the same as he had been before.

"I think it's best you go," the doctor ordered Kraine after the ordeal. Despite disliking being told to leave his son, he agreed it was for the best and turned to depart.

When he let himself out of the doctors surgery, he hadn't expected to see Yuan waiting outside, back resting against the house and a knowing grin on his face. "I should have expected you," was his response, regardless. Yuan turned to face him, the grin leaving his expression and a serious look replacing it. Kraine mimicked him. "What do you need, Yuan." He realised how agitated he sounded at him. Anyone else may have taken offence. Yuan however just shrugged it off like it was business as usual. He watched his fellow half-elf as he reached under his cloak and brought out what appeared to be a stick. No.. _A unicorn horn._

Yuan held it out to him. "Take it. You're going to need it." He waggled it a bit until Kraine swiped it from his hand.

"How were you-" he stopped his question before it finished and shook his head. "There I go again. Asking you questions when I really should know better than to lead you into that little game you like to play."

"All things have their purpose," Yuan mused. He closed his eyes and smiled to himself before one eyebrow twitched. "Think of this as a way of making amends."

"Amends?" Kraine wondered what that was about. He almost felt terrified. "What have you done, Yuan? Or what are you about to do?"

"Hmph." Yuan turned on his heel and looked up at the cloudy night sky. Almost no stars were visible under the snowy clouds and cold fog. "What do you think of Mithos' goals?"

"I should ask you that same question," he replied, raising his brows in question at him even though he couldn't see him with his back turned. He turned his gaze to the sky as well before he answered. "There is merit in his resolve. The world is not what it seems." A moments quiet pause resounded between them. "But you know that already, and not just because of Martuan."

Yuan didn't reply, just nodded his head once.

Kraine took a deep breath and rested his hand on the pommel of his sword. "You know everything."

"An exaggeration," the bluenette refuted. "Though I'm flattered." He went to start walking again. Kraine briefly looked at the unicorn horn in his hand but looked up when the half-elf stopped his shuffle through the snow. "Don't think too hard on the side you'll need to take when push comes to shove, Kraine." He snickered. "That should be a no-brainer."

"How cryptic of you," he congratulated, tired of standing out in the blinding snow and deciding to start heading in the same direction as Yuan.

They ventured past the small graveyard of Flanoir and toward the inn. He stayed quiet in case Yuan felt like revealing more of his hand freely. When he didn't, he knew he only had one last opportunity for some information before they reached their destination. "You're not a member of Cruxis, nor do you seem particularly like a Renegade."

Yuan gave him a look as if to say "go on."

"I am curious to know what side of the fence you lean toward, considering you berate me about my own lack of conviction."

Yuan rested a hand in his hip and teased his chin with the other while he thought. Eventually he seemed to be ready to do at least a little explaining. "What use is a fence to stand by when either side fights the same battle?"

"Are you saying that there is a way for this to not end in bloodshed?" The idea was tantalising. Without realising it, he had allowed himself to be caught in a trap.

"Bloodshed cannot be avoided," Yuan replied, to his disappointment. "Destiny is unavoidable, but fate.." He exhaled. "Fate can be changed to harmonise with destiny."

Kraine scowled to himself. "And I suppose asking you for a more to the point answer is, well, pointless?"

"Even so, it isn't like you to give up."

"I suppose not."

They stood outside the inn now, facing the steps that led to the front door. "Is it possible for you to have seen the future, Yuan?" The train of thought didn't end there though. "Did you see something you didn't like?" If that was true, the only plausible answer was impossible. Mithos had Origins' power.

The half-elf glanced to his side at him, his mouth twitching into its usual smirk. "If the future was all I needed to worry about, this journey would have been over before now."

On that final answer, he ventured inside. Kraine steeled himself for the things to come and followed suit.


	64. Cold shoulders

Lloyd shifted around in the hospital bed uncomfortably. Aside from the now constant ache in his neck and shoulders, the way his vision darkened around the edges when he tried to move too much and the numbness on his face, he was totally fine. What actually hurt the most wasn't his condition, but the memory it dredged up whenever he made a slight movement. The pain was too similar to what he and Colette had endured during their attempt to break the final seal and regenerate the world at the Tower of Salvation, all thanks to a Kraine, Cruxis and a now very dead Remiel.

The good doctor had stopped examining him a short time ago and now was shifting through a million different folders and papers, looking to find something. The way he was muttering to himself about things as he did so reminded Lloyd of Kraine. Thinking about the man who he now knew for certain was his real father, the urge to have answers reared its ugly head to taunt him once again. At first, he tried to close his eyes and sleep. He had been the one to agree to the whole situation after all. Going back on it would make him seem like an hypocrite.

Trying to make himself less bored, he thought about what he now knew. First off, Kraine was his father. Anna, the woman in the Angelus Project on his hand, was his mother. She had initially told Colette that their fathers name was Kratos, but then had clearly stated Kraine was actually the man in question. Along with Kraine's name, she had also said three other names, just as the illusion of Annalicia had. He'd heard of two of them before, but not the third.

 _Kratos_ was the name Colette had told him his - _their-_ father had. It was the name Anna, his apparent mother, had given to her during her time in the Angelus Project. _Regal_ was the name of Kraine's alter-ego in Tethe'alla, from what little he understood. Regal Bryant was a rich corporate Duke who had gone missing after rumours of him having killed a woman had started to stir; rumours that had been proven true in recent times.

So who was this Raine person?

The fact that the names had all been said together was weird in itself, but also the fact that _Raine_ sounded so similar to _Kraine_ in the same way his name had at least partly sounded like Lloyd and Colette together, when they had been one person, niggled at him. He had to wonder what it all meant. Those names were just the beginnings of his confusion. He'd known Genis knew more about Annalicia than he'd said for a while, but hearing him _and_ Presea say that Annalicia was _their_ sister made it all the more apparent. Were they related to Gesea?

He breathed heavily for a few brief moments when the Angelus Project pulsed against his hand and acted up again. Raising his arm, he watched his veins glow in the dim lighting. Shortness of breath came and went with the pulsing and glimmering of his arm, but he wouldn't - he _couldn't-_ let the pain win this time. He'd missed out on so many things by not being around and being too weak already. He wouldn't let himself be pulled into the Angelus Project again either. If Mithos was still inside, there was a good chance he was still trying to get out. Without him in the world, it meant they had one less enemy, didn't it? He felt oddly fifty-fifty about the thought, despite his resolution.

The more he tried to ignore the possibility that he might be able to leave and come back without the doctor noticing though, the more it seemed to seed itself into his mind. He shook it off, telling himself that he couldn't even see properly and that if it was cold _inside,_ it would be twice as bad outside, but he had more than one reason to go now. He needed to talk with Genis and Presea, not to mention _Yuan._ He had apparently been the one to give him the Angelus Project, and with the way he had been fighting with Mithos earlier, it looked like he knew more about Cruxis than he had admitted. Then again, it wasn't like there had any chance to question the old professor since he had revealed he was also a seraph and had said all those strange things.

Lloyd gritted his teeth at the pain in his hand again. There was only one solution to stop the pain- answers.

xxx

Kraine stood on the balcony of the famous Flanoir inn, waiting for Presea and Genis to come out to see him. There didn't seem to be any sense in pushing them until they were ready. It gave him a chance to think over things before they became increasingly complicated anyway.

The unicorn horn Yuan had given to him 'as a way of making amends' weighed in his pocket like a curious artefact from an ancient ruin. Just how had Yuan come to possess it? That and many other questions spun around his brain like flies over a decomposing corpse. Tucking those questions away into a pocket of memory he had dedicated to his conversations with the blue haired half-elf, he allowed his focus to shift to the positives of the current predicament.

He held in his pocket the first and most difficult piece to the cure for Lloyd's condition. Next up on the agenda was his return to the Lezareno Company, undercover, to source the information on Zircon's whereabouts nowadays. Being a rare material found in several of the same mines exspheres had once been, he was confident that George would be able to help him. The biggest issue seemed to be getting the Mana Leaf Herb, now that he was a half-elf, followed closely by asking Dirk to forge the special rune crest. He expected the dwarf would comply however, considering the reason for the request.

Though he was fairly confident in his research, he wasn't so blind as to think there was no room for error in his calculations. Back during the Kharlan war days, after finding more information from the books they had managed to 'borrow' from the newly abandoned laboratory in Sybak since they had made their exit, he had started to keep a journal on his findings. The research the scientists had done on the original Angelus Project hadn't proven particularly useful, but other cures for lesser but similar infections caused by attaching an exsphere to the skin without a key crest had helped him in his understanding nevertheless. Further than that though, he had quickly realised that he and his comrades likely knew more about the results of their testing than the testers themselves. He had initially supposed that 'Angelus' in 'Angelus Project' was derivative of the word 'Angel', but after studying the books relentlessly, he had discovered that the researchers actually had little to no idea that the evolving exspheres altered the very essence of their hosts mana and gave them the ability to fly at the cost of the ability to swim.

After hitting a block in his research, Mithos had intelligently suggested that they seek out the elves of Heimdall for information. Though he had been the one to come up with the idea, the boy had seemed just as apprehensive as the rest of them at the suggestion. Half-elves and elves did not get along, and elves seldom tolerated humans in their midst. Ymir forest itself stood as a testament to their desire to keep themselves isolated.

Something strange had happened when he had visited the elves alone though, since Gabriel had oddly refused to enter. The elves had greeted him with no mistrust in their eyes. In fact, he had asked them for any information regarding the disease and they had willingly taught him about the mana leaf herb and its properties. He'd thought himself being a bit tongue-in-cheek for asking for a sample, but again they hadn't even hesitated.

While their group moved around the Tethe'alla region with Martuan in her worsening condition, they had heard about a material being discovered in one of the underground mines. Called Zircon after the richest man to find it and likely not the slave to the pits that had been its true discoverer, it fetched a high price in some parts of the world due to its magical qualities and its ability to be fashioned in numerous ways.

Knowing there was likely no other way aside from breaking into the place that had once been his home, Kraine had reluctantly called upon a favour from a half-elf girl he had convinced his father to employ from off the streets as a maid some years back. She was to give a note he had written and signed to his sister, in secret, with the instructions to retrieve a piece of the Zircon from the shipment that the royal family had purchased as an investment. The maid would then enclose it in the envelope he had also given, before dropping it into a sewer grate for him to find when he searched.

The plan going off without a hitch, he had found his research plans slowly starting to come together. Confident that finding a dwarf to do some work for the pure pleasure of working with a rare material would be no arduous task, and convinced that the precious material would act as an inhibitor when mixed with regular ore, he had focused his attention on the missing piece to the puzzle. If the disease had not already started to affect Martuan, he would have been happy to continue on with the next phase. As things had stood though, she was getting gradually worse and her skin had discoloured badly. They needed some way to enhance their regular healing artes.

Mithos had been the one to come back with the idea that the answer may be in a creature thought to be a myth one morning while he had been buried in books they had borrowed from a travelling merchant. After the boy had exercised his brief moment of genius and found an alchemical book amongst the bunch, detailing the properties of the Unicorn Horn, the final step had all but completed itself.

There had been one problem though. They had no idea where to find a Unicorn and if _by chance_ they would have been lucky enough to happen across one in the time frame before Martuan's condition took her life, they then lacked a maiden in their group to be able to ask for the horn. Given the fact that they had been deep in Tethe'alla territory when Martuan's condition had caused her to be bedridden, there had been no foreseeable way to ask another for help without drawing attention to the quite famous Sylvaranti commander in their group.

Another bizarre occurrence had then proceeded to happen, just as Kraine had been ready to finally admit that he had failed his friend and that she would not be long for the world. Despite what had been written in the books the doctor was most likely going to show him tomorrow, he had not been the one to save 'Martel' from her illness.

The very next morning, they had all awoken to hear a surprised gasp coming from Martuan's tent. Convinced that she was about to take her last breath before moving on to whatever plane of existence came next, they had all hotfooted it to her, only to discover her standing upright for the first time in days, staring at something on her hand. She had awoken with a rune crest on her hand and feeling better than ever. The crystallisation of her skin had reversed almost wholly and her usual confident smile had returned.

Mithos hadn't believed him when he had tried to explain that he hadn't actually had a hand in Martuan's miraculous recovery after a night of rest, all those years ago. Not that Kraine could blame him since even he lacked any semblance of an understanding to what had really happened. Even Martuan, upon his asking her, had insisted he had done it for her. The only possible explanation for her insistence (as far as he was concerned) was that she had been feverish. Regardless of his continual pressing to the contrary, his friends had decided to agree amongst themselves that he was simply just being modest and possibly a little embarrassed.

Truth be told, the implication that he had been embarrassed to help Martuan had actually made him more mortified, followed by concerned that he had been perhaps reading their friendship incorrectly the whole time. At the time, he had thought half-elves to be the most complicated creatures in existence, given the fact that they possessed the ability to feel an emotion that otherwise appeared lost to the world. With those thoughts in mind, Mithos and Gabriel's jabs at him about being embarrassed had eaten at him enough to (somewhat bluntly, he'd realised after) ask the Sylvaranti to describe exactly how she felt about him, long after their young half-elf and human companions had retreated to their shared tent for the night. After receiving a few snarky comments and a light bruise on the top of his head from her staff, he'd found himself rather glad that she had absolutely zero feelings for him, and that she was back to her normal self despite the mysterious circumstances.

The trip down memory lane had distracted him enough that he hadn't had time to debate where to start on his explanation to Genis and Presea. He only started to think about it when he heard the door to the balcony squeak open and two pairs of footsteps stepping out into the fallen snow that covered the outpost. Presea, thankfully, lacked her axe this time. Genis stood by her side, though his eyes showed how unsure he felt about their meeting so soon after she had been prepared to fight to protect the illusion of Annalicia.

"We have some questions," the silver haired half-elf stated.

"That's right," Presea agreed. She furrowed her pink eyebrows and gave him a glare. "I don't want to hear it from the mouth of a liar though."

Genis flinched, obviously surprised. "P-P-Presea! That's not what we-" He stopped when she looked at him, demeanour changing to a softer gaze. She said nothing. Genis stood looking at her for a few seconds, then slowly nodded. Happy that the boy agreed with her, Presea turned her attention back to Kraine. "We want to hear it from Annalicia."

"Even though we're not sure how that's even possible," Genis added. He trotted across the slushy snow with Presea following behind to stand a little closer. Kraine noticed his eyes were down-turned and that he was looking at his hands. Despite his want to hide the second Cruxis crystal he had behind a glove, after being trapped in it for a time while Annalicia had taken control, he hadn't wanted to subject her to total darkness. His beloved had suffered enough.

He quickly became conscious that he had been careless when red walls surrounded him. In allowing his concentration to slip, Annalicia had taken control of his body again. It was fascinating at how seamless their soul-swapping appeared to be and how adept she had gotten at operating a body that was foreign to her, but also equal parts disturbing due to how easily Mithos' plans could have come into fruition, had he tried the idea of two simultaneous exspheres before the Angelus Project came about. Then again, perhaps he had and this was simply a unique trait the woman who had long been a part of the Angelus Project possessed. He wasn't sure he would ever fully know the truth.

"Please forgive Kraine," Annalicia pleaded, eliciting surprise from Genis and Presea at how sudden their request had been granted. "He didn't want to kill me. I begged him to do it."

Presea's eyes watered with tears. She chewed on her lip in attempt to get a hold of herself. "Annalicia.. is that truly you?"

"It is," she answered, her voice barely above a whisper as she reached out a hand to cup the chin of Presea, but cringed and pulled away instead. The shocked looks of Presea and Genis became concerned when Kraine watched his view point lower. "Annalicia!" he yelled. Something was wrong. It had been wrong since earlier. Perhaps they had abused their new ability too rigorously during the fight with the seraphinalia.. or…

When Annalicia giggled and picked herself up with the help of Presea, the shorter pink haired girl led her to the almost invisible bench. Using the gloved part of her hand, she wiped some white snowy dust away and gestured for her to sit down.

"My apologies," Annalicia said once seated and she had gained her breath. "I'm not supposed to be a part of this world any more. The old gods must be punishing me for tempting fate." All Kraine saw for a second was her face as she brought her hand up to it and looked at the exsphere. "I suppose you'll blame yourself for that as well." She smiled fondly before resting her hand in her lap again in such a way that Kraine could see Genis and Presea clearly.

"It's true that Regal.. _Kraine..._ deceived you both into thinking he was your brother by blood. He took pity on a girl who had nobody else in the world to depend on. A girl who heard the word -brother- and showed some semblance of understanding to him, despite the Angelus Project that sat on her chest and fed on her soul."

The thinking faces of the two children were strange to observe. On both faces were semblances of Gesea, but neither one looked exactly like her either.

"Kraine didn't act as an Angel of Cruxis when he felt sorry for the girl her older sister constantly talked about; the one she thought she was participating in the Angelus Project to protect, only to find out after death that her younger sister had already been a part of a less successful experiment; one that had stopped her body aging past twelve years old." Annalicia covered her face with her hands.

Kraine felt his body becoming light in one instance, then found himself looking through his eyes properly at the children once more. They seemed to instantly recognise something had changed, because Presea immediately took on a more guarded (albeit less threatening) stance.

"What did she mean by that?" Genis asked. "I thought Annalicia was our _younger_ sister."

" _It's alright. You can tell them."_

Though he hadn't asked, Kraine was glad to have her permission. He pressed on. "Annalicia started out just like Gesea. She was secretly involved in experimentations while she lived at home. Only when Cruxis developed a new type of key crest did they manage to develop the Angelus Project on her."

"And because it was successful on her," Presea's voice shook, "they tried it on us."

"Correct. Then, after I took her life with my own hands, I found no trace of the Angelus Project that had stolen her from me thanks to Kvar's persistent chasing. I eventually found out that Kvar himself was still looking for it and had thought all hope was lost. That was, until I ventured to Ozette to tell Annalicia's sister the truth about what had happened, only to discover something else."

"So they put the Angelus Project on us after Annalicia was killed, but we had a different one before that," Presea retold. She looked calmer now. Her accusing stare had faded to show sorrow instead. She had the same kind eyes as Annalicia. "I understand now." Turning her back to him, she stepped past Genis and to the door of the inn.

"Presea?" Genis called cautiously, whipping his head back and forth to look at her and then at him.

"I might not be able to forgive you right away, Kraine," Presea started off again, "but had I been in your position, I can't say I wouldn't have done the same thing." She paused, then opened the door. A gust of warmth flew out and slightly melted the ice around the opening. "I'm not leaving to get a weapon, just so you know. It's just _really cold_ out here." Her shoulders quivered a bit. She stepped inside and closed the door behind her without another word.

" _And what about you, Genis?"_ Kraine asked mentally, hearing Annalicia practically ask the same thing from within the Cruxis crystal. He waited for the boy to say what he wanted to say.

Genis shifted from one foot to the other, stopped, then shifted his weight back. "Kraine," he started, eventually. "Can I ask you something weird?"

This conversation was going in a different direction than he had expected. His interest piqued, he bobbed his head and awaited whatever Genis dubbed as weird.

"You know how that illusion was saying stuff?"

"Yes?"

"Were those three names that were mentioned all real? The ones the fake Annalicia called you?"

Kraine thought back to the situation. It had been the thing that had cemented that the fake could have only been operated by Mithos. "Yes, they are," he answered. "I suppose you would know more than most about Mithos' goals with the Angelus project."

Genis looked uncomfortable. He wondered whether he was yet to still gain his trust.

"This 'Raine' part of you..." Genis trailed off and scratched his head. "I.. I'm not sure why, but I feel like there's something different about that name. Like I should have known it a long time ago."

"Have you considered that it is because a large part of that name is a part of my name now?" Kraine had to question, even though it was plain as the snow was falling that Genis had been thinking about this for a little while. That had been one of the things Gesea had always done as well. If she had blurted questions out, he had never felt them necessary to answer right away. When she slowly built up to asking a question to him though, he knew it was more than just a jab at him to be less 'secretive' as she had put it multiple times.

Eventually Genis shrugged off the seriousness though and gave him a half-hearted smile. "Thanks for telling us what happened. I.. I didn't want to not trust you, Kraine." Embarrassed by his own words, he turned tail and hotfooted it back into the inn.

Still curious to know more about Genis' thoughts and knowledge on what Mithos' current plans entailed when it came to Lloyd, Kraine decided to follow him inside.

* * *

**Later that night..**

* * *

"Kraine."

Kraine blinked his eyes open at the sound of his name. At first he thought he had imagined it. Though he didn't sleep, sometimes he still had waking dreams. Most were terrible ones he would have rather discontinued if he'd had a say in it, but occasionally he dreamed of nice things too. His family in particular. Sitting up in the dark room and scanning the area, he deduced that Genis and Presea were sleeping soundly in their beds. Curiosity getting the better of him, he gathered a cloak from the rack on the side wall near the door, designed for guests who wished to see the snowfall at night, and left the room as quietly as he could through the inn to head to the balcony once again.

Seeing the remarkably beautiful snow falling from the sky all around him as always gave him mixed feelings. Annalicia had loved the snow above all else.

" _The place you proposed to me, my angel,"_ he heard her say from the Cruxis crystal. Her voice was quiet again. _"And we planned to find my sister after we got the key crest made and seek her permission to marry under elven customs."_

He opened his mouth to ask if she was alright but found himself interrupted by the slight sound of crunching snow behind him. Reaching his hand slowly for his sword, he listened intently. A barely audible chuckle sounded, instantly alerting him to who it was. Whirling around, he saw a brunet looking in his direction, a crooked smile on his face. Torn between lecturing and questioning him on his condition, Kraine found himself being silent.

"Derris Kharlan is really something, huh," Lloyd said then, to much his surprise, and shuffled through the snow until he stood at his side, not looking at him but out to the city of Flanoir that slept below. "Whoever built all those machines must have been amazing! Was it you?" He sniffed and wiped under his nose with his forearm. "You're super smart after all. I can see you doing that."

Deciding that a lecture would hardly help things, Kraine pulled the cloak he had on for show mostly in case anyone were to see him off of himself and dropped it onto Lloyd's bare shoulders. At first the boy seemed somewhat stunned, but he quickly got over it and tugged the warm material around himself properly. "But what about you?" he asked, giving eye contact for the first time since their encounter. When Kraine returned it, the boy looked away again.

"I appreciate the concern, but it.. has been a very long time since I last felt the cold to an extreme," he explained. He cut himself off before he said too much else.

"R-right," Lloyd mumbled, gazing down solemnly. "I wonder if I will get like that one day?"

Kraine hoped not, with every fibre of his being. "It is impossible to know for sure," he decided was best to say.

"Did you know I was your son the whole time?" was the next question out of the boys mouth as he gripped his gloved hands around the railing of the balcony. He didn't give eye contact at first to him, but slowly seemed to pluck up the courage. When he did, Kraine saw the desperation in his eyes. He was obviously hoping that the answer would be a negative.

Done with lies and despite the truth not being in his best interest, Kraine nodded. "You were Colloyd when I met you in Iselia, Lloyd. Your mother called you by that name when you were nearing your second birthday." He chewed on his lip, wondering how the boy would respond to that. Unlike Yuan, and more than likely Genis and Presea, Lloyd still knew very little about the true and very strange nature of the world. It was inevitable that he learn about Origin's curse however, if he truly wanted to put things right.

"That makes my dreams make sense a bit actually," Lloyd admitted. Trailing his eyes up to the cloudy sky, he smiled at what may have been a memory. "Sometimes I have these dreams, where my father has me on his shoulders. He used to call me Colloyd in them and look a bit different, but then after all of that stuff happened at the tower, I kept hearing Lloyd instead." His pale face flushed a bit. "D-did we ever do that?"

Kraine watched also as some cloud cover moved out of the way to reveal some bright stars glittering against the dark blue backdrop of the night. "It was the easiest way to transport you when we were moving around. Your mother and I did that a lot before and after we had you."

"We did?" Lloyd sounded somewhat distant at the mention of Annalicia. He crunched his feet further into the snow while in thought for a few seconds before stopping. "C-can.. you tell me about mum?"

Kraine looked over him and at the markings on his face caused by the Inofficum he was suffering. "It is best if you head back to the doctors clinic now," he said instead. "Your condition is very serious Lloyd. I will accompany you."

He started forward and was more than a little startled when Lloyd caught his arm. The gaze he got from him when he cocked his head back made his heart lunge with both pride and fear. He looked like his mother in many ways, but his eyes..

Looking into his brown eyes made him feel as though he were looking into a mirror at his younger self; the boy whom had once usurped his right to the throne, foolishly convinced that there was a way to stop the suffering of both sides and end a war without further bloodshed.

The eyes Lloyd pointed at him reminded him of one other, too. It had been why he had taken pity on Mithos in the first place and agreed to mentor him in the way of the sword. Sighing to himself and resolving that Lloyd would likely only leave with him kicking and screaming, he started to put the story together mentally, cursing the stubborn nature of his son. He hadn't been able to win against Annalicia when she had been questing for knowledge, either.

"You remind me of her," he started, noting he had accidentally cracked a smile. "She would not leave well enough alone either."

Lloyd snickered and grinned proudly at that, while Kraine felt relieved just to see the normal smile on the boys face. Parenthood was an oddity that he desired to study further. The bond a parent had with their children was like no other. It hadn't always been so, but eventually it had broken through Origin's curse and become as much a part of the laws of nature as mana being the source of all life.

"As you know, your mother was a victim of the Angelus Project, just like Gesea." Before Lloyd had the opportunity to stick on that subject too long, he knew he needed to continue with more of a story. "Your mother and I met a long time ago, before she had become a test subject. We then met again some years later, when she was brought to me a long while after her father made a deal with the head of the project to allow her to become the next subject."

He paused, to give Lloyd time to question him if he wanted. When the boy just sort of stared into space, perhaps trying to picture things, he decided to go on. "She had reacted remarkably well to the initial experimentation and I was to keep an eye on her after they removed the key-crest on the formed Angelus Project. After spending a great deal of time with her, I saw that Mithos' plans were flawed and that the experiment, as you have put it before, makes a mockery of human life."

"Just what _are_ Mithos' plans?" Lloyd questioned, going off track. "Does he really want to revive the Goddess?"

Kraine thought about his next answer carefully. Go too slowly and Lloyd would get frustrated, but go too fast and the boy would get confused. Luckily it was a balance he had learned to perfect while teaching him at Iselia. "Revive isn't quite the correct word. Think of it more like he wants to finally actually _meet_ Martel."

Lloyd blinked and slowly raised an eyebrow. "I don't understand. Mithos is a half-elf right? Why would he want to meet the Goddess when it's her teachings that caused the W.S.P?"

"Martel was not a Goddess," he decided to say, possibly a little bluntly. Lloyd's stunned look made him regret it for a second. Lloyd had spent a great deal of his life in the teachings of the church and being told the Goddess essentially didn't exist was probably quite a shock to him. He still had more to add, too.

"How do you know something like that?" Lloyd slowly questioned. "Just who _are_ you, Kraine?"

It was a fair question. The answer seemed a bit ridiculous to say aloud though. He needed to build upon the foundations of the story before jumping into that territory. "Lloyd, do you remember the story of Mithos the Hero?"


	65. Footprints in the snow

Kraine was quite glad he had long lost the ability to feel the cold, especially on nights such as this. Seated in the shadows outside the back window of the doctors surgery, he listened intently to the movement inside. Only Lloyd remained inside the main quarters now. The doctor had retreated into the next room in order to sleep.

He could hear the sound of Lloyd's snoring, but it was far from a peaceful slumber. It was to be expected, given everything that had occurred and especially considering the advanced state of his condition. He'd followed Lloyd back, despite being told not to, and hadn't been able to bring himself to leave again. The lack of an attempt to sleep rarely bothered him. Thousands of nights had come and gone with only his sometimes maddening thoughts to keep him company.

He reeled his mind back on their past conversation on the rooftop of the Flanoir Inn. Lloyd had certainly not been the only one to discover some new unexpected information that evening, that was for certain.

" _Kraine!"_ Lloyd had complained, right where it all began. " _At least give me a bit of credit. Everyone knows that story."_

There had been an unshakeable question of relevance dancing around behind the boys eyes while he retold the story he had been spoon-fed in various ways by the priests that worked in the Temple of Martel over the course of his life. It had been as though he were attempting to figure out whether his question to him was some kind of elaborate change in subject. He had been talking about the story of Mithos the Hero of course.

" _Mithos the Hero saved the world from the war. He was sacrificed and his sister Martel became an angel. Origin regenerated the world and Sylvarant flourished."_

Kraine had always felt rather ill, teaching those passages to the students of Iselia. The only thing that had kept his sanity intact had been the fact that there were in fact some truths hidden within the lies surrounding the bigger picture.

" _I'm not sure that's exactly right any more though,"_ Lloyd had continued on after reciting the passage perfectly. _"The Journey of Regeneration is all a big hoax since Cruxis and Desians are the same organisation, after all."_

The bitterness in his words had been rather obvious but completely warranted. Desians had ripped his life apart. They had taken his mother from him, hurt and tortured many innocent people, and tried to kill him more than once in order to take his exsphere. Just the fact that Lloyd had been willing to talk to one of the figureheads of Cruxis calmly was a testament to him, and something that Kraine found himself infinitely proud of his son for. After telling him so in the only way he knew how without turning their conversation into an awkward one, Lloyd had rebutted rather venomously, explaining that he could thank Yuan for that for the most part. He'd said it with such a hard glare at the railing on the balcony that Kraine had half expected the dirty snow to melt under the weight of all the unspoken words.

Though Lloyd praised Yuan on one hand, he had then gone on to divulge that he hadn't been certain that even the half-elf, his beloved first professor, could be trusted any more. To hide his surprise that Lloyd had in fact brought up a subject he had been hoping to breach at some point willingly, he'd bowed his head slightly and allowed his fringe to fall in front of his face. Reflecting back on it, he wasn't quite sure why he'd even bothered to hide from Lloyd like that. It was as frustratingly natural as pulling out his wings at this stage in his immortal life. Ignorance is Knowledge was an old creed, yes, but at times he also found it a hindrance.

He'd gone on to agree with his son about the enigma that was Yuan Ka-fai. The half-elf had so much to answer for, but at the same time it hardly seemed fair to antagonise him. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Yuan had done his bit in keeping Lloyd and Gesea safe. While his true motives were still unclear, he'd caught himself hoping- somewhat naively- that they weren't anything that would force him to be on a different side to them. Yuan's talk of sides and such earlier that night both worried and intrigued him in equal measures. From what he'd gathered, Lloyd didn't seem to believe that he was a part of Cruxis. He was right of course; at least, as far as he knew.

After peering in through the window to get a brief look at Lloyd, Kraine seated himself again and pensively tapped the crooks of his crossed arms with his index fingers while he continued onward with his train of thought.

He'd explained to Lloyd that not _all_ of the legend was incorrect. Origin's power _was_ vital to Mithos the Hero saving the worlds, and the story of the Chosen meeting 'Origin' also had some truth to it, in Sylvarant anyway. He hadn't told him why at that point however, since Lloyd had battered him with several more questions instantaneously, making it apparent that he had needed to hurry his pace a little. He had only been away from the profession for a short time and already he found himself losing the knack to teach adequately.

Being an individual blessed with the ability to learn skills rather quickly, the trade off had always been that he'd found himself needing to scrupulously study said skills over and over in order to keep up the knack. That, and his belief that those who teach should do so by example, was the reason he insisted on lugging notebooks and literature with him wherever he went. A thought pinned itself into the back of his mind that perhaps Lloyd was the same as him. He scrunched up his face and tried to perish the thought. If that was truly the case, all hope may well have been lost. Even the birds in the trees at Iselia likely knew of his sons desire to procrastinate from anything study related as much as humanly possible.

" _There are explanations that only make sense if the adequate background is sewn into place,"_ he'd said at seeing Lloyd's growing impatience for an adequate justification to everything.

" _It can't be anything too surprising by now. I'm all ears."_

Kraine had begged to differ but pressed on, disclosing that Mithos the Hero had not sacrificed himself, and neither had 'The Goddess', Martel. With Lloyd's curiosity in full swing, he'd decided on blunt truth to handle the crux of the matter.

" _'Martel' never existed in the first place. The true Martel resides in the second soul of a woman you have met on multiple occasions. Her name is Martuan."_

The shock he had given Lloyd had been abundantly visible. His brown eyes widening and his pupils dilating, he had stuttered out her name. _"M..Martuan… as in.. the Renegade Martuan?"_

At first he hadn't seemed to realise what he had revealed, but then at the precise moment his brain had clicked, he'd covered his mouth and cursed. Kraine had quickly put his mind at ease, saying that he had been fully aware of Martuan's movements. It was only a slight exaggeration. Given the interest she had shown in Yuan, he suspected that the two of them were working together.

" _Really?"_ Lloyd had asked him, lulling his head. _"Wait, back up a sec. The second soul? Y-you mean.. she's like Colette and me?""_

Given his situation and everything that had happened at the tower, Kraine hadn't been particularly surprised that he'd been able to understand it. He'd hit the nail on the head but only taken a single breath before beginning a second bombardment of questions. _"You mean there are more people like us around? It isn't just a Chosen thing?"_

At that, he'd tried his best to simply explain to the young swordsman that the world was brimming with people like him and Colette. _"There are single souls as well, but many more double souls. Occasionally people end up with more than two as well."_

And that was where things had taken a strange turn. His eyebrows creased in memory.

" _So that's what mum meant,"_ Lloyd had said casually, striding away from him and stretching a little to cross his arms behind his head. _"That's why you have all those names. Kratos, Raine and Regal, right?"_

Kraine once again tried to recall a point where Annalicia had said those names to Lloyd. She had indeed been rather liberal with the things she had chosen to say at one point or another when 'taking over', but he was still rather confident that those names hadn't come up, just as he had been when Lloyd had first surprised him with that knowledge.

After what Lloyd had told him next, it might have made sense, had a small portion of his story not been entirely contradictory the second he had asked him to explain what he meant in more detail.

" _When I was trapped in the exsphere while we were in Derris Kharlan, mum said a few names when she was talking about you."_

It was in fact the only thing that made sense to how he'd known all three of those names- that he had been watching the event unfold. Kraine hadn't wanted to consider the idea, but the truth was that the only time those names had been said recently was when Lloyd had been unconscious and a fake Annalicia had tried to trick Presea. The revelation had left him wondering what to say. Something so left wing hadn't been on his list of expectations for the evening. Neither had Lloyd surprising him with a visit, for that matter.

As it turned out, Lloyd had indeed heard the entire conversation between him, Genis, the fake Annalicia, and Presea. He'd considered it pretty simple, if not a little concerning that he had been able to be drawn into the Angelus Project even with a key crest on his hand.

" _So you heard and saw your mother say those names?"_ he'd asked, just to make things clear. He hadn't known just how much to the opposite effect his question would have at the time.

" _Well yeah. That part makes sense, doesn't it?"_ Lloyd's question hadn't really been about the subject though. It had been about whether Kraine believed him, which he had. Honesty had always been one of Lloyd's most admirable (and dwarf-like) traits. _"What I don't get is how Mithos got in there too."_

There it was. The enigma that still made Kraine's head ache more than the question of how people could never seem to remember that they had been someone different when they all of a sudden changed. Very few things gave him the chills. He had discovered that he wasn't altogether immune to surprise however, thanks to that one little curious rambling from Lloyd's lips. A cold shiver had run the length of his spine and he'd found himself reduced to an undesired staring and uncoordinated mess.

At first, he had thought he must have heard incorrectly and had asked for Lloyd to say it again. Confused, Lloyd had asked him what he meant for him to repeat. Throwing caution to the wind, he had reached out to grip Lloyd by the shoulders. " _Was Mithos truly inside your exsphere? Are you one-hundred percent certain?"_ he'd exclaimed, cutting him off. His own son had flinched back in surprise at what was either the touch, the suddenness, or both, but remained in eye contact nevertheless to give him a nod to the affirmative. He'd withdrawn after that and swiftly apologised, his need to make the journey back to Derris Kharlan and investigate the matter personally heightening rapidly.

" _Mum saved me and got me to go back to my body. I could be wrong, but it sounded kinda like Mithos wanted to take it over or something."_

It was at that point Kraine had realised that it hadn't been just _one_ thing Lloyd had revealed to him. He had thought that Lloyd had simply recognised finally that Annalicia was his mother and had seen her through the window of the exsphere, but that had not actually been the case.

Kraine checked on Lloyd again when he noticed his surroundings had gone a little more quiet. The window had become too foggy to see much, but he could still hear his breathing if he listened closely enough. He seemed to have fallen into a deeper sleep. Satisfied that all was well and knowing that although a seraph could not feel the cold, they could still catch one, he decided to head back to the inn.

The rhythm of his boots making somewhat loud crunching sounds in the snow while he made his way ended up spurring his thoughts again on the impossible matters that had come to light. The first part, about Lloyd's mother being in the Angelus Project, was clearly an impossibility.

Annalicia had lost her life while wearing the exsphere and found her very soul absorbed by the thing. Gesea had then received it. Nowadays, the soul of his beloved resided in the un-crested Cruxis crystal that sat on his hand, feeding on his life force more with every waking moment.

Annalicia had been transferred from the Angelus Project to the old Presea's body, then to the Cruxis crystal that Mithos had given to him. He hadn't had a chance to address that to his son though, nor had he been sure whether it was a good move at the time. Revealing that would have also put Genis and Presea's true identity on the line, along with their relation to him and Annalicia. Since emotional strain heavily influenced the inofficium Lloyd currently suffered, he had thought it better to leave that conversation for another time.

No matter how he looked at it, it was blatantly obvious that whoever Lloyd had seen, she had _not_ been his mother. If another soul _did_ in fact reside within the second Angelus Project (something he had only been privy to quite recently), he did have reason for concern over their designs on Lloyd though. Something had to have given them the desire to masquerade as his mother. Pure and simple malice seemed about as likely as Flanoir becoming a beach resort to rival Altamira, but currently it was the only plausible answer he had.

There were more complications to think about as well. In lieu of deciding to keep the imposter within the Angelus Project on Lloyd's hand a secret from him for the moment, he had decided to investigate in a subtle way he felt quite sure Lloyd wouldn't be able to unravel.

" _So you know your mothers name too, then?"_

It had been something Lloyd hadn't known before. As expected, a faint smile had come to his face when he nodded. _"Her name is Anna."_

_Anna._

The way it looked, it seemed that the imposter must have known more. It was rather obvious that one of Annalicia's names had been Anna, after all. Still, he had always quietly adored the way _Annalicia_ rolled off his tongue. She'd joked with him back when he had first confided his secrets to her, about what _their_ combined name would be. _"Imagine someone called Krannalicia!"_ she had joked. _"Ooh, or what about Annaliegal!?"_ She still had always preferred his alias name as Regal, telling him that his true name as Kraine made him seem more like an angel of Cruxis than a man.

When the inn keep on duty smiled and waved at him upon his entrance, he realised he had been smiling to himself. He nodded politely and flashed the key-card at him before taking to the stairs. Questions about the imposter as well as Mithos' apparent presence in the exsphere mounted the more he tinkered with his thoughts. He expected Gabriel was to blame nevertheless.

The human had been the head of the Angelus Project in Mithos' stead and had already seemed to be planning to use one under the radar after taking it from Gesea. That plan hadn't ended well for Rodyle and had kept Gabriel out of Mithos' bad books. The question was, would Yggdrasil listen to him if he were to confide his concerns about Gabriel to him? No matter what, Mithos had always trusted Gabriel the most. He'd been happy with that particular development during the warring times, but his lack of interest in becoming Mithos' confidant over Gabriel seemed to be quickly becoming a thorn in his side.

Arriving at the second flight of the inn, he stopped at Yuan's room as the thought that he might be able to discuss future matters with him cropped up in his mind. He likely wasn't asleep anyway. As much as he didn't want to go down this road again, he knew it was inevitable. He would need to leave the group in Yuan's care while he investigated Mithos' whereabouts and confirmed things for himself. Yuan, as ironic as it was, seemed to be the best person to explain what needed to be done to. As much as he would have preferred Genis, he knew the young half-elf would have insisted that he not go alone and that it was unfair to Lloyd. Cowardly, perhaps, but leaving now was likely the best way to protect those he cared about the most.

He knocked on the wooden door and waited to hear a voice or footsteps. When neither yielded, he knocked once more, this time a little harder. This time, the door opened slightly. It didn't appear to have been shut entirely to begin with. It swung open with a light creak to reveal a room bathed in moonlight. Lonely white bedsheets on the bed shone under the concentrated light coming in from the window. Nobody seemed to be occupying the room at present. At first Kraine decided that Yuan might have gone on a night time stroll, but getting to think on why the bedroom door had been left ajar alerted him to possible other scenarios. The easiest one to believe was that Yuan was up to something again.

Dashing out of the room and down the stairs past a confused inn keeper after that thought, Kraine closed his eyes and felt around the area for hints of Yuan's mana signature. It came as no surprise that he couldn't feel it. He had been suppressing its strength when they had first met him in Palmacosta as well. Opening his eyes, he only had to ponder what to do for a second before he saw the answer on the ground right in front of him. He couldn't help but grimace at the irony. Yuan had thought to hide his mana signature, but had possibly forgotten to hide his physical form.

Following the set of fresh footprints in the snow, he found himself heading directly toward the doctors surgery. The closer he got, the faster he ran, until he was back at the spot he had been not ten minutes prior. Holding his breath and concealing his mana signature as best he could since he wasn't particularly great at it, he listened for voices.

"Will this really help?" came Lloyd's sleepy voice. He sounded rather hoarse.

"It will," came the blue-haired half-elf's unmistakeable smirky sounding voice that reminded him a little too much of Martuan at times. "You can thank your father though. I'm just the messenger."

Kraine could barely believe his ears. Torn between bursting in at that moment and remaining invisible, he continued to listen for just a little longer.

"Y..you knew?" Lloyd asked, stuttering. "That Kraine was my.."

The hesitance Lloyd exhibited in acknowledging the truth sent pangs of guilt surging through his heart. Although he certainly didn't deserve the title of father, he would have been lying to himself if he didn't agree that at least a tiny part of him wished for Lloyd to embrace the idea.

"I did," Yuan quickly responded. "I'm afraid I'm just as guilty as he is for keeping you in the dark for as long as you have been."

There was a rustling sound, followed by the faint clink of metal on a wooden surface- probably the bedside table.

"Will you finally tell me what is going on?" Lloyd pleaded. "Kraine told me a bit but I.. I wasn't feeling very well earlier." It sounded like it pained him to admit it. "I think I fainted for a few seconds or something after he was pushing me to tell him about my mother."

"That seems awfully ironic," was the stock response that came from Yuan at that, rather than any kind of answer to the boys question.

No voices could be heard for twelve whole seconds, only a strange squeaking noise. Curiosity almost overrode patience and Kraine was moments away from giving away his location by running to the front of the clinic and forcing the front door open when Lloyd said something else. "So what is the difference between this one and the old one?"

"Just think of it as an upgrade."

"Oh, okay." The disappointment in Lloyd's voice was as obvious as Yuan's footprints.

"As for your earlier question, what exactly is it that you desire to know so badly that you don't already? There are some things you are better off not knowing."

"That's what everyone seems to think," Lloyd muttered. "At least tell me if Colette, Sheelos and Gesea are okay?" His voice broke a bit. "I haven't seen Gesea in such a long time. Kraine won't tell me where she is, but I know he knows!"

All was quiet for a second. "And I think you do as well," Lloyd added.

Yuan chuckled lightly. "Heh. You're actually a bit more observant than you probably get credit for."

"And Noishe too! We left him alone with the Renegades at Altessa's." With Lloyd's voice growing louder, Kraine was frankly surprised the doctor was managing to sleep through it all. He had to admit, he'd forgotten about Noishe. The Protozoan could look after himself well enough though. He didn't see cause for worry.

"The Renegades?" Yuan sounded surprised. "They were also present?"

"Yeah, they were there to capture us, but they ended up fighting the Papal Knights instead."

"Hm." Yuan sounded like he was deliberating something. Kraine could hear the familiar sound of footsteps pacing along a wooden floor, back and forth, back and forth.

"For now, you need to focus on the task at hand," Yuan said, stopping his pacing. "Getting the summon spirits and putting an end to the regeneration ritual is important. You want to save Sylvarant and Tethe'alla, right?"

Kraine wasn't sure what to feel first about that particular part of Lloyd's plan. It had been a dangerous and delicate balance to begin with- one which Origin had warned them about prior to the use of the Eternal Sword to split the two warring nations. There was no doubt about it. That route would require the Eternal Sword to be wielded and for Mithos' control over Origin to be forfeit. The first part was complete. He had broken the seal on Origin's power without realising it at the time he had first swapped places with Annalicia. He was fairly confident on his deduction despite how little of the events in the Torent Forest between Mithos and everyone he had seen for himself.

The fight to end Mithos' reign over Origin's power was a completely different story. They needed many things, including a summoner and the Ring of the Pact, if Lloyd were to be the one to use the Eternal Sword, but this was only if Origin allowed another to use his power in the first place. He himself was capable of using the sword, but he already knew Origin would not place his trust in him again when he and his friends had let the world become the constant cycle of decline and prosperity it had. This cycle was not supposed to have gone on for so long. He'd allowed Mithos to continue with his twisted idea to split Martuan and the rest of the world because it had made sense. The world wasn't the way it was supposed to be and without change, half-elves would likely never be accepted. That still did not change the fact that Mithos had abused Origin's trust, and by extension, so had he, Gabriel and Martuan. The world needed a new hero if they were to right their wrongs.

"Don't worry about Noishe," Yuan said to Lloyd, breaking him out of his troubling thoughts. "He's with an old friend of mine. I assure you he is quite safe and doing his own part in helping out."

Kraine scowled and decided that now was the time to approach Yuan before too much more happened. He had involved Noishe already and it only seemed to be a matter of time before he entangled Lloyd in his web of… deceit? No, perhaps not. But a web of trickery seemed fitting. Yuan knew more than he should and such knowledge unshared was a danger to them all. If he saw it fit to meddle in their affairs any longer, he needed to tell them everything.

He heard Yuan's footsteps growing further from the window he was standing by and decided to head him off so that he had no chance of escape. Ducking under the sill so to not be spotted, he trod as lightly as he could and made his way around to the front of the clinic. The door clicked as though it were about to be opened. Kraine readied himself.

"Be strong Lloyd. Don't let this go on any longer than it needs to." The wooden handle twisted.

"Yuan," Lloyd called. The handle stopped mid-turn. "I know you gave me my exsphere."

xxx

Lloyd watched Yuan turn his head of blue hair a little to look back at him from his spot near the door. Most of his face was cloaked in shadows so he couldn't make out his expression, but just the fact that he had managed to stop him with his words was proof enough that they held at least a little bit of weight. He hadn't wanted to bring it up. He would have been much happier just trusting that Yuan had his reasons or that maybe the Mithos in his exsphere had been some kind of illusion, but given how Yuan had once again stepped in to save his life as though he'd been prepared for it, he couldn't just let him walk out again without at least getting some answers.

Feeling that he had a little more energy now, he sat up in bed and let the blankets fall to his midriff. "Or at least I'm pretty sure it was you who gave it to me." He suddenly felt awkward at Yuan's persistent gaze on him now and sunk down a little while he stuttered and gulped back the rest of his doubts. Now wasn't the time for that. If he really wanted a resolution, he needed to be resolute. "No. I'm sure it was him. He didn't sound like he was lying."

Yuan turned fully to him and stood still for a few seconds that felt more like minutes, just eyeballing him. He then sauntered closer to the bed and rested a hand on the back of a chair that sat near his bedside, close to his feet. "It seems that perhaps you've found out more than I thought you would because of this." He scoffed lightly to himself and looked up at the ceiling. "And here I thought I'd managed to prevent his soul from taking over."

"Mithos?" Lloyd realised he was falling into a trap that Yuan had so obviously set, but he didn't really care. He was a little surprised actually, that Yuan wasn't asking questions and expecting him to figure out the answers. Up until now, that had been the usual routine. "Well, he didn't really take over.. I don't think." He questioned himself quietly after that. There were a few things that stood out as being weird. The longer he tried to figure out what it meant, the more his forehead hurt from frowning so hard.

"I think we need to discuss some things Lloyd."

While he'd been concentrating, Yuan had moved from his position leaning on the chair to sit down instead. "You mean it is true?" He knew the answer already, but confirmation just felt good.

Yuan made his chair creak a little as he leaned back and stole a glance toward the window where reflective light from all of the snow filtered in. He was looking so far off in his thoughts that Lloyd wondered whether to interrupt or wait for him to answer. "It's true," Yuan said, just as he opened his mouth to ask if he was okay. "I gave you that exsphere when you were very young. In order to make sure there was no doubt, I made certain Cruxis knew of your appearance in Iselia. Remiel was entrusted with ensuring your transition into the Chosen was accepted by the people in Iselia."

While Yuan explained, Lloyd found himself looking at his exsphere and the new key crest Yuan had given him after saying that it would save him from the disease Kraine and the doctor had been talking about. He'd known for a while that he probably hadn't actually been born with the exsphere, especially after what Kvar had said. That part wasn't the surprise.

"So what you're basically saying is that I wouldn't have been the Chosen if you hadn't given me this exsphere that belonged to my mother?" Even as he was saying it, another question begged to be asked. "How did you get it anyway?"

"No," Yuan replied simply. "You would have lived as normal a life a boy who had been adopted by a dwarf could, free from the burden of being the Chosen. It would have been a life where you might have wished that the Chosen would appear in order to save your world. You would have been Colloyd until the day you died, not knowing any different."

Lloyd wasn't sure why that thought terrified him, but it did. "So that's why you gave it to me? You didn't want Sylvarant to keep suffering?" Yuan groaned impatiently, making his blood boil a little. "Then if that's not it, tell me what it is!"

"Use your own head a little!" Yuan screeched back. They both paused before saying anything else, hearing a sound coming from the adjoining room where the doctor slept. When it seemed as though he was just stirring in his sleep, Yuan continued on, this time his voice a light but rough whisper. "If that was all I wanted, then why would I have waited so long and put an exsphere so important in the hands of a child who had just seen his own father kill his mother?"

Lloyd noticed Yuan looked just as shocked as he felt at the words out of his mouth. A faint squeak of hesitation came from him before he grumbled and sat back in the chair.

"You were there.." Lloyd said softly, shaking his head to stop the tears that had suddenly threatened to fall from his eyes. "You saw what happened and did nothing to stop it?" He felt oddly numb as he said it.

"I did." Yuan sounded emotionless. His face when Lloyd tried to discern what he was thinking when he'd responded had reminded him a little too much of Kraine.

"But why didn't you do anything?" He clenched his fist, ready to punch him. The only thing holding him back at that moment was the knowledge that Yuan had given him the key crest to help him, and all of the other times he had helped him over the years. Speaking of which, he realised another thing in that moment. Yuan had probably become a professor at Iselia in order to make sure he learned about being the Chosen in the way he wanted him to. It hadn't been until he had first started teaching him things about the angels that he had been able to grasp the idea that he might end up being one when he began the regeneration. Things were starting to make sense.

"I couldn't have done anything, even if I wanted to," said Yuan. "Forgive me Lloyd. This is where the conversation about that subject must end."

"It'll end when I say it will!" he spluttered back without even thinking. Yuan looked furious. He'd only seen him with such a hard expression like that when they were in battle. The man who had once been his idol was dissolving before his very eyes as he again seemed to be ready to leave things at that. "How can someone do that?" he asked sadly, sure he wasn't going to get a response anyway.

"You misunderstand me," Yuan grunted. "I wasn't _allowed_ to do anything to help. To do so would have been detrimental to all I have worked toward." Lloyd chewed on that statement, but of course it made no sense. Yuan sighed. "You were right though, about what you said earlier. I did want the world to be saved. It's just that it _has_ to be you that saves it."

Now there was an idea Lloyd knew he could get behind. "I plan to do just that. Sylvarant and Tethe'alla shouldn't have to steal each others mana like they do. That's the first step. I'll look for a way to solve all the other problems while I do it." He felt himself getting more confident as he spoke. "Yeah. I'll find Gesea myself. Then with Genis and Presea, we'll go and find Colette and Sheelos."

"Search the seals in Sylvarant for Colette. As for Sheelos.." Yuan crossed his arms. "Let's just say that I know for a fact that she's ended up with Colette."

"I wish you would just tell me how you know all this stuff though." It was a shot in the dark. He didn't expect it to work. It didn't. Yuan shrugged his statement off and moved for the door with purpose this time.

"You'll need to contact Botta at the Renegade base here in Flanoir. That's the only way you can transfer between the two worlds.. give or take a few loopholes here and there that I won't go into."

Lloyd made a mental note of it before raising an eyebrow. "Wait a second. You're talking like you won't be with us."

"There are some things I need to check up on presently. I'll be in touch." He left without another word.


	66. Mirrors of the soul

Kraine had a lot to think about. Not only had Yuan actually involved Noishe in his scheming, he had purposely planted Lloyd as the Chosen in Iselia and had also been there (somehow) on that fateful night Annalicia had begged him to take her life. With the new information he had overheard despite his conscience telling him to do otherwise, he could now start to finally put all of the pieces to the puzzle on Yuan's involvement with the ordeals of the world together.

He tapped his chin with the pencil he held in his right hand while holding his notebook, open to the section for issues he still needed to ponder, in his left. Three quarters of the section so far had somehow ended up being about Yuan and his antics, while the rest surrounded a way to be able to help Mithos _and_ save the world like Martuan wished, all the while ejecting Gabriel from any positions of power and getting Mithos to see that he was being played for a fool. He would have killed the man himself, had it not been for his common sense. Gabriel knew the most about the Angelus Project out of all of them, and then some. He also held a great position of power in the Tethe'allan monarchy and killing him without a Martellian manhunt of epic proportions would prove to be most difficult.

That brought him to his other thought regarding Gabriel _and_ Yuan. As Rodyle had been the one following Gabriel's orders to get the Angelus Project from Gesea after kidnapping and taking her to the dragons nest, he felt safe to assume that this also meant Yuan had knowledge of it. Why else would he have gone to the trouble to make it seem as though Lloyd held the Angelus Project that had taken his mothers life?

The more he thought about it, the more he wondered whether the purpose of Gesea receiving the Angelus Project had been for more than just Gabriel's gains. He didn't know of the connection between Yuan and Gabriel, but he felt sure he had enough firepower to make a dent in Yuan's shield.

Outwardly sighing as his thoughts passed, he stiffened up when he heard a low chuckle from behind. Whirling around, he saw Yuan standing there looking at him. Having been busy taking notes as he listened in to the conversation, he had forgotten to make sense of some of the less vital words. Yuan had left Lloyd to go somewhere to check on things and now here he was.

"Odd," Yuan muttered, rolling his eyes callously, "I thought eavesdropping would have been something you would despise." His irritation seemed to subside as soon as it had appeared though when he cocked an eyebrow at him in expectation. "I suppose I should have expected that you'd want to give your son a second visit of the night though. Perhaps you wanted to make sure he was tucked in?" He snickered. "Or maybe I misjudged you and you were in fact on to my game from the very beginning."

It was Kraine's turn to be irritated. "You knew I was there the whole time."

"The _whole_ time _is_ stretching it little," Yuan airily contradicted, "but you didn't hide your mana signature as soon as you should have."

"And you're a little too good at hiding yours," Kraine said back. "Unlike your footprints, if you must know how I found out where you were." He found himself getting an enormous amount of satisfaction from the look on Yuan's face after his eyes had trailed down to the snow and back up to him. He let a little grimace slip, just to add to the discomfort his unlikely comrade was feeling.

Yuan bit to it like a fish to a worm. "T-That would mean that you were looking for me to begin with, not Lloyd."

With a sigh and a quick whip of his head to scan possible locations, Kraine decided that the matters they were to discuss were best out of earshot of Lloyd. If he was still awake, he would no doubt be able to hear them if he listened carefully. Even if Yuan had some spells up his sleeve to be able to silence them, two somewhat obviously non-flanorian men standing and talking while no random passers-by could hear what was being said was a great way to attract unwanted attention.

He started ahead toward the burial grounds and expected Yuan to follow. He listened for his footsteps as an indication that he was following, but rather heard Yuan's breathing. The bluenette was so light on his feet that it was actually a little surprising he'd had left such prominent footprints to be followed in the first place.

Reaching the western point of Flanoir and eyeing an unnamed gravestone, the one that belonged to Sheelos' Wilderbayashi's mother, he stopped. "Well hurry up then," Yuan stated from behind. When Kraine turned to him, he saw him tapping his feet impatiently. "Out with it."

Kraine clenched his fist and mentally brushed off his anger. Violence would not solve anything. "You saved not only my son, but one of my comrades four thousand years ago." Granted, he didn't know that for sure, but he couldn't resist questioning it anyway. If it were true, he would finally have answers and a target for both his frustrations and his thanks.

"What makes you think I had anything to do with healing Martuan's sickness?" Yuan asked innocently.

Kraine groaned inwardly, realising that finding the answer to that would have to be a little more difficult. Yuan hadn't made it a Game of Questions with Lloyd back then though, so why was he tormenting him? He already knew the answer. Yuan got some sick satisfaction from making him work for his research. It was like he had all of the answers in the palm of his hand and was moving them all like chess pieces toward the goal by giving hints.

"You're not very good at this game, are you," Yuan observed with a roll of his eyes. "Guess I should have lowered my expectations. The old you would have figured it out much sooner, and without all the added drama on your part, I might add."

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" Kraine strained to not lose his temper. Only one other person was able to crack into his well-trained calm like this. "How about answering one of my questions for a change? Why is it that every time a string of words gets uttered from your lips, I feel as though I'm talking to someone.." He trailed off, hesitating in saying the next words in his mind. Still, it was what it was. "Dear to me."

The words felt so unnatural said aloud. So much had happened since the time when he had truly been able to rely on her to have his back. He still had no idea whether their friendship still held true or whether they were just clinging to old memories for the sake of hope. Things certainly weren't the way they had been before. Though time itself stood still for the four of them, it had done its damage. Some might have called the jaded effect it had on them wisdom, and it did have its perks, but knowledge came with a hefty price of its own. He had long thought that to be the reason why it was such an irresistible aspect of life to seek.

Yuan's shoulders shuddered after a second and his mouth widened into a smile before he outwardly chortled. "I'm honoured," he said with an unsettling genuine tone after he had calmed down to a light laugh between words. A devilish gleam made its way into his eyes as they drooped down to the book Kraine still held in his hand, a finger perched in its pages because he hadn't yet decided on the proper course of his next actions. "But you can spare me the uncomfortable confessions of your friendship with Martuan. I'm only all too aware that the two of you have history."

"You are?" Kraine asked, conflicted about the situation. Yuan was being upfront and honest for a change. He wondered what might have changed since the last time they had been able to have a conversation.

The half-elf in question placed a hand on his hip and lulled his head back to look up at the sky. The air had become much more electrically charged. Flanoir looked to be in for a snowstorm overnight. "A long time ago, you fought for the same goals. You wish to protect her, even at the cost of your loyalty to Mithos."

Protecting her had nothing to do with it, Kraine thought. It was simply through seeing his own son suffering the world regeneration ritual that he had been finally awakened to the true nature of Mithos' goals and what was sacrificed in the process. He'd wanted to thank Lloyd for that, but lady destiny seemed to have a constant need to rip his family from his grasp. He was about to interrupt by explaining that fact but found Yuan prattling on instead.

"You want to see half-elves acknowledged by helping Mithos, but doing so labels you a traitor to many of your own.. somewhat more recent.. values, as well as your son."

It seemed to him that Yuan thought he had him pegged. It was curious. Yuan had never given his hand away so much to him before and he was torn between having input in the conversation and writing it all down for further study. He was certain there would be a limit to his graces. "I have come to think that having it both ways is next to impossible," he replied, knowing how angered Lloyd would be at his words. "Although considering your strange impulse to ask what side I might be on, I think you believe there to be a hidden third option. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong."

"I'll answer your question if you answer one of mine," Yuan bargained. "It's only fair since I already answered one of yours."

Firstly, Kraine had to wonder just how in the name of the old gods and everything holy Yuan figured he had answered anything to a satisfactory level that warranted a reciprocated answer. Secondly, he had absolutely no idea what Yuan could possibly want to know from him.

"What exactly did Lloyd tell you about Mithos inside his exsphere?" Yuan asked, dissolving the next mystery before his poor brain needed to ponder for too long. "Did he say what happened?"

"Only that he seemed to want to take over his body. The idea that it is Mithos inside his Angelus Project is highly unlikely at best, as you no doubt know." He stopped himself saying too much about 'Anna'. He was rapidly losing a foothold on the direction Yuan was steering the conversation as it was. It was yet another thing that reminded him so much of Martuan. "I have answered one of your questions," he pointed out, "now, please tell me what you meant when you said you 'already answered one of my questions'."

"It's not a riddle, if that's what you were thinking," Yuan interrupted. "You're about as subtle when you're trying to work something out as me walking through main street Meltokio without a wig."

"Fascinating analogy," he deadpanned. "That would seem to mean you have been the Cerberus acting as the Chosen for a very long time."

"You're not altogether unfamiliar with the concept of being your own ancestor either," Yuan remarked. "In any case, that is how the Game of Questions works, and it is the only way I have been able to relay information to you."

Kraine remained silent, deciding on his next move.

"Don't worry. Gesea didn't quite grasp the game either," Yuan mock-reassured. "Though she was not your blood, you practically raised her from the shell of a person she had become thanks to the Angelus Project. It's no surprise that she took after you."

Kraine grumbled under his breath at that. "Yet another thing you talk about as though you were there personally. At first I believed you were talking big in order to intimidate, but I am now certain there is more to it than that." He back-pedalled a little. "From the time you first met me, you have acted as though you knew me. Is that really only because you were the one to save Martuan from the Toxicosis all those years ago?"

"What other reason could there be?"

Ignoring Yuan's question, Kraine powered on through his current train of thought. "Did you tell her the same thing you told Lloyd back there?" He tried not to sound as disdainful as he felt about it. "That she could thank me for it?"

Yuan snorted. The corners of his mouth started to curl into a smirk once again. Kraine had already known mid-sentence that nobody would be able to convince Martuan to do something so easily like that- especially given that she had been at deaths door before Yuan had apparently come to the rescue.

"You must have done it without her knowledge and had her assume that it was me," he corrected before Yuan could, for the sake of his own pride. "But why is it that you decided to help us?"

Yuan grimaced, "I suppose saying that I did it out of allegiance to the Tethe'allan throne won't fly?"

"No, it won't," Kraine responded dryly. "Especially as you're most definitely a Sylvaranti."

"You can tell that, can you?" Yuan sounded irritated the moment the words had left his mouth. He bit his lip and cursed in angel language.

"Forgive me," Kraine murmured in apology using the same tongue. "You can hardly expect me to not use a little strategy when it comes to conversing in wordplay, considering your own love for the art of the silver tongue." He mentally added his new-founded knowledge to the pile of similarities between Yuan and Martuan.

"I had no idea you were so good at it."

Kraine shrugged the half-compliment off. "Considering that you were a Sylvaranti, it makes sense to me that you might have known Martuan's position in the ranks of the army and wanted to save her in secret. Your recent actions in Welgaia also seem to point toward your being a part of the same _type_ of group she commandeered."

If his deduction shocked or surprised Yuan in any way, the half-elf didn't much show it. He instead exhaled a breath he had apparently been holding. "So that is the conclusion you came to?"

Kraine had thought Yuan would ask him what he thought he had been up to in Welgaia and he had hoped to be able to get him to reveal it, but Yuan was a master at this. Still, no answer was indeed an answer in itself at times. Yuan sincerely wanted to hide something. "I'm willing to let my knowledge of your actions slide for now," he said. "I take it you do not wish for Mithos to know?"

"I should have guessed this would become a bargaining chip." Yuan crossed his arms and tapped impatiently with his fingers. "And what do you want in return?"

It took all of Kraine's restraint to not ask for answers to the many questions he had for the half-elf. "I need your help, Yuan."

* * *

**The next morning..**

* * *

Sheelos squinted her eyes open when she heard movement in the room. She saw Colette's silhouette standing up somewhere near her bed. After a quick glance at the clock on her bedside and seeing that it was still maybe an hour or so before they were to head to the Balacruf Mausoleum, she closed her eyes and tried to settle back down to nap. She hadn't slept very well that night. A certain half-elf being the last thing she thought of before sleeping had its drawbacks. She had been subject to numerous dreams involving him. One in particular stood out among the blur of embarrassingly girly dreams she had experienced that night. She squinted as she tried to remember it, half hoping it would help her fall asleep if she exhausted enough of her brain by doing so.

Standing around what looked like a Renegade base, she had seen Yuan appear out of a typical sliding door. "So, you've come to report to me on the progress of Lloyd and the others?"

A voice that wasn't hers had come out of her mouth at that. It had been a mans voice. "I said I would, didn't I?" His voice had sounded both confident and arrogant at the same time. Thinking about the voice made her feel a little uncomfortable. "The Renegades oppose Cruxis and I pretty much oppose the idea of angels altogether. Seems like we have a pretty solid foundation for a working friendship if you ask me!"

In her dream, she hadn't really questioned the words that had come out of her mouth. They'd made sense at the time but now seemed kind of silly. First of all, why had she dreamed she had been an arrogant boy instead of the non-literal angel that was herself? Second of all, why had she thought Yuan had been a Renegade of all things? She squinted her eyes shut tighter and tried to perish the thought, but the idea wouldn't easily leave her brain. In her minds eye, she could still clearly see him wearing the Renegade suit that so closely resembled that of the Desians. If she thought about it, his relationship to Martuan all of a sudden made a lot more sense if he _were_ a Renegade.

Her eyelids flung open at a sudden crash coming from the direction of Colette nearby. The blond apologised under her breath several times while she fumbled with things in the dark. Unsure who the apology was for, she closed her eyes, waited and listened. The sound of various items clanking filled the room. She was sure Martuan would ask her what she was doing at any moment. When no complaint sounded from her however, Sheelos found herself left listening to Colette's footsteps as she went away from her.

Slowly opening her eyes, she watched Colette enter the bathroom and slide the door shut behind her. " _Maybe she couldn't sleep anymore."_ Just the thought of going through what Colette had sent cold shivers racing up her spine. She needed her beauty sleep. Becoming an angel was far from her list of priorities.

She sighed to herself, realising she had succeeded in depressing herself at the thought. If her memories _were_ correct, then using the Angelus Project on herself to free herself from being the Chosen once and for all would go off without a hitch. If they weren't though…

She had no way of knowing what version of events in her mind were correct. Most of them seemed to point to the contrary and her memories of hearing Mithos talk of splitting people's souls so that they might understand the emotion of love, as well as her conversation with Martuan about joining her somewhat selfish goals, seemed more and more like something she had dreamed after drinking too much sake.

Thinking about matters and unable to get to sleep while she listened to Colette taking the first shower of the day, an hour passed quickly. When it came time, Martuan awoke like clockwork and pulled her clothes on with mind boggling speed and accuracy. They were on their way to the Balacruf Mausoleum right as the roosters were beginning to crow.

Sheelos felt a knot of anticipation slowly tightening in her stomach the closer they got to the Seal of Wind. The monster for the seal had been no pushover. She had no doubt that the Sylph, the summon spirits of wind, would or at least -should- also be an arduous fight.

A pained cry from Colette distracted her thoughts as they were making their way up the steps that led to the entrance of the mausoleum. She was up from her crouched position before either her or Martuan could do much to help.

"What happened?" Martuan queried, glancing her over quickly for wounds.

"Oh it's nothing." Colette let out a short giggle. "I think I must have slept wrong, that's all." She rolled her shoulders and tilted her head from side to side as Sheelos came up to the two of them. "Oh, there we go! Good as new." She smiled brightly before nodding and continuing up the steps, Martuan by her side and telling her that she should really be more careful in future. Sheelos watched her cautiously for a few seconds, shrugged, and quickened her pace to get to the top.

She froze with Colette and Martuan as she saw what they had all of a sudden stopped to look at. A boy with a long green haired ponytail stood in front of the doors to the mausoleum, staring at the three of them with a set of wine-red eyes. He was dressed in a blinding combination of white overalls and pants that made the only relief on the eyes being his fair skin and dark green shirt that sat underneath. He didn't look much older than Genis, but Sheelos felt like his eyes were going to pierce two eye-shaped holes through her at any moment now. She didn't have to wonder why for very long. It was _him._ She had little doubt that he recognised her as the girl who had travelled alongside Novariel, the scum of a man who had captured him, too.

Colette was the first to overcome her surprise and saunter closer to the boy. Martuan sighed and straightened herself up to follow. Sheelos stood still, feeling stupid and not knowing what to do.

"Hello," Colette greeted sunnily. "Are you lost?"

"No," the boy answered simply. He turned back to the mausoleum. "I'm waiting for someone."

"Waiting for someone?" Colette gazed from him to the place they needed to go. "Is someone really inside? Is it a friend of yours?"

"Is that a problem?" the boy quizzed.

"I don't see a problem with it," Colette said, eyes widening in wonder. "Professor Kraine said that knowledge should be free to everyone who seeks it. I like that idea I think."

Martuan snorted, making Sheelos curious. Being one of Cruxis' four seraphim, she had ties to Kraine as well. Colette held her hand out to the boy. "We have to go inside now, but it was nice meeting you..um..." She trailed off and giggled. "I'm sorry! I'm Colette. And you are?"

"Colette," Martuan whispered harshly, "we do not have time to introduce ourselves to everyone we meet."

"Oh." Colette's smile briefly faded to show recognition. Sheelos knew she didn't want to return to one of the seals any more than her. Colette bowed her head in apology and glanced at the boy she still had her hand extended to. Before she could withdraw it, he took it and gave her a big smile. "I'm Eon. It's nice to meet you Colette." He took his hand away. "But I can't let you guys go in there just yet."

"And just why not?" Martuan asked. "Forgive my rudeness," she said quickly after, "but we are on an important quest."

"I just can't let you in _yet_ ," Eon replied. "Please understand. I was told to stand guard and stop anyone getting in."

"Well I don't know about you two," Sheelos started, grinning as she brought herself forward to stand with them more. She put an arm around Colette and a brief one around Martuan's neck, "but him telling us that just makes me want to explore it all the more."

She was lying. What really made her want to explore was the need to get the two of them away before Eon had a chance to reveal that they had met before. She didn't so much mind Colette knowing what had happened because she knew she would understand, but Martuan finding out would have made things very uncomfortable for their alliance, especially given who she had first received the orders from.

Right when things were about to get a little heated, the doors behind them all squeaked open and footsteps sounded until a man stepped out into the light. Eon's eyes widened at the sight of him and he quivered a little in excitement. The man gazed at Eon first before turning his amber red gaze on them all. Given his purple travelling cloak and armour, Sheelos thought he looked like a mercenary.

"Well met," he simply mouthed in a deep but gentle voice before shifting past them to go down the steps again. Eon bowed his head and followed close behind. Sheelos watched Martuan take a step in their direction and then stop and appear to opt to discern from a distance with a calculating expression. Ignoring Colette trying to get her attention, she looked too. Something seemed a little strange.

When Martuan's attention wavered the further they got away, Sheelos decided to discount her own curiosity too. She stole one last glance at the man and Eon before turning to follow the Sylvaranti Chosen and Renegade into the mausoleum but stopped. A wave of recognition came over her and she abruptly turned back to give chase. She stopped when she saw no sign of them anywhere. It was like they had sprouted wings and flown away.

"Damn," she cursed. What was strange wasn't the man himself; she was certain she'd never had the pleasure of seeing a beautiful specimen like him before.

It was his hair.

She'd seen that red, long and slightly curly hairdo before.. and recently too. She went numb. She'd seen it twice, actually. Images of Yuan donning a wig of that exact shape and colour came to mind, along with memories of seeing the Cerberus wearing that wig in old photographs. That wasn't what had her staring with her mouth agape though. She'd also glimpsed that hairstyle on her dashing blue-eyed arrogant boy-self in a mirror during her Renegade-Yuan dream last night.


	67. Revenge is a dish best served discreetly

Lloyd awoke the next morning feeling different. The events of last night still fresh in his mind, he sprung to his feet with still part of the last snore sounding. The doctor, who had been examining him with a noteboard in one hand and a pen in the other, checking things off and scribbling things, looked up at him. "You're finally awake I see," he said. He sounded far away in his thoughts still.

Thinking back to the previous night, Lloyd discreetly looked at his left hand where the Angelus Project sat, now with a new key crest attached. Yuan had told him so many things that night.

" _It has to be you that saves it,"_ Yuan had said in relation to him saving the world.

The main thing was that he was now pretty sure Yuan was on their side. If he wasn't, he didn't think he would have any reason to save him from his earlier condition. He now had goals to work toward. The first was leaving Flanoir with Genis, Presea and Kraine. Yuan had as good as told him that he would not be joining them for the time being and 'attending to business.' Rather than dwelling on what his old professor turned seraph-involved-in-everything was doing, he set about working on what he could do. He would ask Kraine to tell him what had happened to Gesea, and he would not stop until he got a satisfactory answer- even if he had to nag him for an entire day.

Thinking about that made his ears heat up a little. This would be the first time he would travel properly with Kraine since discovering that he was his family. "Aaah!" he shook his head to try to shake away the thoughts and made a bee-line for the door to the clinic. Sitting around thinking about things would drive him crazy. Now was the time for action.

"And just where do you think you're going?"

He flinched when he heard the question from the doctor as he scurried up behind him just as he placed a hand on the door knob to head outside. He turned and stuttered for a few seconds while trying his best to hide his exsphere'd hand from him, knowing he would probably ask questions he didn't want to answer if he saw the new key crest. The doctor casually steered him back toward the bed. "Your father should be coming soon. Stay put until then."

Lloyd nodded absently, wondering how they were going to pay for the doctors fees. He decided it was best to be up front and honest now rather than have the doctor pick on a seraph of Cruxis and suffer the wrath. Kraine was scary enough as an angry teacher without being a ticked off angel-father-teacher. The doctor was staring at him. "What?" he asked, sure he had still kept his hand hidden.

The doctor sighed. "You don't think I didn't see it while you were snoring away for hours after I woke up, do you?"

"Ah.." Lloyd gaped, then sighed with a slump of his shoulders while he looked at the clock on his bedside. It was almost eight in the morning. With that in mind, he was kind of surprised that his friends had not come for him yet.

The doctor fiddled with some papers over on the counter across the room for a few seconds before raising one piece of parchment up in the air to show. Lloyd couldn't read it from that distance but he could make out one of the pictures. He'd seen it before, he was sure. Squinting his eyes, he realised why. It was a picture of the unicorn horn that Sheelos had been searching for.

"Just who gave you the advanced Rune Crest?" the doctor queried. "The information on how to make one is quite rare and I would quite like to know how the person responsible came across it. I have my suspicions though."

Lloyd didn't get a chance to ask what he meant by that because the front door opened with a creak, letting in light, a pile of snow, a cold breeze, Genis, Presea and…

He couldn't help staring at Yuan as he wandered in after and closed the door behind himself, pushing the snow that had tumbled inside out with it. More than that though, he stared at him because he had expected to see Kraine in his place. Yuan had said so himself- he had apparently needed to 'check up on things'.

"Lloyd!" Genis greeted, a giant grimace on his face as he and Presea quickly made their way to his bedside. "Are you feeling better?"

"He looks much better," Presea said in observation and her quiet tone that reminded Lloyd of Gesea. Both of his friends waited for his response. He grinned happily for their sake and bobbed his head. "Y-yeah." He wasn't sure how much more to say and hoped Yuan would help. He stole a glance at the half-elf.

"Kraine gave him a new key crest," Yuan blurted out shortly after, to Lloyd's surprise. "It should stop the Toxicosis and reverse any adverse effects."

Genis and Presea were just as surprised as Lloyd, but he realised probably not for the same reason. He thought on Yuan's words until Yuan addressed him again. "So what is on the agenda of the leader today?"

"Bed rest, and plenty of it," the doctor interrupted. "He still has yet to fully recover and is not up to gallivanting around Tethe'alla, doing Martel-knows-what."

"I actually feel fine," Lloyd objected, getting up from the bed again and stretching. "Good as new." He flexed a bit and did a jog on the spot to try to prove it to the doctor. He didn't look like he was buying it but eventually exhaled and nodded his head. "Very well. I know when my services are no longer appreciated. I will take payment now." He scanned the rest of the group, probably looking for Kraine. His eyes fell on the adult of the group, Yuan.

Yuan cleared his throat and casually reached behind him to the backpack he carried everywhere. By now, Lloyd was sure it possessed some magical abilities with the amount of things he had seen him pull from it. Yuan pulled out a bunch of cash this time. "How much is it that you are asking?"

The doctor looked perplexed. "I'm sorry, but I already had an arrangement with the boys father. Is he around?"

Yuan sighed. "I was afraid it would come to this." He looked at Lloyd, then at Genis and Presea. "The three of you should purchase some new armour and weapons for the journey ahead." He waved the wad of cash around until Presea took it from him and counted it. "I will catch up shortly." He turned to face the doctor, who had a slowly widening grimace on his face.

Lloyd quietly left the doctors clinic with Genis and Presea in tow and closed the door behind him. He was about to ask Presea about herself and why she was coming along with them when it was going to be a dangerous journey when a concerning cackle sounded from inside. The three of them listened.

"Shut up and just get it over with already," Yuan snapped. "If you weren't Tethe'alla's best doctor, I'd have rather snapped your neck than put up with this treatment." He sounded extremely irritated.

"Okay. Tell me, how does this feel?"

There was silence for a bit, then a harrumph from Yuan. "Well, it doesn't make me want to chop your arms off, if that's what you're asking."

"Then how about-"

Before the doctor could finish his next question, a large crash that sounded further away filled the area. Lloyd jumped back from the door and looked at Genis and Presea for silent advice as to what they should do. Presea's whole face seemed almost the same shade as her hair. He wondered what was wrong but before he could ask, the door opened again and Yuan stepped out. His hair looked a little frizzed but otherwise he looked normal. He didn't appear to be too surprised to see them though. "Shall we go now?" he asked, the irritation in his voice still clear. "The payment to the doctor has been made in full."

"But what did he want?" Lloyd couldn't help but ask.

"It's nothing for you to concern over," Yuan responded mysteriously, making Lloyd feel all the more curious. He looked at Presea and she flinched. "I think it is best not to ask him," she answered, looking away and at her feet as they trudged in the snow.

"He was just showing his wings to the doctor," Genis muttered, only loud enough so that they could hear him. He lifted his head to look up at Yuan. "I don't really understand why, but I have a feeling it's best not to ask _that."_

"You would be correct," Yuan said with a nod. "Let's just say that Kraine owes me one and I intend to maximise on that one day."

Lloyd stopped and shot his friends confused looks when Yuan kept on ahead toward the items store. They shrugged together. Eventually he decided it was best to just do as Yuan said before continuing on with the next part of his quest to find Gesea and the rest of his friends. The weight of the Noishe figurine in his pocket made itself known again. This time he was determined. Things were going to change and he was going to be the one to change them.

xXx

Sheelos quickly realised she wasn't the only one distracted with her thoughts about her dreams when she noticed Martuan walking ahead of them and almost about to tread straight on a spike trap. Colette let out a cry for her to stop and moved swiftly to try to help, only to trip over her own shadow and have her pink wings pop out from behind her to prevent her from face planting the bricked floor.

Martuan looked all of a sudden panicked and froze on the spot. Sheelos caught up to her first while Colette picked herself up once again. "Look down," she said to Martuan, unable to hide the snicker in her voice. It was a rare treat to see the lady Renegade so disorientated and with something on her mind so much that she had lost awareness of her surroundings. "If you walk any faster than a snail, you'll end up being skewered."

Martuan proceeded to glare at the spike trap she had almost fallen victim to. Sheelos wondered whether it was out of embarrassment or something else. She flinched when her venomous glare transferred from being on the spike trap to being on her. "And praise tell how you have come to know this? Have you been here before?" Martuan interrogated, shifting her gaze up to Colette who had taken to the air and was currently observing them as they had their conversation. "It is my understanding that you initially planned on killing the Chosen."

" _Yeah, you'd know all about that."_ Sheelos let her look say it all for a second before frowning down at the ground. There was more that Martuan was trying to find out, she just knew it. She needed to be careful on what she said on the matter. It was kind of easy to forget her relentless side as a Renegade and how she had also wished Colette dead not too long ago though.

Colette landed on the other side of the trap and chimed in before Sheelos could give Martuan a satisfying answer without giving away too much. "Sheelos never wanted to kill me. I could tell."

Sheelos felt a tiny part of her heart melt. It was no wonder Colette often found herself in troubling situations considering the amount of trust and hopefulness she placed in all whom she met. She was the epitome of what the Chosen was expected to be, unlike her- the necessary evil of Mizuho.

"That still doesn't explain how she knows how the mausoleum looks," Martuan replied after a brief likely melting moment of her own. "There is only one explanation."

Colette's blonde eyebrows creased together. "That she has been here before?" Her eyes rolled up to one side as though she were trying to recall something.

"I suppose I might as well tell you," Sheelos groaned, deciding guilt would pang too hard on her soul if she were to watch Colette try to come to some kind of innocent deduction. "I can open up the seals here as well." She gestured for the group to continue on after she and Martuan had carefully walked over the trap. They were wasting valuable time just standing around.

"You can?" Colette seemed to have already trailed her mind back to when she had seen her at the Balacruf Mausoleum, arguing with Yuan. She squinted one eye and then the other, before scratching her head. "Yes, of course you can."

The way Colette said that worried Sheelos. Colette continued. "I mean, you did try to kill me more than once. We ran into you right as we were about to leave." She sounded kind of uncertain even as the words tumbled from her lips.

Sheelos stopped even though she had been the one to decide on leading the group. Some monsters lurked ahead, but they weren't anything to worry about. The infestation of the tougher and more powerful enemies had been taken care of by her and Yuan the first time around. Regardless, Colette's spoken version of events differed from her own memories. Didn't she remember her and Yuan arguing outside and how Kraine and Yuan had not-so-subtly hinted that they knew each other were hiding things?

"I always wondered if that meant you'd gotten past Noishe or had been able to get in before us," Colette continued to muse.

Martuan burst out in a sarcastic laugh. "Nothing gets past Noishe if Kraine orders him to stay. Especially not Tethe'allan infiltrators in Sylvarant." She tilted her head in Sheelos' direction.

Sheelos had other things on her mind instead of responding to the dig. She lazily reached for her seals as a small skeleton monster carrying its head in its hands spotted them and began to lumber toward them in lopsided strides. Its bones clinked like a creepy instrument as it approached. Before it could even get into range and right as she was preparing to make a run and jump to ambush it, something whistled past her ears and head. She watched Martuan's battlestaff hit the monster true in its solar plexus… or what would have been its solar plexus, if it actually had any visible nerves. Still, the impact had the same result as if it had, and the once walking pile of bones disassembled and dropped to the ground, emitting a bright flash and vanishing into nothingness.

Sheelos tried not to feel jealous as Colette praised Martuan for a job well done and shrugged it off to continue onward down the darkened hallway that stretched out in front of them. The slight flowery fragrance that wafted around might have been more pleasant if it wasn't combined with the choke of dust she would also inhale if she breathed too deeply. A grimace quirked at her lips at remembering how she had teased Yuan on the way through last time, saying that the Church of Martel should employ him and his feather duster for their ruins. She'd gotten a look from him that even to this day made her snort and giggle. Unable to resist the urge, she found herself rewarded with questioning gazes from the other two girls. Not wanting to share, she just shrugged her shoulders. Luckily for her, Colette was not the prying type and Martuan didn't really seem to care either way unless she thought it mattered to the big picture.

The metallic clang of the metal spike traps protruding in and out of the back wall grew louder as they got closer and totalled a couple more enemies on the way. When they were close enough to stand and watch them move without being harmed and close enough to see the hungry mouth of an exit up some steps just beyond the traps, Martuan let out a heavy and obvious exasperated sigh. She shook her head and muttered something under her breath before materialising her seraph wings of pink and green. Taking to the air, she expertly fluttered over them and landed with a delicate thud on the other side. Colette, seeming to believe it was the best thing to do, and still having her wings out, raised a leg to take flight into the air. She stopped right before her feet left the ground, whipping her head back to look at Sheelos with a cross between a worried and apologetic expression.

"Go on," Sheelos urged, waving for her to go on ahead. "The last thing I want is for something like this to kill you after everything we've been through." She'd meant it to sound like a joke in her head, but it hadn't exactly come out that way. As far as she was concerned, if she hadn't sacrificed her for her village and for the fact that it would mean it would be extremely unlikely she would become the Chosen and have to endure the journey in her lifetime, then nobody could lay a hand on Colette. The fact that Colette was her friend and adorable came in as a close second reason though. Actually, Sheelos was willing to admit that maybe that reason took prevalence now.

With Colette (somewhat less gracefully) landing next to Martuan on the other side of the traps, Sheelos set about watching their movements. They moved in and out of the wall with a few seconds between their in and out positions. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves and ensure she would not be as adorably clumsy as Colette in a dire moment, she readied herself for the next opportunity. Before she even had time to think about what she was doing, she'd dashed through and landed in the safe space between groups of the traps.

Waiting again, she timed the seconds that went by. The second set of spike traps, as they had the last time she had been inside, moved in and out at different intervals and at a faster rate. That made sense. She'd noticed the clanking sounds had sounded more like an odd musical tune rather than a unified sound. Waiting till the first of the two was starting to retract into the wall, she made a mad zip for her allies on the other side; hoping against hope that she had timed it well enough. A sigh of sheer relief escaped her jaw when she made it to the front of a pleased Colette. Martuan had left to move into the next room already. Sheelos made to follow her, Colette at her side, her pink wings still fluttering behind her as she walked.

She wasn't very good at reading the mana in the air, but even she could tell the difference a single room made as they neared the location Sylph likely slept. It had been the same when they had unknowingly been on Gnome's tail. She hadn't realised it at the time of course though, and she tried not to think about it too much. The idea of summon spirit sudoku was already a little bit much to compute.

The room that stood before the three of them was pretty unremarkable, aside from the varied sizes and colours of the pinwheels that sat around, ready to be moved with a gust of wind from the sorcerers ring, or in Yuan's case, wind magic. It still kind of stumped her as to how Yuan had known the exact order that had opened the path up ahead the first time. It was as though he'd done it all before. If he had indeed been on a journey around Sylvarant before and gone to the seals, that _would_ explain a few things, but not everything.

One of the gems in her obi heated up as she approached the marbled stairs that led up to where faint rays of daylight shone through to their location. " _Finally,"_ said Gnome. _"It's been quite some time since I saw my friends!"_

" _They're your friends?"_ Sheelos grimaced. _"Or is it maybe something more, Gnome?"_

All of the gems in her obi heated up at that and a chorus of various laughs sounded from her summon spirits. Even Volt himself even buzzed in contentment.

" _Guys!"_ Gnome yelled, making Sheelos flinch. She could almost picture poor Gnome, his cheeks red with childish blush while he put his mole paws in front of his eyes. She felt kind of sorry for him, but it was still a cute image to picture.

" _Do not bother to deny it Gnome,"_ Undine chastised, her underwater voice a pitch higher than normal. _"I seem to remember you not being able to stop talking to Sephie last time you were united under one summoner. My memory is quite accurate."_

Gnome made a whining noise. _"We're just friends!"_

Sheelos grimaced to herself. While they hadn't told her directly, they had in fact revealed one thing to her. Summon spirits understood the same concept elves and half-elves understood. Probably catching wind of her thought, they all stopped their playful banter and fell quiet. She bit her lip in curious thought until she heard a cough from Martuan. "We're waiting for you, Summoner," she called to her from up ahead where the summoning altar stood.

Clearing her head, Sheelos approached the altar. The faint smell of roses and freshly cut grass wafted up her nostrils. She closed her eyes and concentrated. "Sylph! I am Sheelos and I demand the opportunity to test my skills before I make a pact with you!"

She kept her eyes shut and waited to feel the ground vibrate, an unfamiliar voice.. _something._ Nothing came though and she eventually got bored enough to squint one eye slightly open. For a panicked moment as she looked at Colette and Martuan, both shrugging their shoulders with the same confusion in their eyes, she wondered if the Sylph were like Gnome- hanging out in a lush Meltokian backyard out of sheer boredom.

Thankfully, the Sylph apparently preferred to practice the art of 'fashionably late' and gradually appeared in front of her. Even before any of the three spoke, Sheelos disliked them. They had three different pairs of wings on them. One had feathered wings of the slightly golden colour, like the majority of mindless Cruxis angels, another had smaller pink and orange pointed wings, similar to those she was used to seeing on the seraphs around her. Lastly, one had giant pink and purple butterfly wings that were twice the size of their body. Sheelos wondered which one was Sephie.

"So, you've come," the golden haired and pixie-winged Sylph holding a giant shield addressed in a high pitched voice that made Sheelos' insides cringe.

" _That's Fairess,"_ Undine explained. _"She's probably the most level headed of the three."_ Sheelos nodded, thinking it made sense considering her choice of battle gear. She decided that she must have been the spell caster.

"Like a moth to the flame," Sheelos replied to Fairess, channelling a certain blue-haired half-elf's favourite phrase and unable to stop her grin. "I request a pact with the three of you, Sylph!"

"You don't have to say it more than once you know," the purple haired one with the butterfly wings stated, rolling her eyes. Her voice was slightly less squeaky than Fairess' but still annoying. "Why do you think we appeared in the first place?" Her wings fluttered fast for a few seconds, developing a brief gust that sent Sheelos' short and unmanageable hair flying into her eyes and mouth. She withheld a groan of frustration and simply fixed it up as best she could.

" _And that's Yutis,"_ Efreet commented. _"Do not let her bow fool you. Her arrows of wind are just as sharp as her attitude."_

Deciding to keep that in mind, Sheelos realised that the remaining one, the turquoise haired and golden-winged Sylph, must have been this 'Sephie' Gnome was infatuated with. She looked the fiercest. A fire burned in her eyes and she looked like she was ready for a good fight, and so was Sheelos.

"We the Sylph already share a pact with Mithos," Sephie explained. Her voice was actually relatively normal, which in itself was odd.

"I know," Sheelos replied. "I ask that you annulst your pact with Mithos and establish a new pact with me."

There was a brief quiet moment where all that could be heard was the whistle of the wind.

"Very well," Sephie responded, raising her sword. "I presume you know what comes next as well then, Summoner?"

"You bet I do." Sheelos grimaced and glanced back at her companions. Colette unsheathed her chakrams and Martuan held her staff in an offensive stance. Sheelos tried to not think too much as she summoned Gnome to the battlefield.

"It's nothing personal!" Gnome yelled as he unleashed his earth magic right as Sephie charged at Sheelos while and the other two Sylph took to fighting them from a distance. Rocks of varying shapes and sizes materialised from the ground in the middle of the battlefield and floated to their targets before circling them like vultures closing in on carcasses. With several heavy thuds, they smashed against their targets and sent Fairess, Yutis and Sephie all skidding to the ground with surprised squeaks and cries. At seeing what he'd done, Gnome covered his face with his paws and whimpered. A tinge of guilt touched Sheelos at that and she decided to apologise later once everything was said and done.

"Y-you win," Sephie groaned, her arms and legs quivering as she tried to get up but failed.

Yutis tried next but failed as well. Sheelos blinked, unable to believe what she was seeing despite it having been a somewhat.. expected.. outcome. "We hadn't expected you to have such power," Yutis groaned as she bowed her head, the hand she'd been reaching out to her dropped bow retracting to hug against her body instead.

"Make your vow, and the pact will be yours," Fairess instructed.

"Wh.." Martuan mouthed, before dropping her staff at her feet and putting her hands on her hips. " _What!?"_

All three Sylphs looked at her after her sudden outburst. Sheelos grimaced, happy her hunch had worked. She'd seen the way the woman had looked during their battle with Efreet. She knew something about what was happening, or in the very least why what was supposed to happen _wasn't happening._ Not that she was necessarily complaining about the outcome, the easier things were, the better, but something just seemed off and she couldn't shrug the feeling that answers would help her understand some of the other questions she had about the world and what the future held.

"Hold on just a minute," Martuan said after having gathered her tone back to her usual calm. "I can understand that maybe Efreet was a little weaker than the rest given that we had an abundance of water magic to use on him and he was the least challenging last time too, but you three-" she pointed at each of them- "what is your excuse?"

"What are you trying to say?" Sephie asked cautiously, sitting up from her position and weaving a finger around the sword she had been prepared to do battle with just a few moments earlier.

"Exactly what it sounds like!" Martuan snapped. "There is simply no way that I will believe that a few stray rocks from Gnome, who didn't aim properly to begin with, would hit all three of you, let alone win the battle for us."

"Oh no.." Gnome said, turning his back to all of them. "I'm sorry!"

Sheelos felt her gems heating up, but the summon spirits all seemed sort of speechless.

"But.." Colette placed a hand on Martuan's shoulder. "Martuan?"

Martuan briefly glanced back at her before giving the Sylph's her most demanding glare yet.

"Why do you think it's not normal?" Colette continued to question anyway. "I mean… maybe Sheelos is just strong?"

"Not to blatantly disregard you Colette, but don't you think it seemed odd that one hit would be all it takes to knock out a summon spirit and win the right to make a pact?" She trained her eyes on Sephie after that. "You especially did not go easy on the last summoner who came to request a pact."

An annoyed growl sounded from each of the Sylph at that. Slowly they all stood from their crouched and wounded positions. The wind picked up and sent Sheelos' hair into her face once again. "Mithos abused his power over us," Sephie snapped.

"You can say that again," Fairess added.

"You say that as though it was the reason you went all out on him four thousand years ago," Martuan responded sharply. Sheelos had to admit, her method was good. Unlike Yuan though, she could see exactly where this half-elf was going with her plans. "But how could you have an existing reason to go all out on a child who only wished to save the world from the war that threatened to completely destroy it, saving the seed of the great tree as well as the summon spirits who would not exist without mana?" She looked over each of them evenly. "It is as though you knew what would become of him and still made the pact anyway."

The Sylph all flinched back. Sheelos couldn't help the raise of her brows. Without much effort at all, Martuan had cornered them. Now she just needed to wait for the answer. The Sylph retreated into a tight huddle together after a minute and flew up higher into the sky. Martuan was about to give chase when they came fluttered back to ground level, each with somewhat determined looks in their eyes.

"Don't you know?" Sephie asked them first.

"We were merely testing your sharpness," Yutis continued on.

"-Before we test our true might against yours," Fairess ended. All three Sylph crossed their arms across their chests and bobbed their heads. Gnome, who was still summoned and had retreated to a corner to watch from afar as the event unfolded, let out an unhappy low groan at the turn of events. Sheelos felt her summon gems heating up again but couldn't hear anything the spirits were saying.

"Now they mean business," Martuan said from beside her. "Curious."

All three Sylph flew away from the center of the field as they had the last time and turned to them.

"Should we each take on one of them?" Colette asked, her voice quivering. Sheelos nodded uncertainly. Just like Colette, she was actually a bit scared now that the prospect of a decent battle with the Sylph seemed a reality.

Sheelos set about deciding on her next course of action. Re-summoning Gnome seemed like the best idea. She hadn't even gotten a few words into her summoning chant when she heard "Here I go!" The wind whistled around her.

"Get down!" Martuan yelled. Sheelos ducked, but felt the sharp lick of wind magic against her back still. The flapping of heavy wings drew closer after the wind had subsided. Utilising her teachings as a ninja of Mizuho, she jumped up to catch Sephie by surprise with her own short sword she had concealed in a thigh sheath under her robes. While she clashed weapons with the sword user Sylph, she saw hints of Colette's chakrams flying through the battlefield toward where Yutis flittered back and forth, attempting to skirmish arrows at the group.

Sheelos shook her head. She had to focus on the battle. Sephie was holding nothing back now. She ducked under a side swipe of Sephie's sword and walloped her own toward the sylph's unprotected shoulders. Sephie was fast though- too fast. She backflipped in mid-air to avoid the attack before charging in for a lunge at her. It didn't take Sheelos long to realise that if she was going to win this fight and help the others in their own skirmishes, she was going to have to use Sephie's agility against her.

After parrying and clashing with her opponent, waiting for the movement sequence to happen in the same way again, she finally found the window of opportunity opening itself. While she aimed for Sephie's left shoulder this time, she reached into her outfit for her seals. She heard a cry from Colette, but couldn't turn to see what it was about in such a vital moment. Sephie of course dodged the blow to her shoulder and attempted the same follow up move as last time. Sheelos methodically ducked and leaned forward with her seal in her hand, ready to cast Pyre Seal.

She heard the yell of Colette again. The hiss of weapon cutting air sounded close but she didn't get a chance to see what was making the sound before it hit her. Letting out a shriek as pain burned in her chest from the arrow that had struck from above, she found the seal leaving her hand and herself flying backward.


	68. Lost and found

Martuan didn't know what to think exactly on the events she had witnessed come to pass. The summon spirits had been going easy on Sheelos- that was for certain. The question that begged was _why?_

The moment she'd challenged the Sylph in part anger, part irritation as to why they had made it so difficult for Mithos four thousand years ago, they'd decided that they were going to get serious. She'd gotten serious too, of course. The problem wasn't her in their battle though. Against her designated opponent, she'd been able to hold her own. Colette and Sheelos however…

Okay. She had to admit, Sheelos wasn't bad. In fact, she had seemed to be doing quite well against Sephie in the brief times she had been able to cast a quick survey in her direction every now and again to see how things were going. The same could not be said for Colette. The Chosen, a girl who had gone on the Journey of Regeneration, fought like an inexperienced child. She threw her bladed chakrams accurately but not at the right speed to do much damage or with any kind of stylistic approach. She would have sworn to the Old Gods that this Colette had swapped places with the real Chosen- the one who had succeeded in each of the 'tests' at the seals in order to make it easier for her to become the vessel Mithos needed for his plans- if she didn't know better.

But did she know better? Or was she just kidding herself? She honestly had to wonder.

Being more suited to wordplay and far less of a natural fighter than Mithos or Kratos (but still leaps and bounds better than Gabriel), she had learned to make do with what she had and develop a strategy around her weaknesses. One such weakness had been her ability to find herself daydreaming at inopportune times. Kratos had scolded her over and over for tripping over things that would have been obvious to anyone paying proper attention, telling her that it would one day cost her dearly. She had tried to get better at paying attention, but had always found the world such a curiosity and herself consumed by wonder about a great many things.

One day, she had discovered what would have been a fatal trap for their party, had she been paying more attention to the noises the boys had been listening to. From then on, she had decided that there was merit in her weakness. Fighting in battles had always felt rather monotonous anyway and she had quickly found that sinking into her thoughts during skirmishes with foes enabled her to appear calm in the face of danger and focus on the really important parts- the bits that dragged her out of her curiosities.

The sound of Colette's delicate scream amongst the battle cries hadn't been enough to distract her as she thought about her confusing set of current memories, but the Sylvaranti Chosen's second yell that was superseded by one of anguish from the Tethe'allan Chosen definitely did. Despite the risks, she decided to look away and assess the issues her comrades seemed to be facing.

The first thing she saw was an arrow flying right at Sheelos' chest and knocking her back with enough force to make her faint and hit the ground with a sickening crunch. The second, and much more disturbing thing she saw was a familiar white garb and a head of long blond hair. She had to do a double take.

The founder of Cruxis stood behind them all, an indignant grin on his annoying 'adult' face and his arms crossed against his chest. Pronyma floated next to him, Colette trying to desperately wriggle out of her grasp. Unable to immediately summon words for her mouth to say and feeling mana build up in the air around her, Martuan had no choice but to waver her attention back to the Sylph trio. They seemed to be more interested in staring at their unexpected guests than ganging up on her though. Their mana burned furiously around them, but they did not release it.

Seeing a quiver from a recovering Sheelos out of the corner of her eye, she turned back to lock gazes with Mithos. A part of her cringed at seeing his expression- or lack thereof. She'd always hated his impression of what it was to be an adult. She was partly to blame for that, she supposed. Instead of embracing the idea of being his sister, as he'd so insisted, she had closed herself off to him from the moment his fervent enthusiasm to change the world into a better place had become an obsession that knew no limits.

And now here she was; her opposition to Mithos clear as he stood before her. To say that she was terrified was an understatement. Nevertheless, she had come too far- done too much- to let this be the end of her endeavour. The age of lifeless beings that Cruxis crystals could create was never going to become a reality for as long as she still breathed air. She let out a cry and charged at her old comrade.

xxx

"Huh?" Lloyd stopped in his tracks just as they were walking up to the counter at the convenience store with all their new supplies. His new pair of twin swords balanced precariously atop the pile.

Seeing the confusion in his friends eyes, Genis felt his stomach twist. All of a sudden he wasn't sure what he was about to do was the right thing. In need of a push to continue 'explaining' why he and Presea were leaving, he stole a glance in the Pinkette's direction. The moment their eyes locked and she nodded as if to say "we must do this", he felt a tiny bit better about the white lie he was about to tell. Last night had been a great opportunity for the two of them to communicate about the next series of events.

Convincing himself that it was only a temporary lie to protect him from harm, Genis garnered the strength to continue onward. "We would just be getting in the way if we come with you," he added to his previous explanation in order to soften the blow. It was harder than he'd thought it would be though. Memories of lying about being a full-blooded elf to people in Iselia sprung to mind. It wasn't as though they knew what a half-elf was, but he was willing to bet that it would not take long for people to fear them if they were able to connect general civilian half-elves with the likes of the Desians. In fact, he felt almost eerily positive that would happen. "A-and Presea is just an innocent bystander. I want to take her back to her home," he continued on.

He was prepared for the next question which he expected to come from Lloyd. Instead of asking it right away like he expected him to, the brunet shifted from left to right in thought for a few moments before coming out with "At least let us see you off to your home."

 _Us,_ meaning he and Yuan. Genis stuttered, still with his reservations on that matter. He knew Yuan would have his own piece to say about it, but could only really blindly hope that his priorities lay with Lloyd rather than with what he and Presea were about to do. It was a bit unnerving to his hopes to think that Yuan _did_ so happen to be one of the only people who knew the truth about who they were. Getting away without the blue haired walking mystery that was Yuan noticing was going to be next to impossible, too. He was standing just outside the store, glancing in to check on them every so often but otherwise seeming pretty much the same way he had always been.

"There is no need for that," Presea interjected calmly into the conversation, in reply to Lloyd. "We do appreciate the concern, but you have more important things to worry about than the two of us."

"But.." Lloyd furrowed his brows. "I haven't had a chance to talk to either of you about what happened in Derris Kharlan yet. Like how you said you were..an angel of Cruxis." He'd lowered his voice on the last part so that the eavesdropping shop clerks couldn't hear.

Genis felt his ears heating up at the mention of that. All of a sudden he wished he could go back in time to visit his past self and tell him to stop being a drama queen.

"And that isn't all either." Lloyd's gaze shifted to Presea for a moment and then back to Genis. Genis found himself quivering in realisation of the questions about to come. He looked around the convenience store. It was pretty empty. There was no excuse he could use to make an early escape from the inevitable. "You two said it yourself," Lloyd continued. "You knew Annalicia. You said she was your sister, right?"

It seemed he'd been right to feel scared. Genis worriedly shared another glance with Presea. The jig seemed to be up. He hadn't expected Lloyd to figure it out. Lloyd was too dense for his own good sometimes. He wondered if he'd been underestimating his best friend's intuition the whole time he'd known him, even when he'd been Colloyd.

"I mean, the only way it makes sense is that either the two of you know Gesea and are related to my mother, Annalicia, or the two of you _are_ Gesea," Lloyd pressed.

Genis felt like the room had become a pit of lava and like he, Lloyd and Presea were standing on a tiny platform in the middle, unable to go anywhere. His heart caught in his throat and he found himself unable to reply. Lloyd had been leaning in a bit as he said his piece, but then he slowly sunk back and watched them with eyes that changed slowly from serious to saddened. "It's true isn't it," he muttered. He looked away and clenched a fist at his side. "Damn it. If I wasn't such an idiot, I'd have figured it out earlier." He gave them one last glare from the side, closed his eyes and snarled. "That's enough. Get out of my sight, both of you. I don't want to hear any more."

"L-Lloyd!" Presea cried at his somewhat out of character reaction, stepping forward. "Please, hear us out."

Lloyd silently shook his head.

Presea tried to reach for him but he flinched out of reach. She faltered back and gazed downward at her feet to gather herself for a few seconds before taking a deep breath and looking him in the eye. "We kept it from you for a very good reason. We always intended on telling you.. but.."

Genis didn't really know how to pick up from her sentence either when she stuttered. Saying something like 'we were waiting for the right time' meant nothing to someone like Lloyd. There was also the fact that making excuses on why they hadn't told him would have also been defending Kraine's decision to keep his true identity hidden from him.

Lloyd acted as though he hadn't even heard Presea's words. Normally Genis would have gotten angry and probably stepped on his foot, but given the circumstances, he felt more helpless than anything. He was reduced to staring up at the swordsman in red, hoping that the terrible moment would pass and he would remember the good things. Lloyd would tell them it was okay and that he understood in the way that he had always typically done. It had been one of the reasons he had been drawn to him from the first time he'd come to Iselia. Lloyd had always seen past the face of the situation and been able to come at it from a different point of view.

Why was it so different now?

Lloyd remained stone-faced and cold. Genis slowly realised he was going to have to just do as they'd been instructed for now. Presea looked back at him when he grasped her shoulders gently and nudged her toward the door, her blue eyes sparkling with tears. She was trembling just the same as he was trying not to. He shook his head and she lowered hers in disappointment before bobbing it in silent agreement. They moved together for the door. Presea left first.

Genis took one last look at Lloyd. "This isn't like you Lloyd. Usually you'd at least listen, even if you already have your own opinion formed about it." He didn't wait for Lloyd to answer. Instead he spun around and left the shop, kind of past being upset and more furious at how suddenly childish his best friend had become.

xxx

Lloyd listened to the door jingle on Genis' exit and as he and Presea took turns in talking to Yuan about what their plans were. He sighed and looked down at his exsphere, crested with the rune crest that Yuan had very conveniently acquired. It wasn't that he wasn't grateful though. It'd already helped things move along immensely. He let out a deep breath. "Sorry Genis. You'll forgive me one day, won't you?"

The sensation that he was being stared up at by the souls that resided in the Angelus Project bothering him, he glanced away and proceeded to bring the gear that he needed to the counter, dumping the items Genis and Presea had hastily chosen when they hadn't had any intention of coming along to one side. Earning a roll of the eyes from the store clerk that wandered the store to ask customers if they 'needed anything', he chuckled under his breath to himself.

xxx

Telling Yuan hadn't been as bad as Genis had expected it to be. In fact, the other half-elf had cottoned on pretty quickly as to what their true motive had been. He hadn't said it in so many words, but the fact that he hadn't asked them any further questions had basically given him away. They didn't loiter for very long after their brief goodbyes. He didn't want to look a gift horse in the mouth and suspected Presea felt the same.

Heading toward where the rheairds were parked in silence with Presea at his side, her expression unreadable and like she was trying to be a blank slate, Genis started to feel bad for her. She had clearly wanted to stay close to Lloyd. When he had suggested that he was the one to have gotten them into this mess to begin with and that it really had nothing to do with her, she had flatly denied him.

" _I may not have been quite myself,"_ she had said to him last night. _"But we were both Gesea. I will not allow you to do this alone."_

He'd been worried about her conviction when push might have come to shove, but she had also quelled his fears as though she had known what he was thinking before he even spoke. _"No more people should have to suffer like Marble and Annalicia. I may not be a half-elf any longer but I still feel as though I am one. That must mean that Mithos is correct in the idea that people would understand if they were able to turn out like us. If Mithos has what he wants, there is a chance the suffering will end."_

She'd paused and clutched her hands to her chest in thought for a few seconds after that. Strangely, Genis had also had the same feeling that he knew what was on her mind. _"Besides, Mithos will come for Lloyd again if we do not satisfy our end of the bargain."_ She'd gestured to her body as though to say 'we got our end of it, after all.'

There had been a bitterness to her voice that Genis hadn't wanted to address back then, and he still didn't now. It was plain to see though. Presea had never wanted him to make the agreement with Mithos in the first place. After their split, she hadn't trusted Mithos the same way he had felt compelled to. It was strange how they sometimes were like two parts of a whole, but other times they thought in such different ways. He contemplated it a little further.

He wondered whether Mithos _would_ come after Lloyd again. If he had wanted the Angelus Project from him, shouldn't he have taken it from him right away?

He wondered why Mithos had wanted to test the limits of Lloyd's exsphere rather than take the thing that he'd sought for so long. Mithos had been presented with many other opportunities to take the gem and run, too. He'd travelled with them all for a time without any of them (with the exception of Yuan) knowing who he really was, after all.

No, he didn't seem to want to _take_ Lloyd's exsphere. He did however still want _theirs_ _._ Seeing Lloyd and Kraine in such trouble and feeling conflicted the entire time when he knew Presea was seething with anger inside the exsphere had been all that was needed to charge the Angelus Project and set the pinkette free of her prison. Mithos had tried to take the Angelus Project from him shortly after, but he hadn't wanted to complete their exchange while Lloyd was still in danger. That was when Yuan had graced them with his presence and he'd made his somewhat unsure escape to be able to help Lloyd and Kraine in the battle against the seraphinalia.

He knew Lloyd would never agree to what they were about to do though. Even he didn't quite understand why he was so willing to take a risk. It wasn't like him at all. Confiding in Presea about it, she'd been equally as dumbfounded. She had said one thing that had resonated with him though.

" _You feel a connection to Mithos in the same way you.. we.. felt the connection with Kraine. We wanted to trust him despite how he had betrayed us."_

 _"When we were one,"_ she'd been quick to add.

With that in mind and Presea by his side, Genis felt a little less like a traitor. He just hoped that blind faith would work in their benefit for a change.

xxx

"Mithos!" Martuan exclaimed, taking a swipe at him. As expected, he saw through her easily and stood still, simply staring and waiting for her to stop. She very nearly didn't and would have guessed the child in a man's body would have been just as surprised as her.

"So this is what you have been doing while you were away from Derris Kharlan," Mithos stated, a smirk raising at the corners of his lips. He clearly thought he had figured her out. Martuan decided silence to be the best answer and that it was preferable for Mithos to assume what he wanted in this situation. Lying had never been a strength of hers, and she especially disliked lying to those she cared about. Her cunning relied on bending the truth to suit her rather than flat-out tall-tales. From Mithos' simple deduction, she was able to realise one thing though. Gabriel hadn't shared his 'suspicions' on her actions as the leader of the Renegades with his young ward.

Forming the Renegades hadn't been for selfish reasons. It had been to oppose Mithos in his goals to keep the world separated. Back then, she had thought she would be able to force his hand when the Chosen was found to rarely succeed in the journey to become the vessel. By his plan not working, she had been sure that he would join the worlds once again. It hadn't happened of course. Ironically, in order to save the worlds, she had also stained her hands with the blood of innocents. Colette had almost been another one of them. She looked at the Chosen again, to see that she'd stopped resisting against Pronyma and instead decided to watch the conversation from her clutches.

"H-how did you even know where we were?" Sheelos asked. Martuan observed Mithos carefully and waited for an answer to the very good question. The Tethe'allan Chosen pivoted her head back to look at the summon spirits flapping behind them, and then back to Mithos. "What do you want with Colette?" She cringed a bit and put a hand to her chest where she had been hit by the wind arrow sent forth by Yutis. "What use to you now is she? Didn't you want the Angelus Project instead?"

Things suddenly felt right once more. If she hadn't been putting on a facade for her dance with 'Yggdrasil', Martuan might have sighed with relief. She was certain something had happened at the Tower of Salvation that had changed everything, but things had somehow seemed.. off.. since Iselia. She'd begun doubting so many things about her own motives that it would have given her insomnia if she'd been able to sleep in the first place.

"Think of Colette as insurance," Pronyma stated. "I promise on my reputation as a Grand Cardinal and on the Age of Half-Elves that she will not be harmed if you comply with our wishes."

"A bargaining chip?" Sheelos spat. "You've got to be kidding me! There's no way that's gonna fly." She readied herself for battle and looked in Martuan's direction. She nodded back to say that she agreed with the notion, even though a small part of her did want to know what Mithos might have wanted. There was a small problem with starting a battle with Pronyma and knowing that they didn't stand a chance against Mithos alone. Colette still stayed neatly tucked in her arms. Sheelos saw it too and hesitated.

"I'm o-kay," Colette said in reassuring syllables, looking at Sheelos. "I think maybe we should at least hear what Mithos has to say about everything."

"No Colette," Sheelos said as she half gaped, her eyes wide in bewilderment. "You can't be serious."

Colette was deadly serious. Martuan could tell. Sheelos faltered back, seeing it as well.

Mithos chuckled and a devious smile cracked on his lips. "That's the trouble with humans. You're all so quick to judge us. I only came to take what is rightfully mine back." He looked at Martuan. "Annulst your pact with Origin, Martuan. I will not ask twice." He looked at Pronyma. "You have permission to remove Colette's crest in ten seconds if m-my sister does not comply."

"As you wish, Lord Yggdrasil," Pronyma responded in her usual irritating motherly way. One of the tendrils in Pronyma's body suit opened. A metal arm extended from it and to the Cruxis crystal that sat at Colette's chest. That was a new trick. Martuan figured Mithos must have made changes to it at some point. He'd always been into tinkering with things.

Mithos started counting down, but still Martuan found herself kind of speechless. He reached four and a bit before she realised she couldn't take a risk and bet he was bluffing. "Hold on!" she exclaimed to try and stop the clock. "You mean you _lost_ Origin?"

Before Mithos could respond, he was interrupted by Colette as she stared him down with curious eyes. It was a little scary how little she seemed to be worried while being captured. Anyone might have thought she was used to it. The thought made her grimace.

"What?" Mithos snapped at Colette.

"So does that mean.." Colette started, "that you really _are_ Mithos the Hero?"

Mithos summoned his large wings, the way he always did when he wanted to make a point. "I suppose there is no use in hiding it any longer."

"Wow," Colette mouthed. "So you used to have Origins power, and now you don't?" She frowned hard and bit her lip. She sighed a bit and hummed, then sighed again.

Martuan tilted her head at the same time as Mithos. Colette was very clearly not saying something. "What is it Colette?" she jumped in before Mithos could. "Do you know something about this." She glanced at Mithos. "I do not have Origin's power. Do you honestly think I'd be wasting my time running around with this bunch if I did?"

"No offence," she added quietly after, feeling a little guilty.

"I.. I don't know," Colette replied, her voice quivering as though she had only just figured out the serious peril she was in. "My memory has been so hazy since Iselia." She looked at Mithos. "I'm sorry. It's like I feel like I knew you were Mithos the Hero, but then I couldn't have. I don't want to cause trouble by saying the wrong thing."

Mithos groaned in frustration and before Martuan could even think to move to stop him, he'd advanced on Colette and cast the familiar magic of time. She watched as everything went black and white around her and as Mithos reached a hand around Colette's throat. "Stop being so vague… and nice!"

Colette gripped her hands around Mithos' in attempt to pull herself away. She was no match for the strength of an angered child in an adults body however. Despite her surprise, Martuan stood perfectly still so as to not alert Mithos of the situation while she calculated her next move carefully. Time had not stopped for Colette because Mithos was touching her, but somehow she also found herself unaffected. What had changed? She looked down at the exsphere on her hand and gaped for a moment as realisation struck.

Yuan. That was _why_.

She currently had his Cruxis crystal equipped, after all.


	69. The end of the beginning

The way those that were different were treated across history had always been deplorable. Elves didn't want to take responsibility for the problems they had caused by 'seducing' humans, and humans who learned of their existence feared them. Four thousand years ago, there had been many more of those types of beings, so the fruit of said humans and elves, the half-elves, had quickly learned their place in society and kept to the shadows out of fear of slavery, prosecution or experimentation. Sadly sometimes all three happened to those that were discovered, as Martuan had learned the hard way.

She'd ended up in the test facility after digging a little too deep into Tethe'allan territory and found herself at the mercy of routine blood tests at Castle Tethe'alla. Never had she been apprehended so fast. Within seconds of hearing a beeping noise coming from the machine the guards used, she'd found herself blindfolded, gagged and with her ears plugged so that all she could hear was the faint muffle of voices while being dragged to heavens-knew-where.

The first time she'd seen Mithos had been upon being shoved into the same cell as him, two measly sandwiches thrown at her back before her captors locked the room behind them and left. Considering that he had been all alone in the cell, he hadn't seemed timid at all when he'd seen her. They'd sensed each other right away and identified that they were both half-elves, but something else had awoken in her at the sight of him and especially after hearing about his sheltered life.

When he had told her that he had lived in the facility for as long as he could remember, she'd felt pity for him, for sure. More than that though, she'd felt the previously inconceivable urge to nurture the young boy and protect him from harm. Seeing the war raging around her constantly had hardened her soul, but Mithos had gradually moulded her back into her softer self by showing her that life was precious and worth caring about. He'd laughed at her terrible puns, listened to her tall-tales to pass time while they waited for the next bout of tests to begin on them, and encouraged her into thinking that things could _always_ be worse. She'd secretly counted her fate as a blessing, even when she had initially complained (quite vocally for that matter) whenever he clung to her too closely.

Upon their eventual escape from the facility with Kraine and after meeting Gabriel and Noishe, Mithos had been free to see the world for what it was.. and had been very disappointed. Unable to understand the politics of the world that she, Kratos and Gabriel had grown accustomed to over the course of their lives, he had tasked himself with the responsibility of trying to change it for the better. It did no good to tell him that things were just the way they were and that they needed to accept it and live life as best they could. The one time she had tried, he had come back at her with his big blue questioning eyes and asked her why she thought it was right to not change things that could (apparently very clearly) be changed.

" _Nothing bad can come from trying to fix things that are already broken,"_ had been his motto from the very first time he'd discovered what the world was really like.

That point of view, along with his adamant mindset that if their group consisting of two humans and two half-elves could be friends, then the rest of the world could follow, had led Mithos to eventually believe that stopping the war would be the start of an even greater change for half-elves. More than that, he'd believed _they_ could do it and in turn be hailed as heroes of equal value to society. That was where his obsession with an age of half-elves being accepted into everyday life had begun.

Mithos' first endeavour had been to try and figure out _why_ half-elves were shunned. She'd been able to tell him about that a little, from her own experiences. She'd explained how most humans did not understand why half-elves and elves could feel different emotions to them. The only difference between half-elves being treated as outcasts and elves being accepted was the fact that elves were _not_ human. Half-elves however were, of course, partly human. It was roughly the equivalent to how purely bred dogs and mutts were compared to one another. Just as a family of nobility would not be caught dead with a mutt, neither humans nor elves wanted to be associated with the mutts that resulted of their own follies.

Martuan had long ago accepted that nothing could be done short of waging yet another war, but had not been willing to discourage Mithos' aspirations, especially after the guardians of the world, the summon spirits, had chosen him as the summoner that would lead them to a new age of peace and prosperity. Hers, Kratos' and Gabriel's reluctance to give a boy in his early teens a reality check had only been the start of their collective errors as his trusted companions.

Mithos' resolve to change the very foundations of the world had only strengthened after gaining Origins power and seeing his initial goals (and himself almost, along with her and Kratos) go figuratively and literally up in smoke. The three of them had been captured by humans of the Church of Salvation, the ones who had been responsible for spawning the Worldwide Survival Project, and had their deeds turned on them. Needless to say, they had escaped with their lives and only the clothes on their backs thanks to an almost _too_ well-timed distraction from Gabriel.

While Mithos had been deeply wounded by seeing how truly barbaric humans could be and how elves maintained an 'ignorance is bliss' perspective to everything involving half-elves, Origin's power had given him the apparent ability to see things the eye was not meant to see. His perception of the world changed and he eventually made the connection between the 'dual souls' he could see within people and the way half-elves were treated. Martuan had tried to reason with him that even _if_ people had dual souls, so did half-elves. He'd said he'd seen that she also had two souls within her body (but for some reason could only fully identify one) and used it as an example, even though she hadn't really been sure she believed him at first.

His reply had been a simple one, and nothing had been able to change his mind to think otherwise. _"Elves did not originate from this planet. They came from Derris Kharlan. We must get our ability to see the truth from our elven side, not the human side."_

He'd surprised her countless times with the amount of knowledge he had acquired even after only a short time out of the testing facility, but still the most memorable time had been when he had run to her, arms wide in longing to receive a hug from her, not as his comrade but as _his sister._

Had his plans not affected anyone else but her in his quest to fix what was wrong with the world, she might have been happy to go along with it. She'd known it would never be so simple though, right from the moment Gabriel had suggested (or rather, put into Mithos' very impressionable head) that they could use the Angelus Project research as a means to their goal. Mithos had naturally loved the idea of using the very thing that had been forced on them for good and accepted the idea with little resistance.

Gabriel had always rubbed her up the wrong way, but after he had miraculously avoided capture when three others far stronger than himself had been unable to _and_ _then_ proposed that he attempt to infiltrate the church for the sake of their goal to continue the Angelus Project research, she had become even more wary of his motives.

Upon his successful infiltration into the Church, Gabriel had presented Mithos with further research notes that detailed the goals of the Angelus Project. The researchers had been tasked with creating stronger exspheres in order to discern ranks for higher level officials during the war, as well as to protect people in positions of power; not that it had been done soon enough to protect the Tethe'allan king. The research papers had also revealed the true nature behind exspheres and how they got their power to enhance a user in battle.

Mithos hadn't been the one to start the barbaric tradition of human experimentation, but he certainly had done nothing to stop its advance. His hatred for humans grew every day he learned more about the world around him. The only exceptions were Gabriel, whom he trusted almost unconditionally even though as far as she was concerned, he had done nothing to warrant such trust aside from feed him ideas on how to change things, and Kratos, his teacher in all things related to the sword.

In a way, she suspected that she and Kratos had initially bonded over their mutual general dislike of the human, as well as their protectiveness over Mithos. Kratos had taken a much different approach to her though; one which she had playfully berated him about and called him out as being lazy. He'd taught Mithos to defend himself so that he didn't have to do it for him, after all.

Gradually growing even more arrogant and absorbed by the results the research notes Gabriel had acquired promised, Mithos had formed a plan to use the Worldwide Survival Project, the system designed to basically teach people that half-elves were unnatural creatures, against its creators. He hadn't been willing to listen to her reasoning that playing with with the laws of nature would upset the summon spirits and was just generally a bad idea when she discovered that he, along with Gabriel again, had planned a way to control the mana signatures of people to breed someone who would be capable of working as a vessel for her other half.

He had also discovered that making Cruxis crystals was a long, difficult process which required many human sacrifices over time. Their own exspheres had been the result of many test subjects before them losing their lives to the process. They weren't the 'Chosen ones'; far from it actually. With Mithos' vision of right and wrong skewed, and her finding herself unable to stop him with words, she had turned to creating the Renegades to take a back approach.

All those things had led her to be in this very moment, as she looked at Mithos Yggdrasil holding up the vessel he had needed until only recently. Those things _and_ Yuan. She didn't have time to ponder the suddenly much more interesting motives he might have had upon making the deal he'd made with her. He had revealed one important thing to her though- that he'd needed her Cruxis crystal in order to get into Welgaia because his 'didn't work'. It was as though he had thought it should have in the first place, for one.

The other thing was that he had seemed certain that no ill effects would come to either of them by swapping the Cruxis crystals that had been attached to them for forty centuries, so much so that she hadn't been able to resist taking a risk. Putting it on had proven to her once and for all that their mana signatures were incredibly compatible and that she had been right all along. He hadn't elaborated the first time she had guessed his true nature, but wearing his exsphere and still being able to use its abilities so comfortably that it felt as though it was her own had given her all the proof she'd needed. All she lacked was the proof on how it was possible for _him_ to be a part of _her_ when she was still _herself_ ; not to mention why exactly Yuan's exsphere was enabling her to ignore Mithos' ability to stop time.

While in thought, she moved into position with her staff. Then, she tried not to think. This needed to be done. She closed her eyes and gripped her staff with both hands before taking a swing at her four thousand year old friend and family. She poked one eye open in the midst of the swing and corrected her target, seeing that even with her eyes closed she would have been far too accurate and have delivered a fatal blow to his cranium. Mithos let out a yelp of surprise when it connected with enough force to leave a bruise but no permanent damage, dropping Colette instantly as he fell to the ground. The moment she was released from his grip, the Chosen turned colourless and hovered in mid-air, joining Sheelos and Pronyma in the time freeze.

It didn't take him very long to recover from the blow and look up at her in confusion. For a moment as he locked gazes with her, all she saw was his child-self, innocent and just wanting to make things work for the sake of a better world. So many things had happened that she could never forgive him, or herself for, but she still felt like the blow hurt her just as much as it had hurt him physically. She dropped her weapon accidentally in the moment of stunned silence between them before an apology slipped from her mouth.

"Sister," Mithos addressed, looking down from her and at the decorated floor at his feet. "Why do you insist on betraying all we have worked toward?"

" _We_ is a little strong of a word," she replied bitterly as she gave a quick cursory scan of his condition. Something had seemed off right from the moment he had appeared. She hadn't sensed him right away either. His mana signature was weaker. It appeared that he really had lost Origins power. "Nevertheless, you are not only to blame for things having gotten out of hand. Please Mithos," she made sure to use her pleading voice as she continued, "stop this fruitless crusade and join our cause to join the worlds once more."

Mithos surprisingly didn't shut her down instantaneously this time. He actually seemed to be thinking about all she had said. "I can't stop," he said finally. "If I stop after all this time, all the sacrifices we made would have been for nought. Wouldn't that be worse?"

He had a point, but she wasn't about to admit it. She needed to stay strong and firm on this if she was even going to have a hope of breaking through. Things were different this time. She didn't feel like she was talking to a brick wall for a change. Reminding herself to keep on guard in case this was all some kind of ploy, she pressed on. "Still even with the use of the Angelus Project, how can you hope to convert the entire worlds population?"

"That is where you come in, actually," he replied. "You and your Renegades."

His words and the accusing eyes he turned on her as he said that last word took her breath away and made her immediately stand on the defensive. Mithos rose to his feet and glared at her for a few seconds before a conniving smile replaced it. "What, didn't think I knew?"

"B-but.. how could you have?" The words tumbled from her mouth accidentally, but she didn't regret them. Mithos was a genius, and insulting that would have met her with a far worse fate, she was sure.

"How else?" Mithos raised an eyebrow. "Our spy told us all we needed to know, albeit unwillingly." He tilted his head toward the frozen Sheelos, her mouth wide and her hand clenched in mid-movement around one of her seals.

"Then _why_ didn't you stop me?" she yelled, unsure how to take everything she was suddenly learning. She tried to think of a time when Mithos had appeared to know the truth, but she was drawing a complete blank. Instead she found herself in a semi state of panic at what Mithos might have already done with such knowledge.

"Because.." Mithos' hardened expression softened. "All we need now is the mana cannon and the Angelus Project and we can use it to purify everybody at once." He crookedly smiled in a new crazy way that gave her the creeps, only made worse when his eyes widened in glee as he took hold of her wrists. "The Great Seed will germinate with the properties the Angelus Project has. Don't you see? We were always meant to work together in the end!"

Martuan wasn't sure what to feel as she looked into his excited eyes. She'd always planned to revive the Great Seed using the rebuilt mana cannon, the summon spirits and the Angelus Project as power, but she had never once come to the conclusion that reviving the Great Tree Yggdrasil would also do the very thing Mithos wanted to do. It all seemed far too convenient.

The sudden urge to pin the blame on Gabriel bubbled to the surface, but she managed to quell it for the time being. If she could get Mithos to be on her side, it might just be worth taking the risk in going along with the strange idea. "So you are suggesting that the enhanced mana the Great Seed will have will be enough to super charge everyone's mana and split their souls without them needing an exsphere?" The idea just oozed fantasy to her.

"Not quite," Mithos replied. She prepared for him to put his finger on what was bothering her. "They will need to be equipped with exspheres still." He stumbled on his words when he probably noticed her disappointed expression. "B-but that is what we can use our ranches for. A couple of them have been destroyed but there are still a couple in action too."

"And your quest for The Age of Lifeless Beings, then?"

Mithos tilted his head in question. "The age of what?"

xxx

Genis had discovered Presea was amazing and smart during the short time he had come to know her. She was a lady of few words, but with those she did say, she tended to like giving the truth in how she saw it. Kind of like Lloyd, but far less likely to wing it and see how something decided to pan out. Occasionally he'd notice how she would smile softly before she spoke, almost like she was appreciating just being able to say what was on her mind. In a way, he understood how she felt; they had been Gesea for as long as he'd known, after all. But on the other hand..

He observed his pink haired friend from behind as they headed in the direction of the Tower of Salvation and wondered why it seemed that she felt more badly about some events of the past than he did. She'd proven that they hadn't been affected the same way by Kraine, for one. He couldn't stomach the thought of trying to ask her though and instead guiltily found himself mulling it over in his head again and again.

The Tower of Salvation loomed closer and closer. The easiest way to get there had been to head to the south-west corner of Flanoir and go in a straight line, according to the map of Tethe'alla that he'd squirrelled away in his pants pocket some time ago. The rheaird had made it a very easy flight. Even just looking at the tower made Genis feel a little uncomfortable. The question on whether they would even be able to get up to Welgaia nagged in the back of his mind the closer they drew, and didn't stop even as they began their ascent from the foot of the clear sky-blue steps, toward its hungry mouth.

He closed his eyes and let out a deep breath when they reached the inside and faced the twin swords that stood in the center of the bottom floor as well as the stairs that led to the top level and teleporter. _"Mithos made me a member of Cruxis,"_ he reminded himself. _"There's no way he'd make a stupid mistake like not configuring the system to let us in."_ He was suddenly scared that maybe only _he_ would be allowed into Welgaia. All he could do was hope for the best.

"Lloyd would have liked to have given pulling them out a try," Presea said, snapping him from his worried thoughts as he absently observed the swords in the floor while they climbed the staircase. She pointed to the red and blue swords. He bobbed his head in agreement, imagining him pulling them out accidentally like the unlikely heroes in Sylvaranti fairytales. Lloyd had been far too distracted by figuring out (somehow) that Kraine was his father, and his condition thanks to his exsphere to even take notice of them the first time they had been in this room though.

Presea had temporarily distracted him for long enough that they had both stepped onto the teleportation pad and reappeared on the road to Welgaia, only to face about thirty or fourty winged Angels. His previous worries dissolved, Genis found himself instantly with more. There weren't as many seraphinalia as they had fought against with Lloyd and Kraine, but the small crowd that faced them was by no means a force to be taken lightly.

His hands shaking, he quickly took out his weapon and saw Presea do the same out of the corner of his eye. The seraphinalia didn't move however, aside from beating their wings in semi-unison. They appeared to be waiting on orders from someone. All they did was stare at them and block the path. Just when Genis was about to suggest to Presea that they turn back and try to get them to follow them into a more even battleground, he watched as the seraphinalia split into two sides down the middle of their crowd and as a man he vaguely recognised thanks to his very recognisable gleaming white Pope's outfit stepped up to the front. This time, he had a pair or large gold and silver wings, similar only to the size of the ones on Mithos himself, protruding from his back.

"You've come," the Pope said. "I was beginning to doubt your loyalty."

Genis stood strong and tried to think positive thoughts. "You're Gabriel right?" He tried his best to smile. "I didn't realise you were the Pope. No wonder Mithos didn't want me to meet you right away."

Gabriel looked indifferent, despite his best efforts to be polite. "You've come to give the Angelus Project to Mithos, correct?"

Genis stole another glance at Presea, to which she nodded. He took a breath and looked at Gabriel again. "That's right. We're heading to Welgaia right now. We want to join the cause and create an age where everyone can live together peacefully."

"Is that right?" Gabriel's mouth twitched into a half smile. "Very well. I will take the exsphere and deliver it to Mithos." He left the seraphinalia in his wake and approached, his steps echoing in the silence amongst the beating of wings. Genis tried not to stare.

Just as Gabriel was close enough to reach out to them, Presea moved in front and glared at him. "No. We will not give it to you."

Gabriel whistled and crossed his arms while he looked down at her. "And why not?"

"Because we can't trust you," Presea replied simply. She turned her head slightly to look back at Genis. "He had a part in what happened to Annalicia after all. Why should we trust him?"

Genis' first reaction was to say that Mithos trusted him, so they should as well. His second reaction, as he watched the slightly ticked off expression on Gabriel's face transform into a scary one of rage, was to agree with Presea's instincts. She'd trusted him on his instincts with Mithos after all.

"We want to see Mithos," he said firmly to Gabriel.

At first, Gabriel didn't react. He then let out a small sigh and slumped his shoulders before reaching into his long coat. "I was hoping it wouldn't have to get messy." He turned his back to them for a second and bowed his head at the seraphinalia. The moment they raised their weapons in response, Genis realised he was right in trusting Presea.

Presea swung her weapon at Gabriel's unguarded back, but he jumped just slightly forward toward the seraphinalia in order to dodge. "Whoah!" he yelped in mock surprise. "Watch it. You'll hurt someone with that thing if you're not careful, little lady."

Genis cast a fireball at one of the seraphinalia that approached from his side and sent it hurtling back into the line of others that were behind. The line was quickly replaced by the next lot though. It was just like he expected. They needed to make some distance for him to be able to get any kind of upperhand.

"Genis," Presea called, suddenly grabbing hold of his hand. "You can't cast without enough distance and I can't take them all on by myself. Our only choice is to run."

"Yeah," he replied quietly, finding himself pulled out of the way from a spear jab from behind. The teleporter didn't seem to be an option any more. Luck was going to have to be on their side, if only he could get his legs to run fast enough. He only had enough time to cast a flurry of icicles out from all directions to their foes before they were off and running. Gabriel seemed to have vanished from the battlefield.

Just as he thought they were on the home stretch, the last human seraph of Cruxis appeared once more. Presea barely had time to yell and get her weapon ready before he hit her in the back of the neck with his fist. When she went down and let go of his hand, Genis saw that it hadn't been a straight knock out at all. A needle with the remains of a blue liquid inside a phial connected to it stuck out of her neck. She quivered for a couple of seconds before going completely limp.

"Your turn."

Genis felt woozy immediately after the sensation of a pin prick on the side of his neck. His heart palpitating so loudly that he could hear it in his ears, he managed to get one final glimpse of Gabriel before everything went too cloudy and dark to see. The man had lifted his Angelus Project hand to study it, then slowly lowered his other hand to pull the exsphere from it. The satisfied smirk he'd had on his face at first quickly turned into surprise, followed by one of anger as he gritted his teeth. He snarled something as he glared at him, but he couldn't hear him. The world of questions and terror ebbed away and gave into blackness.


	70. Antagonists, angels and alcohol

"He appears to be stabilising, father."

A bright light shone in Genis' eyelids.

"Good Gods, that took forever," a voice he recognised right away replied.

"It would have been better if you had not used such underhanded tactics on them."

There came a loud sigh. "It was necessary."

The need to confirm his suspicions was enough to force his eyes open. White light shone down and almost blinded him. He went to shield his eyes until they were able to adjust, but found his hands couldn't move. The light eventually growing weak enough for him to stop squinting, he found himself face to face with a familiar half-elf girl with green hair, glasses and a long white lab coat as she looked down at him.

She gave a sympathetic and sad smile. "Hello there Genis. How are you feeling?"

"K-kate?" he murmured groggily. He could never forget her face. Unsure how to answer or why she was even asking him how he was, he took in the rest of his surroundings. The familiar white and purple décor of Welgaia surrounded him, but it was a small room he didn't think he had seen before. He was lying on a white bed with a mattress so thin that he could feel the metal bars underneath it, with his wrists and ankles cuffed to it through metal shackles.

Kate rested a cold hand on his forehead suddenly, making him involuntarily flinch. "His fever has gone down too." She turned her back to him and looked over to somewhere behind his head. "There is no way to take the Angelus Project from his body unless he wills it himself. I think it is best it stays with him."

"I didn't ask you for your opinion," replied the male voice in the room again. "I only invited you up to Welgaia because I thought you might actually be useful. I suppose I was wrong."

Kate drew back at the cruel words spoken to her by the man who was apparently her father. _Gabriel._ That made sense. She had done the Angelus experiment under the Pope's orders.. and if those orders had come from her father….

Kate was the loyal type; Genis could tell. He didn't like his chances with his current situation based on that observation though. He needed to play his cards right so that he might have a chance at escaping and finding Presea. She didn't seem to be in the room. More than that though, he needed to find out whether this was all a part of Mithos' plan from the beginning or whether this was a plan Gabriel had hatched on his own. His instinct told him it was probably the latter, but he knew he couldn't know for sure until he was able to confront the leader of Cruxis himself about it.

He heard footsteps coming up from behind him. Gabriel's head of messy brown hair smiled down at him with mock kindness, or so he thought now anyway. "Sorry kid. Looks like things are about to get even messier for you."

He stepped away and approached Kate closely, though she could only take him being in her personal bubble for so long before she fell back a little. "Cut it out of his hand," the human ordered as he pointed to a set of sharp looking utensils on a metal trolley over the other side of Genis' bed. They looked like they could do some damage.

Before Genis could control it, he started to shiver. He didn't even want to think that the bright side was that they looked pretty clean, but he did anyway. His eye caught on a long thin one with a curved end that could possibly be used pick the tiny locking mechanisms around his arms and legs, if only he could reach it.

"No."

Genis glanced back at Kate and Gabriel. He couldn't see Gabriel's expression, but he could see Kate's. She clenched her fists and crossed her arms. "I won't do it. Especially not to him. I will have no further part in your barbaric experimentations."

Gabriel raised a hand and knocked Kate to the floor with a cry and a smashing sound. Genis watched her glasses slide across the floor close to his bed. "Useless half-elf. I suppose I will have to take matters into my own hands." He spun around and trotted over to the table to gaze over the utensils. Though Genis could not take his eyes off of Gabriel as he picked up the large axe-like piece that leaned to the side of everything else, he couldn't help but notice the shuddering shoulders of Kate as she seemed to sob from the floor.

A fire burned in his heart. He glared at Gabriel. "You can't just talk to your own daughter like that! Even if she's a half-elf, that means you loved an elf right!?" The subject genuinely confused him, even though it shouldn't have. It wasn't very different from how elves abandoned half-elf offspring after all. He couldn't really say either side was much different when it came down to the nuts and bolts of it.

Gabriel whirled around to face him, the axe-thing in his hand. "That woman _seduced_ me. She forced herself onto me." He glared down at the ground where the frightened Kate stared up at him through puffy red eyes. "I only let you stay in Meltokio because she threatened to out me to the King and the Church! You should be grateful for that. Considering your bloodline, it would have been better advised for me to hide you down in a mineshaft!"

"I-I am grateful," Kate murmured, losing eye contact and glancing anywhere but at him.

"No!" Genis shook his head and leaned as far off of the bed as he could to look properly at Kate. "Kate, he's been manipulating you. You don't have to be grateful. He kept you cooped up in that dungeon, didn't he!?"

"That's..." Kate didn't finish. He knew she could see that she was being naive. Gabriel caught his eye again as he moved closer to the hand that boasted the Angelus Project that Annalicia had died for. He raised the hand that held the axe.

Genis closed his eyes and tried to pull out of the shackles once more before waiting for impact, but it never came. "Damn it!" Gabriel exclaimed. "This is too barbaric, even for me."

Genis opened his eyes again in time to see the human roll his and wipe some sweat from his brow. The axe was still in his hand, but held loosely at his side. He couldn't help but grimace at the irony. "What, scared of a little bit of blood?"

Gabriel growled and turned away. "Don't be an idiot, half-elf. I'm a scientist. We can't be terrified of such things." He walked a little way away to a small basin filled with various objects. Among them, Genis could see Presea's weapon. He was quite sure that wasn't what Gabriel was planning to give to him though. He watched the man pocket something under his white pope coat, then reach upward to a rack of different coloured liquids. He took a blue one, a purple one and a green one before turning back to him with a calmed expression. "We scientists prefer to watch the subject show _us_ the results. I'm hardly used to much else, even with how ridiculously _old_ I am." He gave a light chuckle as though he'd expected him to laugh as well. When he didn't, his face fell. "Fine fine." His gaze fell to Kate again. "I'd better take care of the loose ends before we begin."

Kate's eyes widened as he slowly approached, reaching into the inside pockets of his coat. In one hand he took out a blue phial, similar to the one Genis had seen him use on Presea; in the other, a sharp looking needle.

"Destruction!"

The sound of the voice Genis had already started to miss filled the area suddenly, making Gabriel pause in his steps toward his daughter and turn toward the back wall. Various bottles of ingredients that lined it started to rattle violently. Genis turned his head as far as he could to observe the scene.

"Fiery Destruction!"

The bottles rattled even more. Heat started to emanate from the wall. Genis could feel it from his position.

"Infliction!"

With one final ka-thunk, a chorus of smashing glass came soon after as the wall caved in from behind the racks and they fell forward. Genis closed his eyes and hoped that the glass would fall too low to do too much damage. He realised he was right when he felt the pressure on his wrists lessen and opened his eyes again to see his pink haired companion with a key in her hand, turning it into the lock on one the shackles on his feet.

"What!? How did you get out!?" Gabriel yelled, rising to his feet and charging across the room to apprehend her. He tripped up and fell to the ground. "You _again!?"_ he spluttered. As soon as he was free a couple of seconds later, Genis hopped off of the bed to see Kate with her wrists wrapped around her fathers legs. "Go!" she yelled to them.

"But-" He didn't have time to argue. Presea grabbed him by both hands and practically dragged him out of the room, past all the broken glass and the suspiciously tiny amount of rubble. The majority of what he could see looked like sand and strips of clay. "A fake wall?"

"Yeah," Presea answered. "Kate told me about it in the note with the key."

So that was how she had gotten the key. He didn't understand what had happened between being knocked out by Gabriel when they had been surrounded by the seraphinalia and waking up in the experimentation room, but if Presea said it had happened, he had no doubt it was true. Kate had helped them again just then after all.

"We have to find Mithos!" he said to her.

"No," she replied, shutting him down. "We can't find him here," she elaborated. "He's gone to Sylvarant."

Genis gasped for air as they kept running down the long hallway. It felt like it was stretching on forever. "The…note.. again?"

"Precisely." Presea stopped when they turned a corner and faced a fork in the road, giving Genis the chance to catch his breath finally. He didn't get much respite though before she was leading him down the fork to the left. He supposed she must have come from that direction to begin with. Whipping his head backward, he couldn't see any sign of Gabriel following them. He turned his head back to Presea when she stopped all of a sudden.

"Something isn't right," she muttered softly under her breath.

"You saw he wasn't following us either?"

Presea bobbed her head. "Did you see another door in that room, Genis?"

"Now that you mention it..." He thought back to the room. The only entrance had been where Presea had come in, and that had been through the fake wall. "Maybe there was some kind of trap door?"

"Or maybe I'm not what I seem. People rarely are, you know."

A voice sounded from somewhere down the hall. They abruptly fell quiet and listened, only to hear the sound of footsteps approaching. Presea readied the new weapon she seemed to have acquired during her time alone and swiped when the footsteps sounded almost next to them. It hit nothing.

"Fall back," she yelled quickly. "He doesn't seem to just be invisible."

Genis nodded. "It's like he's on another plane of existence." He stepped back and Presea joined his side. Standing back to back with weapons drawn, he felt a little better about their chances.

A disembodied chuckle sounded. "Intelligent as expected. It's really too bad I couldn't let the academy get wind of you two. You might have been useful in the future."

Genis flinched and took a glance behind himself. Gabriel sounded like he was behind them now.

"Genis!" Presea yelled. He snapped his attention back and nodded in realisation that now was as good as a chance as they were probably going to get. His pride starting to suffer but common sense making up the difference, he sprinted by her side as they made their way down the corridor. An electronic door slid open right as they ran up to it and let them into a familiar area without even needing to stop.

Genis almost didn't recognise it without all the seraphinalia feathers everywhere. Jail cells sat on the eastern wall, and just ahead of them was another door that would eventually lead to an exit or Mithos' control room. They headed for the next door but stopped halfway when a light next to it turned red and a loud beep echoed through the room.

"Sorry kids, but that's as far as you go. Can't have you go running off to Mithos, can I?"

Genis wondered if even creating a smokescreen with fireball and aqua edge would do anything to make the seraph discoverable. He'd sounded almost like he'd agreed with his theory of a different plane of existence back then. "Have you turned traitor to Mithos?" he asked into the empty room, unsure where to face.

Gabriel laughed a low cackle at that. " _Turned_ traitor? Please. I simply always gave him the tools he needed to do my bidding. It isn't my fault."

Something sparkled out of the corner of his eye, then the shape of a figure started to appear. Clutching his weapon, Genis readied himself to fight, though a part of him wondered just what Gabriel was doing, revealing himself _now._ Before the man finally appeared, he had been prepared to try to remain as ignorant as possible. Showing his knowledge had helped a little in understanding Gabriel's powers, but if they were going to get anything out of him, they needed to play dumb so that he felt the need to educate them. He _was_ a scientist, after all, and if they did somehow manage to escape, it was important to get as much incriminating evidence against him as possible.

When Gabriel _did_ finally appear though… his preparation went out of the window. The gaudy white and gold trimmed coat was gone, replaced by a green tunic with brown pants. Messy brown hair that slightly covered his eyebrows no longer fell around his face. Instead, a head of incredibly long blond hair adorned his features and fell by his hips. The only real way Genis could tell it was even still Gabriel was by the raised eyebrows he was giving them, along with his cruel smirk and hand-on-hip demeanour.

"Oh, don't look so shocked. You'll make me blush," the man said, completing the picture. "If you must know why the change, that wig and outfit gets _so heavy._ It makes it impossible for me to bring out the true capabilities of my exsphere." Genis blinked and missed when he disappeared. "Pretty impractical, really." He was behind them now.

Genis was about to turn to face their enemy, but only blinked once more again before Gabriel was standing right before them, not quite close enough for weapon reach, but close enough that his long gold and silver wings were kind of dazzling. "I'll ask you one last time," he said calmly, raising his hand and tut-tutting at Presea when she went to move into position to swing her axe at him. "Give me the Angelus Project." He shrugged his shoulders and tilted his head. "Just so you know, it's destiny. You might as well make it easy for me."

Not even knowing how to comprehend the latter part of Gabriel's sentence, Genis settled on getting answers to the main pressing question. "The Angelus Project isn't even that special," he deadpanned, keeping as straight of a face as he could.

"Don't even bother trying to use that trick on me," Gabriel replied, rolling his eyes and scowling. "Marty was always spouting on about Ignorance is Knowledge. Since Kratos-slash-Kraine hung on her every word, he picked it up as well. We all travelled together, you realise?"

Genis didn't have time to ask another question before he felt the dreaded pin prick in the back of the neck. "No!" Presea yelled in dismay, twisting and striking nothing once again with her axe before falling to her knees from presumably her own pinprick. She faced him as she took laboured breaths and tried to stay conscious, just as he did as he faced her. "I'm sorry Presea," he moaned, feeling tears in his eyes. "I really can't do much without Lloyd, huh. I'm such a wimp."

"That is… not.. true..." she refuted. "Your heart is strong.. Genis…" The concoction finally took its toll on her. She fell backward to the floor, her pig tails fanning out around her head like angel wings. Right before he winked out, Genis saw Gabriel lean down and take Presea's hand. Without lifting her from the ground, he unceremoniously dragged her toward the cells on the eastern side of the large room they had been trapped in once again, muttering under his breath.

xxx

" _I need your help, Yuan."_

It hadn't been a plea he'd come to the half-elf with on a whim. After hearing Lloyd's story about someone in his exsphere that looked like Mithos, Kraine had tasked himself the responsibility of checking on the leader of Cruxis. Not only that, but he had needed to gather the materials for the Ring of the Pact. With Sheelos getting closer to getting the summon spirits, it was only a matter of time before they sought out Origin. Though he knew Annalicia was still apprehensive about leaving Lloyd, he also knew that she somewhat trusted the half-elf to look after him. Neither of them had expected Yuan to respond to their plea with duplicate words of his own though.

" _That's convenient,"_ he'd responded, smirking. _"I need your help too."_

Twirling the Unicorn horn around in his fingers in thought while he studied his inevitable location, his feet moving toward the steps that led upward into it involuntarily, he wondered just what he was getting himself into. Even knowing what he now knew, he still felt like he only had more questions. To trust unquestioningly was not in his nature, and immature, but given that Yuan had trusted him, it hardly seemed fair to not respond in kind.

" _And it's because I need your help that I am willing to risk giving you this," Yuan went on before reaching a hand into his cloak and fumbling around. When he appeared to find it, Kraine held out his hands to receive it. Something small, somewhat flat and round dropped into his hands. He examined it closely for only a couple of seconds before the reality of what it was hit him. He did a double take between Yuan and the ring, unable to believe what he was seeing. "Those runes. It's the..."_

_Yuan chuckled lightly. "It is. I take it that you were going to be going off on a quest to get all the ingredients you needed before seeking out a dwarf?"_

" _You knew that did you?" Kraine examined the ring over again. It was lightweight, as was typical of the special type of ore used to make it. It was clearly fashioned by someone who knew what they were doing. He wished he had a magnifying glass to see the finer details more clearly than his eyes allowed._

" _With that face you're pulling, it's almost like you're going to ask me if you can wear it yourself," Yuan joked, making him look up from the beautiful item. The light humour very quickly left his expression and the air between them resumed its usual uneasy sense of camaraderie. "But we both know that it is Lloyd who should be the one to wield the Eternal Sword."_

" _I won't deny that it seems that it is his destiny to do so, especially considering the current twin blade form the sword seems to have taken," Kraine replied, a bit surprised at how easily Yuan was giving him so many ways to ask questions all of a sudden. It was suspicious. He decided to proceed with caution. "I overheard you telling Lloyd that he has to be the one to save the worlds."_

_He paused to judge the other man's stance. Leading into the next question made him feel as though he were out in a grassy field hunting a deer. He couldn't afford to make any sudden movements and scare Yuan out of giving him the information he wanted. "You said it not as though it was a personal belief you had, but more like it was a fact set in stone."_

_At first Yuan didn't respond, only tapping his crossed forearms in thought. "You got that impression did you?" For some reason, Kraine detected a hint of relief in his voice._

_It was time to go in for the kill. "Why, Yuan?" he asked simply. "Why are you always one step ahead? If I am to help you, I will only do so on the condition that you answer my question honestly." He clutched the eternal ring tightly into his palm, almost for good luck._

" _Ignorance is knowledge not working well enough for you any more?" Yuan caught a snowflake in his hand casually and raised a blue brow in his direction._

_Kraine couldn't honestly answer to the contrary. As a scholar, he wanted to find answers to his questions. Ignorance is knowledge did not go so well with that aspect of life. It was much more suited to the warring times and other more specific troublesome situations. "It is a matter of principle," he decided to say._

" _And if I can't tell you much?" Yuan queried. "What will you do?"_

_Yuan had said something to that effect to him before, albeit in passing. He had suggested that it perhaps hadn't been a choice for him to remain silent about his extracurricular activities. "I will decide for myself based on what you do explain," he responded. Some answers were better than none, after all._

_At that, Yuan whistled and rolled his eyes. He gave a single nod and cast a look over to the part of town where the inn sat. "If you intend to question me, we should at least get out of the snow storm."_

_Grimacing, Kraine turned and led the way. "I know just the place. Come."_

Not wanting to go back to the inn at the time and risk waking Genis and Presea, he'd led the curious half-elf to a small bar that sat next to it instead. The Weeping Penguin Alehouse- a little known gem just waiting to be discovered by connoisseurs from Sylvarant and Tethe'alla alike. Even in the middle of the night, he'd been able to hear the distinct clatter of bottles being picked from their racks and opened, and the sliding of glasses across the bar table to the recipients who had been lucky enough to either live in Flanoir and have no option but to discover it, or keen adventurers with a good eye for the finer side of life.

Sometimes there was just nothing better than a whisky on a sub-zero evening. Annalicia had thought so as well, and repeatedly complained to the growing baby bulge that was her stomach upon receiving a lemonade when she had requested a brandy. As such, the stench of alcohol and polished wooden floorboards smelled more of nostalgia and better times than overpowering and slightly sickening.

Once they had ordered their drinks from the polite bartender and while they carried them over to a corner table on the upper floor away from prying ears, he hadn't been able to resist pointing out to Yuan that he would usually put up more of a fight when it came to deciding to impart information. The half-elf had spluttered back that he was counting his chickens before they hatched and that they hadn't even started to talk yet. For a brief time, he had been somewhat annoyed at the idea that Yuan hadn't actually intended to tell him anything noteworthy. That had all quickly changed once he had taken a sip of his red wine and opened his mouth though. Kraine found his lip curling into a grimace even at the memory while he passed right on by the Eternal Swords and stepped into the telelportation pad. Some rogue seraphinalia faced him upon his entrance. He waited for them to make the first move.

" _Just so you know, before I tell you anything," Yuan started, glaring seriously at him, "it does not mean that I know everything. There are many things that have regrettably changed thanks to certain.. circumstances."_

_Kraine had his curiosity heightened, right from the very first sentence. Yuan had spoken in the ancient tongue. "Duly noted," he replied back in the same language. It felt strange to talk in a non-native tongue after all the years he'd spent speaking commonly._

_Yuan placed his wine glass gently down and sat back in his chair to start. "Origins curse has affected more than just the people of this world. It has affected the world as a whole. Thanks to a pact that I made a very long time ago, I was spared from its effects… If you could really call it spared anyway." He chuckled darkly to himself._

_Kraine found himself confused though, even from the beginning of Yuan's supposed explanation. His fingers itched to take out the notebook that weighed down his coat pocket and peruse the pages for a way to connect the dots to what Yuan was saying. Instead, purely out of begrudging respect, he cupped them around his drink and continued to listen._

" _I am from a time before the world was like this," Yuan continued. "Avoiding the effects Origin's curse had inflicted, I was able to watch this new world rebuild itself and put a plan into action in order to ensure history does not repeat itself. That started four thousand years ago, at the beginning of the new world." He gestured around himself and seemed to pause for effect. "This world."_

_Kraine tapped his fingers against his glass, taking in the broad spectrum of what Yuan was saying. "Is this how you have come to possess so many hard to track down items?"_

" _Sometimes." Yuan shrugged indifferently. "Other times I went looking for them, thinking they would be useful sometime."_

" _I see." Kraine fell quiet, unsure how to voice his next question without seeming too much like he found it slightly difficult to believe the story as it currently was, no matter how many of the dots joined up. If Yuan had been able to make a pact and avoided this worldwide phenomenon that Origin caused, he saw there to be only one way for that to be possible. He and Mithos had both been affected in the same way by their own links to Origin, after all._

It hadn't matched up at all, not at first. Even if Yuan _had_ been able to make a pact with Origin somehow and avoid the curse as he had said, it did not line up with history. As far as Kraine knew, there had only been one other summoner to command the summon spirits before Mithos. A summoner named Sheena. They had heard her name repeated over and over as they journeyed Sylvarant and Tethe'alla, asking to make pacts with them. There had been no mention of a Yuan upon making the pact with Origin. He glared in disgust at the unconscious corrupt angels of Cruxis he'd been able to make quick work of as he thought about how excruciatingly difficult Yuan had made it for him to figure everything out. He drew his sword from its sheath and slid it into their chests to end it for them before putting it away and continuing onward down the path toward the next teleporter pad.

" _That's technically true," Yuan responded upon his eventual questioning about why things didn't match up. He stopped when a waitress came strolling up to their table. They politely told her that they didn't need any refills and sent her on her merry way before the bluenette continued his story. "It's also the reason why those with elven heritage can feel things differently to humans." The way Yuan had worded his last sentence was different. He seemed to be hesitating a little all of a sudden. "But..." he added after a second while his whole body shook strangely, "I'm afraid I can't talk about that."_

" _What do you mean?" the question was out of Kraine's mouth before he even had a chance to overthink it. Just when he thought he was getting somewhere, Yuan had built yet another facade around information. Incredibly important information, at that._

All of a sudden, it had seemed that Yuan had the answer to one of life's most important questions.

" _Why do you think I could have made a pact with Origin and yet seem to have no ties to what you know and remember?" Yuan queried instead of answering._

_Kraine knitted his brows while trying to decipher the true meaning behind the question. He had nothing to go by though and decided to try a different angle. "If you are indeed from a time before Origin's curse affected the world, how has that enabled you to understand future events?"_

Yuan had told him (in his usual roundabout way) that he hadn't seen the future, but it had seemed too much of a stretch to believe he had been operating on educated guesses and hunches alone. The things he had said to Lloyd were enough to point to the contrary anyway.

_Sighing upon realisation of coming full-circle from the very first question he'd asked Yuan, he waited patiently to see if the bluenette would add any further information without prompt. Yuan seemed to be waiting for him though, so he thought through his next question carefully. "What are your goals?" He decided to start simply. "You say that you do not wish history to repeat itself."_

" _That's correct. To do so would be quite.. troublesome."_

" _And yet you haven't seen the future." His mind twisted at the thought. "And you have a pact with Origin, apparently."_

" _I_ _ **had**_ _a pact with Origin," Yuan corrected._

He'd asked him what he meant by that immediately of course, and that was also when his urge to strangle him had almost made its way from his brain to his hands.

" _C-calm down," Yuan yelped, jumping back in his chair and almost falling over in it. He righted himself and gave him a serious look. "This plan has been in the making for longer than you have been alive, Kraine."_

The natural question to ask at that point had been how old Yuan actually was, since he had said that he had watched the world for at least four thousand years. His manners had kept him restrained.

" _And you thought I would be worthy of becoming privy to your plans?" he asked. "Is there some reason for that?"_

" _If there was a reason, I wouldn't be able to tell you thanks to the pact I made," Yuan answered._

That part had surprised him yet again. Knowing that Yuan had made a pact with Origin had been one thing, but it was another to fathom that he had made a pact with yet _another_ summon spirit. His brain had gone into overdrive, trying to think of the Summon Spirits that Mithos had not seen noteworthy to get as a part of their mission four thousand years ago.

_Yuan cleared his throat. "You could at least pay attention properly if you are going to make me tell you."_

_He stared, realising he'd disappeared from the conversation and gone into his own head. All of a sudden he was reminded of Lloyd and how he had been frustratingly similar during important lessons. The thought that they were similar in some ways still terrified him. He'd have preferred his son to take fully after Annalicia. Sadly, as he had seen during his time with him over the years and during the journey, there was more of him in his son than he'd wanted. A lot more._

" _You knew of my relation to Lloyd for a long time," he said, his train of thought going elsewhere. "You must not have seen the future, since you did nothing to stop Annalicia from being captured and turned into an experiment. Nothing to stop what I.. did."_

_Even that contradicted itself though. He decided to continue airing his thoughts aloud regardless. "But you are so prepared for everything that it is impossible to believe that you haven't seen some semblance of the future." He rested the Eternal Ring on the table between their glasses as proof to himself that he knew what he was talking about._

_The half-elf looked kind of pleased. "It would seem that way." He leaned forward. "But why would I do nothing to change it, if I could?" He closed his eyes and exhaled. "Contrary to what you might think, I'm not usually into letting families be torn apart just for kicks."_

_Kraine already had the answer for that one. He'd heard it only a short time ago, after all, straight from the horses mouth. "Because you couldn't." Not that he really knew why though. All of a sudden, he dearly wished for the air conditioning overhead to be replaced by a warm fire in the corner, and for his half drunk alcoholic beverage to become a steaming mug of well-brewed tea. He'd always found that to be the best type of atmosphere for thinking deeply._

_Yuan twisted the ring on his finger- the one that he'd gotten from somebody very precious to him. "There are certain things that can not be changed in order to achieve what I have set out to do. Some things have to stay the way they were, or at least_ _**appear** _ _to have stayed the same. Lloyd receiving the Angelus Project and going on the Journey of Regeneration was one of them, and it would not have been possible given any other set of circumstances."_

" _Again, you talk as though you have seen the future."_

_Yuan looked squarely into his eyes. "Not this future," he said simply in the common tongue._

Refusing to say anything more, Yuan given him a lot to think about. He'd gone on to ask the blue haired half-elf just what he wanted him to do, and that was why he now stood in place, eyes locked on the teleporter that would lead him into the angel city of Welgaia. He hoped he was prepared enough for the things to come.

" _I need you to work with Gabriel to betray Mithos. It is the only way Mithos will live. Without Mithos alive, this world is doomed."_

He had said it with such a forceful note and expression that it had been impossible to not take seriously. Yuan, the man who both apparently _had_ and _hadn't_ seen the future, had said that Mithos would die if he didn't do as instructed. It didn't seem like he had much other choice. He just hoped Yuan would ensure the safety of the three children he had left in his care.


	71. A handy turn of events

Sheelos brushed a hand through her short annoying hair and stopped walking for a moment to admire the scenery and hopefully address the elephant in the room once and for all. They were making their way back across the continent and toward the Tower of Mana, where the next summon spirit was located according to Martuan. A pristine lake that shone a brilliant hue of blue stretched out to their left, surrounded by tall picturesque trees. She could even hear the happy tweet of birds if she listened really carefully. She'd been here before, at the start of the journey when Colette had been suffering from the angel toxicosis, but she'd hardly had the time to admire it.

"Wow, it's so beautiful," Colette gasped, stopping next to her and looking over it with her ever persistent smile. Martuan caught up and stopped for a moment before adjusting the bundle on her back again and continuing forward. Pronyma, who had been keeping her distance, stopped in her tracks and stared at them.

"Okay," Sheelos groaned, running to catch up with the lady Renegade and walking by her side. "So when are you going to tell us what's going on?" She glanced at the blond child sleeping soundly while Martuan carried him. " _He's_ the leader of Cruxis. Our _enemy._ We should have left him on top of one of those spike traps in the mausoleum and been done with it. _"_

"Our enemy? Mithos?" Martuan smirked a bit. "Isn't death via impalement a little bit of an unfair fate after he helped us win the battle with the Sylph?"

Sheelos couldn't buy it. The way Martuan was talking practically oozed secrets and lies. Something had happened in the time that Mithos had frozen it, and she was completely caught unawares again. Briefly glancing to her left at Colette, she wondered if the Sylvaranti Chosen knew anything more. She wasn't willing to give up questioning Martuan yet though.

"Well yeah, he helped us alright, but _why_ did he help us? We basically took another one of his summon spirits away from him." She looked at Colette. "Doesn't it seem strange that he would do that?"

Colette looked surprisingly unsure as she darted her eyes between her and Mithos and Martuan. "Mithos was a hero once. Maybe he decided he wanted to be one again? We won't really know until we can ask him."

Sheelos slapped her palm to her forehead. "I should have guessed you would say something like that." Not that she didn't enjoy the girls glass-half-full approach most of the time. She glanced behind her when she got the sensation that she was being watched, to see Pronyma still tailing them. "Okay, I might be willing to accept Mithos joining the party as long as you explain what in the world happened before, but Pronyma?"

Martuan groaned and stopped to glare at her. "Will you stop nattering on if I tell Pronyma to head back to Welgaia? I'm _trying_ to think, if you'd be so courteous to be quiet for five minutes."

"Well I wouldn't have to keep talking about it if you would just tell us now!" Sheelos lost her temper and looked back over to the lake. "We're taking a break."

"We are most certainly not," Martuan replied. "Have you forgotten that time is of the essence? The summon spirits are necessary for the next phase of our plan."

"Which is?" she asked. "Since Mithos has apparently joined the party, why are we even rushing now? We have nobody to fight against any more."

Martuan opened her mouth but closed it again, instead deciding to hum in thought.

"I'm not saying we should take our time," Sheelos corrected herself, just to be clear. "I mean, people in Sylvarant are suffering. We need to break the mana links. I just don't think you can use 'time is of the essence' as an excuse to evade my questions." She realised after she said it that a good portion of her pent up frustration was meant for Yuan. It felt good to get it off her chest though.

"I kind of agree still with Martuan," Colette spoke up. Sheelos blinked at her. Colette stuttered for a second and continued. "But I also agree with you Sheelos." She looked at Mithos. "If Mithos is here, then doesn't anyone wonder what happened with Lloyd? He must be okay right?" She sounded partially positive, but anyone could have heard the worried note in her voice. "At least he was with Kraine," she added.

Sheelos felt bad that she hadn't even considered Lloyd in all the new developments. There was also the question of Kraine, not to mention Yuan. "You're right Colette," she agreed. "I guess leaving him on the spikes wouldn't have been a great choice after all."

"Are you done being a child now?" Martuan asked, still walking ahead.

Sheelos let out a sigh and followed after her. "Fine, fine. We'll wait until he wakes up, and then we'll chat. Deal?"

Martuan laughed quietly but didn't agree or disagree. Sheelos groaned again. "There are too many women in this group. If there are any Gods, please send down some handsome darlings to simplify things!" She crossed her chest with a random symbol and faced Colette. "Please tell me she annoys you as well?" She pointed an accusing finger at Martuan.

Colette took a minute to respond. Sheelos realised she'd been thinking about something. "Oh," Colette shrugged, "I'm kind of glad that we don't have to fight each other anymore. Maybe that's what Mithos wants as well. The Age of Lifeless Beings sounded pretty lonely anyway if you ask me."

Martuan stopped so suddenly that Sheelos almost walked straight into her. Turning so fast that Mithos almost flung backward, she looked at Colette. "What did you just say, Colette?"

"Um." Colette scratched her cheek while looking confused. Sheelos wasn't sure whether to be amused or confused as well. She hadn't heard anything about an Age of Lifeless beings, and she had been right in Cruxis' midst too. The name sent a shiver up her spine though. It sounded like someone wanted angels to rule the world or something.

"You mentioned the Age of Lifeless Beings," Martuan said for Colette when she didn't answer promptly enough. "You know about that?" Her voice shook a little. _That_ got Sheelos feeling maybe slightly worried. Martuan took a breath and looked at her again. "What about you?"

She shrugged and shook her head. "What's all this about?" The woman was clearly shaken up by what Colette had said.

Martuan frowned hard and turned her back to them. "Let's continue." She started to walk off.

Sheelos gaped and gave chase. "H-hey wait a minute! At least explain what _that_ was about!"

xxx

Martuan tried to ignore Sheelos' nagging and go into her thoughts. It wasn't easy initially thanks to her annoying amount of persistence. Many things still bothered her, and that had been part of the reason she hadn't wanted to tell the group about what had happened. Not only that, but she wasn't sure she entirely trusted Pronyma to not take the information back to Gabriel. He commanded the Grand Cardinals after all.

Back before, when time had been frozen around Mithos, he had asked her to accept a deal. Mithos would allow them to collect the summon spirits to restore the world and power the mana cannon once again, in exchange for using the mana cannon to do what he had always set out to do. Mithos truly seemed to believe in the possibility of using the mana cannon for good and not destruction. Martuan hadn't been sure, and still she wasn't, but she also had known that her kid brother would not take no for an answer. She'd been put in a position between trusting in him once again or going against him. Naturally she preferred the former over the latter. Over the past four thousand years, never had he given her a better chance to reconcile with him. By having him on their side, their mission was sure to be a success.

She didn't quite know how to feel about his seeming confusion on The Age of Lifeless Beings though. She'd seen him talking about it so many times. It had never made sense to her though, why he would want to create an age of angels after going to all the trouble of splitting people apart using the Worldwide Survival Project. To her it had always seemed like power had gone to his brain, but she had seen nothing of that side to him in their brief conversation during the time freeze. At first she had been a bit confused since some of her other memories contradicted each other currently, and been almost willing to accept that she'd somehow dreamed it up, up until Colette had mentioned the Age of Lifeless Beings as well.

There had also been one _other_ thing that Mithos had requested of her as a part of the alliance between Cruxis and the Renegades.

 _"I'd like your help in taking care of Yuan,_ " Mithos had elaborated upon seeing that she hadn't really had any qualms in accepting another condition at first. _"He is an imminent threat to our plans."_

Two things had confused her upon his request. First of all, she'd had no idea that Mithos and Yuan had exchanged a single word. Though she'd wanted to ask how they knew one another, she'd had a much more pressing question, to the tune of _why?_ It was true that Yuan frustrated her, but she far from wanted to 'take care' of him. In fact, given her ties to him, she was certain that he was best kept alive and well.

Unfortunately for her, she hadn't gotten a satisfactory answer before Mithos had been at the end of his tether with his time freezing ability. A part of her had wondered just how long he might be able to hold onto the magic before it completely exhausted him. He had always been particularly good at controlling the unique abilities his exsphere had afforded him though. After the freeze ended, Mithos hadn't been willing to say more. It had made sense sadly. Saying it in front of Colette was one thing, but in front of Sheelos was a different matter. Mithos likely didn't understand how blindly in love with her Cerberus companion she was, but he'd obviously known of her involvement with him for some time.

After getting over the initial surprise, their group had found themselves working surprisingly well together to defeat the Sylph. It had only been upon Sheelos making the pact that Mithos had collapsed.

Martuan looked back at Mithos as he rested his head on her shoulder. It was almost like old times. Mithos had always pushed himself beyond his limits, and thus her back beyond its limits too. She couldn't help the fond smile gracing her lips at the thought that maybe, finally, things might work out for him. If they could revive Yggdrasil, it would be the beginning of a new life for them all.

xxx

Genis' stomach felt dreadful the next time he opened his eyes and found himself in a somewhat unfamiliar place. Seeing the bars around him though, and Presea lying on the ground next to him, it all came flooding back rather quickly. Getting to his feet, he glanced around the room. "Gabriel!" he exclaimed. "When we get out of here, Mithos is _so_ going to find out that you're a traitor! I'm going to tell him everything!"

There was no reply at first, and then a chuckle boomed over the sound system. He wasn't sure whether to be relieved or frustrated at the knowledge that Gabriel was not presently in the room with them. "Mithos can split people if he wants using the mana cannon and Lloyd's Angelus Project. I'm not trying to get in the way of his goals," Gabriel said, sounding amused. What was worse was that he actually sounded like he believed what he was saying. "He'll be doing me a favour anyway. My army will grow insurmountably."

"What? An army!?" Genis rattled the door to their cell, but of course it didn't want to budge. It wasn't like when he'd been captured by the caravaner and Sheelos. There was no roof to try and push upward and over himself to escape to freedom. Movement caught the corner of his eye and he quickly whirled around to see Presea was actually waking up from whatever drug Gabriel had injected into them. He quickly dropped beside her and shook her until her eyes opened to look over him.

"Genis," she said with a faint smile. "Are you okay?"

Genis pretended to look himself over briefly. "Not a scratch on me." Personally, he was more worried about her condition. She had bruises on her face, arms and legs, likely from being dragged across the ground. He wondered why Gabriel hadn't done the same to him, but the answer came to him pretty quickly. No matter what, he was apparently still too important to Gabriel's plans. Glancing at his hand, he had to wonder why Kate hadn't been able to take the exsphere from it. It was true that Kraine had grafted it and the key crest into his skin, but it didn't seem like something somebody with the right kind of medical instruments would need to worry about. He made a note to ask Kraine or Yuan about it if he ever saw them again.

He shook his head and looked again for a way out of their current mess. There was no way they could die here. Gabriel had planned something bad for Mithos' mostly well-intentioned plans. He didn't exactly know what the plan was, but if it involved _an_ _army,_ he dreaded the possibilities.

"Trapped again," Presea said in observation. "What do you intend to do with us Gabriel?" She sounded pretty calm, given their circumstance.

"It's actually already been done," he replied. "Genis should be feeling the effects of the poison very soon, if he isn't already."

"P-poison?" Genis asked. Presea stared at him in question. His heart thudding against his chest suddenly, he held out his hands in front of him. They were slightly shaking, but he didn't feel anything adverse.

"Hm," Gabriel mouthed. "It seems as though your tolerance for poisonous substances is higher than expected."

Genis couldn't help but think it was probably thanks to all of Kraine's _interesting_ and exotic recipes over the years.

"Nevertheless," Gabriel continued, "the Chronic Inofficium poison should already be starting to crystalise some of your insides. It's a much more concentrated version of the natural poison that gradually affects your two friends." He muttered something away from the mouthpiece. Genis couldn't quite make out the words.

Presea tried to use the axe that Gabriel had for some reason left for her on the bars. It chinked against them uselessly and she stopped after a couple of swings. "Steel," she muttered. "If the axe was sharper, perhaps it might stand more of a chance."

"I hate to break it to you little lady," Gabriel said, "but you're not going to want to go anywhere until you get the antidote from me."

"Let me guess," she called, looking up to the roof and at the little camera watching them from it, "you want Genis to take his exsphere from his hand in return. Also, stop calling me that."

"Either that or he can cut his hand off and leave." There came a sudden click from the direction of the door. "That's where the disease will start after all. I injected the poison straight into his hand. The one with my Angelus Project. I've opened the door for you. The choice is now yours."

The voice over the intercom fell quiet. Genis stared at Presea, somewhat speechless. He looked at his shaking hand the Angelus Project sat on once again. "Genis," Presea said, grabbing it. "We can't trust a word he says."

Sudden flashes of memory made him feel the need to disagree with her, even though he hated doing it. "I saw Gabriel take some different coloured bottles from the lab we were in before you came in." He moved his fingers slowly and cringed a bit. It was as he'd thought. His hand felt a little more stiff and it kind of ached to move his fingers individually. He started to feel light headed, but he couldn't tell whether that was because he was slowly going into a state of panic or because of the poison he'd been injected with. Involuntarily planting his backside to the ground, he succeeded in worrying Presea more than he'd meant to. She opened her mouth to say something but stopped and screwed up her face instead.

"I will go," she said eventually after a moment of thought. She turned to face the unlocked door to the cell.

"What?" Genis shook his head and tried to stand, but his legs felt kind of jelly-ish. "It's too dangerous," he argued. "We've seen what he can do." His eyes fell on Presea's axe. It was certainly sharp enough to do the job. She caught his gaze and returned it with a wide-eyed shocked expression.

"Listen to the half-elf," Gabriel said, interrupting their equally-stunned-as-one-another moment. "The room I'm in only opens when a specific code is punched into the keypad. I'm afraid the only way you are going to get out is in one of the two ways I already stated."

Genis glanced from Presea to his hand. "Take the exsphere out, Genis," she said then, to his surprise.

He quickly shook his head, even a little surprised at himself. "If Lloyd was in this situation, he'd never let someone like Gabriel have the Angelus Project." Of that he was sure. Another thing he was sure of though was that he wasn't Lloyd. Even though he said the words, he wasn't sure he believed them entirely. He didn't want to let Gabriel have the exsphere that Annalicia had died for, but he also could barely stomach the idea of what _not_ giving him the exsphere would mean. He slowly looked over the axe in Presea's hands again. She stepped back and shook her head. "Don't even think about it Genis. You'll die for certain!"

"I'll die either way," he croaked under his breath. "At least I might have more of a chance." He found his voice shaking and heard Gabriel laughing. His blood started to run hot in his veins and he glared angrily up at the camera.

"Just give in and take the exsphere out of your hand," Gabriel said in-between chuckles. "You don't have to make it this hard for yourself. Don't you think I expected that you'd never be able to cut off your hand to save your life?"

Genis wasn't sure what was worse- that Gabriel was right about him and that for all his big talk about the possibility of severing a limb, when it came down to it he knew he would run scared, or that Presea genuinely believed in his strength enough to think that he would actually do it rather than take the easy road.

"You'll faint and die of blood loss within an hour or even less," Presea continued to add. "We don't know the first thing about treating a wound like that."

"No, but I happen to."

Momentarily distracted by the voice, Genis sensed the mana signature before he saw her. She appeared from behind a pillar to the north of the room and walked up to their cage. Genis noticed that she sported quite a large white sports bag over one shoulder. She turned it toward them. "I was trained in medicine since I was old enough to understand what it was, after all."

Genis gaped, as did Presea. "What! You dare to-" Gabriel's shouting voice of rage was cut off by what sounded like interference all of a sudden. They could hear Gabriel's muffled voice, but nothing very distinct.

Kate gave Genis a sad smile. "I wont make you do anything Genis. There's a chance we may make it out of here without the need for such extremities… but..." Her eyes fell to somewhere lower. Genis hesitated to look, but ended up looking anyway when Presea covered her mouth. His hand had already turned the same coloured blue as Lloyd's face had. "I'm afraid that is not a very good sign at all," Kate ended. She pulled the door to freedom open. "What'll it be, Genis?"

"Um.." Genis couldn't think straight. He glanced at Presea, her axe, Kate, his hand, and repeated the motion quite a few times. The reality only started to sink in the fourth time he did it when he noticed the scaly blue pattern on his hand was growing further up his arm even in those few moments. Taking a deep breath, he cupped his exsphere with his non-infected hand and tried to force himself to pull. He didn't though, and dropped his arm by his side a second later.

There was silence in the room, aside from the white noise and muffled voice that could still be heard from overhead. Eventually he summoned the courage to look Presea in the eye. He could see she was quivering just as much as he was. Her body shook even more right before he opened his mouth. "Presea..."

xxx

"I must say, I didn't think finding you would be this much of a surprise," Kraine said as the door he had punched the passcode in to a few moments before slid shut behind him. He glanced from the very blond Gabriel and to the brown haired wig and pope's outfit that sat on a swivel chair in the corner of the small space they occupied. "I would hazard to guess that you're as surprised as I, however."

Gabriel's initially stunned response fading, he squirmed into a slightly more comfortable looking position in front of the screen he'd been pouring over. Kraine took a few steps closer, trying to see what was going on. The human saw what he was doing and quickly pressed the red button to his side, shutting the screen and any sound that might have been coming from the room it was focused on, off.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came here to get your opinion," he replied, reciting his planned responses in his head. He hadn't been able to stomach jumping straight into the thick of it and so had spent the remainder of the last night and a small portion of the morning coming up with several scenarios that would play out between him and Gabriel. He'd always prided himself at being the 'man with a plan', and he hadn't been willing to risk everything by running in blind, especially after what Yuan had told him.

Admittedly, as he looked over the very strange looking Gabriel, he hadn't quite expected such a twist. "Although now my attention has slightly wavered. Why is it that it appears you have been hiding how you truly look from us?" Even though he asked the question, an opinion had long ago formed in his head. Gabriel gabbled for what was probably going to be a lie if he managed to come up with something. He knew he had him cornered. A grimace curled at his lips as the possibility to still abide by Yuan's wishes while ensuring much more cooperation on Gabriel's part.

The opportunity had presented itself to him. Although he disliked wavering from his plans, he was willing to accept that there might be a time and place, and that this was _definitely_ one of those. It was not the time for Ignorance is Knowledge either... at least not any more. "It appears I am not the only one who wished to hide myself from those of my own blood."

Check _and_ mate, it seemed, judging by Gabriel's speechlessness. Kraine couldn't help but feel satisfied, if a little surprised still. Something like that had been hard enough for him to keep from Lloyd for the few years he had taught him at Iselia. He couldn't quite fathom spending four thousand years in silence.

"What are you talking about, half-elf?" Gabriel spluttered.

Kraine cut off their distance a little more and towered over the barely battle-worthy human. "There is no use in denying it." He nodded his head toward the wig. "That is why you wore that dreadful thing, after all. I'm no stranger to disguising my appearance with them, as you know."

The human remained silent. Kraine took out his sword and stepped straight up to Gabriel in one motion, putting it to his throat. He disliked using force, but that had been a part of all of his plans. Gabriel would never have let him join forces with him otherwise. Of that much, he had been absolutely certain. "Listen carefully and listen well Gabriel," he muttered. "If we are to work together, you will tell me everything."

"Or you'll do what?" Gabriel asked softly as to not let the sharp edge of the blade cut his throat. "You won't kill me. You don't have it in you."

"Perhaps not," Kraine hissed back, making sure to press the sword even closer. He had to take a minor breath in order to not let fury get the better of him. "But there is no emergency button to call your Papal Knights this time. I suggest you make this easy for yourself." He withdrew only slightly, to let the man breathe. "You can start by explaining why, after reuniting with your son after he had been left to fend for himself and become an experiment, you did not want to reconcile with him."

Gabriel tried to scramble back on to the computer desk a little more. Instead of moving much further, he pressed the on button. Kraine trained his eyes carefully on Gabriel. The man glared back. There was bitterness there- a lot of it. What he didn't see, sadly, was regret; not that he expected to. "I don't have to explain anything to the likes of you," Gabriel condemned. "It's not exactly like _you_ have a clean slate!"

Kraine took a kick at him for that, but if Gabriel was one thing, he was _fast._ Faster than he remembered him to be actually. The human slipped under the roundhouse kick just in time and crawled out of the way. Kraine would have turned to make sure he wasn't about to do something underhanded, but he found himself distracted by the image on the screen. It was facing the jail area that he and Lloyd had been trapped in by Mithos not too long ago. Nobody was in it, at least not any more. A pool of red sat inside it and trailed to the open door until it was out of view from the camera. Somebody had been there, and recently too since the pool still shone a brilliant red under the harsh light. Whoever had been in there had lost blood.

A _lot_ of blood.


	72. Knowledge is power

For some reason, even as they slowed down and watched the land mass float closer as if beckoning them, Genis felt nervous. He wasn't sure why. It certainly wasn't the architecture. Those kinds of things had always excited Lloyd way more than him. This was a feeling of almost.. apprehension. Like his mind and body was subconsciously anticipating something bad.

"I.. I changed my mind," he called back to Kate, who was sitting at the rear of their rheaird. He didn't dare to shift back and look at her while he spoke. Three people on a flying magitech bird was asking a lot as it was. "My arm feels fine now. I think the antidote serum is working!"

There was silence and he wasn't exactly sure she had heard him. Presea, who was sitting directly behind him, tensed up though. "Genis, you had a life threatening illness injected into you. If Kate says that it is important you see someone, I think you should."

He knew Presea was right. He'd gotten his own way already once, asking to please not see the doctor in Flanoir since something creeped him out about him. Besides, as they approached closer, his apprehension had slowly faded to become an odd pulling feeling. He didn't need to be a full blooded elf to feel that the floating platformed city practically _oozed_ mana. The closer they got, the more he was reminded of the way the elven village of Heimdall felt. It was different to that place though, but he couldn't put his finger on why.

Being the one in control of the rheaird, he could have easily ignored Presea's words of advice and gone elsewhere. Instead, he steered closer and closer to a place that seemed to be a good landing bay. The moment he realised what it was that was different between Heimdall and this place, he skidded the rheaird in midair to a halt for a few seconds in order to stare. He could scarcely believe what he was sensing. Before he knew it, he was lowering the rheaird to safety and disembarking.

"Genis, are you alright?" Presea asked once she slipped off the rheaird and onto the grassy decorative platform of the unknown city. She gazed around herself. She probably thought he'd had a pretty abrupt change of heart, and Genis couldn't blame her. Kate didn't seem too phased though and simply took a deep breath of the fresh air around them.

A heavy gust of wind rustled Genis' hair, making it stand on end in a temporary new hairdo, all the while forcing both his accompanying lady friends to hold on to their dresses; not that Kate had _that_ much trouble with her dress since it was so long that all he could see of her legs was her fluffy ugg boots.

Kate smiled at him. "I suppose you've never been here before, Genis?" She froze after that for a second and then added "Presea as well?"

The way she said it, Genis thought it was strange. He'd assumed she had known who he and Presea were, given the fact that they had been a part of the Angelus Experiment. Kate sighed and bowed in apology. "Forgive me. I'm having a little trouble remembering that you were once one person right now." She tilted her head. "I only really had my fathers word before now. It really is true though, isn't it?"

As much as he didn't want to validate Gabriel's honesty to Kate, Genis nodded along with Presea. Kate held her head for a second. "Of course it is." Whirling around, she started to head off of the landing platform and toward a large building on another one. "Follow me. I'll take you to see the doctor, just to make sure you're alright." She gestured around herself. "You don't have to fear being discovered as a half-elf Genis, if that is what you were worried about before."

"We.. I mean, he doesn't?" Presea looked confused.

"So it's really true?" Genis asked as Kate led them through a house where a half-elf woman stared at Presea the entire time until they left up some stairs that exited out to another higher part of the city. "It's a village of half-elves?"

"And it is the only place many of us can find refuge after running for so long," Kate replied to the affirmative. "Those of us lucky enough to escape becoming scientists who work for the academy for nearly nothing. Those of us who are lucky enough to find a way to get here." There was an edge to her voice as she mentioned the academy. She stood outside a small hut and knocked on the door. Other than the fact that Kate had led them here, there was no indication that this place was a doctors office. They all stood outside and waited, but there was no indication of movement.

"Hm. It seems like he's out at the moment," Kate said after a bit. "I'm sure he'll be back shortly. Let's just take a breather here." She flopped to her backside before either of them could agree and they followed suit. Genis gazed around himself while he absently plucked away at the grass under him.

"So what will the two of you do after this?"

Genis barely heard Kate's question. His attention was elsewhere as he wondered how the city even stayed afloat. He had no doubt magitechnology was involved though. He also had no doubt that Lloyd would be twice as amazed as he was.

"Our first agenda should be finding out where Mithos is located," Presea replied to Kate after another gust of wind had subsided. Genis snapped to attention and watched the pinkette draw a scrunched up note from a pocket in her black dress. She glanced at it for a few seconds and then eyed Kate. "You mentioned he went to Sylvarant, but do you know where?"

Unfortunately Kate shrugged with a sad expression. "I'm afraid your guess is as good as mine."

Genis turned to Presea, an idea forming in his head. "Maybe we should look for Lloyd and the others." As the words left his mouth, he started to feel a bit troubled by them. They _had_ just up and left Lloyd. Not only that, but he'd acted really strange and told them he didn't want to see them again. Quickly deciding that it was still worth taking the risk that maybe Lloyd had calmed down a bit, Genis elaborated further to his companions. "What's the bet that Mithos was tricked by Gabriel somehow to leave Welgaia?"

Kate rubbed her chin and looked at the sky in thought. "Perhaps. It doesn't exactly seem like my father to be able to convince Mithos to do something he didn't already want to do though. He would have had to have given Mithos a good enough reason, no matter how close they are."

The end of her sentence sounded heavy. Genis knew very well why as well. He glanced at Presea, who looked as troubled by the direction the conversation had turned as he felt. As if the situation hadn't been tense enough, considering he had very seriously contemplated the idea of cutting his arm off for a moment there, Gabriel had appeared to have fixed the problem with the sound system. From there, the three of them had discovered that Kraine had made his way to where Gabriel had been holed up and proceeded to overhear the entire conversation between the two seraphs of Cruxis.

The smaller details were kind of fuzzy in Genis' mind, since at the time he had also been listening to Kate as she told him and Presea of her plan, but he'd definitely got the gist of the two most important things that had been said. "Right," he agreed with a nod to Kate's observation on Mithos' personality. "I guess there's no real point in sitting around debating what Mithos might be wanting to do though."

A part of him worried that it had something to do with Lloyd's exsphere. Another question came to mind as he watched Kate pensively thinking to herself. He felt a bit stupid for asking it, but decided it was needed anyway after what the three of them had been through. "Are you sure you're going to be okay here Kate?" he asked.

When she giggled suddenly and had to rearrange her loose glasses, his cheeks started to burn. He glanced away, wishing he'd listened to his common sense. "Y-you can't blame me for asking," he argued pointlessly. It was true that they were miles above ground, but he had learned the hard way that the Desians knew no boundaries. For all he knew, Gabriel had some more dragons in stock to kidnap her with.

Kate smiled sweetly at him then and shook her head. "I will be fine. My father has higher priorities than to find his missing daughter at present." Her eyes moved from giving him contact to looking at his relatively unscathed arm. It was still slightly blue and a bit tense to touch, but otherwise the antidote serum had done exactly what Gabriel had promised it would, given Genis handed over the Angelus Project that Kraine had magically grafted into his skin along with the Rune Crest the night he had also discovered the truth about Annalicia and him.

It had turned out that while Kate had been holding on to her fathers ankles while he and Presea escaped from the experimentation room through the false door, the antidote to the Toxicosis had fallen out of his pocket. Unable to see very well without her glasses, she'd taken it, not knowing what it was at the time but quite sure it was a poison. She'd then replaced it with another substance she had been told to use on him if he struggled too much when he awoke back in the medical bed. She'd assumed it wasn't nearly as harmful as the one Gabriel had originally planned to use and had thought to stop her father from doing whatever it had been he was going to do with them if he caught them, until she'd learned they really had been captured again and that Gabriel had injected him with Chronic Angelus Innoficium.

Kate had also planned to make it fully look like his arm had been lopped off to Gabriel if he was still watching and listening, by pulling off some stuff that had sounded like a magic trick to Genis when she'd explained it, give or take some likely 'necessary pain' to him thrown into the mix.

Unlike the rest of the morning however, luck _had_ been on their side to the tune of Kraine's voice warning Gabriel to work with him _and tell him everything._ As soon as they'd heard it, Kate had gone with her apparent _Plan B;_ to use the blood bags she'd stashed in her medical briefcase to make it _look_ like he'd had his arm cut off. Of course, she had spoken of neither of those plans until she'd been sure that nobody was watching the screen in the room Gabriel was in and forced Genis to uncomfortably see a side of himself he wasn't exactly thrilled about.

"Confusing my father that you cut off your arm to save yourself will not stop him chasing you," Kate added after a brief thoughtful silence. "It will only slow him down."

"Right," Genis agreed. "He needed us up in Derris Kharlan after all so he could enact his plan without Mithos finding out." He looked down at his hand again. "He'll probably capture me again."

"Given the chance," Kate said with a nod.

"He will not get another chance," Presea said adamantly. She reached behind her briefly to the axe on her back. "I will not allow him to do as he pleases with us again, and neither will Genis." She had a gleam in her eyes as she said that. Genis smiled and nodded in agreement, even if it did feel a bit hopeless. Gabriel had overpowered them easily both times he had fought with them after all.

"My father does not tolerate failure," Kate continued. "As such, my stay in Exire will be brief until I can find a suitable location to lie low for a while. Please don't worry about me."

"Exire," Genis repeated, rolling the name around his tongue as he said it slowly. For some reason he felt like he'd heard the name before. He knew Kate was waiting for him to say something else but decided to leave it to his own thoughts for now.

"Anyway," she went on, "I'm sure my father will no doubt be torn in his responsibilities now that Lord Kraine knows his secret." Her eyes fell again.

"You didn't know either, did you Kate?" Presea asked gently after a small pause, finally addressing the elephant in the room. Genis sighed inwardly with relief.

"Not at all. I suppose I'm still a little stunned." Kate shook her head and fiddled with a loose string on her right sleeve. As she did, a vague kind of smile graced her lips. "Although, now that I know, I must admit that my fathers actions do make more sense." She took off her glasses and gave them a little wipe with her sleeve while a pensive expression appeared on her face. "If father had kept me closer to him, say in Derris Kharlan among the Cruxis, Mithos might have discovered that I was a matching bloodline for his goals."

Genis blinked a couple of times, processing the information. He wasn't sure whether to ask about how much Kate knew about the true meaning behind the regeneration or whether to try and pull her up on her clearly disillusioned picture of her father. Presea spoke before he had the chance to do either though. "I suppose you know a little about everything since you worked on the Angelus Project."

Genis wasn't sure whether it was meant to be a question or a statement. Nevertheless, Kate replied as though it were an inquiry. "The Angelus Project itself is something I actually know very little about. I was used as a tool to insert it into the bodies of those capable of harnessing its powers but that is about all."

"So you don't know much about Lloyd's Angelus Project?" Genis asked, already knowing the answer.

Kate shook her head and frowned as she rested her chin in her hand in thought. "I would say that Rodyle worked on it in secret. I don't know what else to tell you about it except that a second Angelus Project was not common knowledge."

On one hand, Genis was disappointed, on the other hand, he still _had_ his hand and Kate had already helped them more than he thought she needed to in order to show that she had never meant for things to go so badly for them. There was a brief comfortable silence between the three of them until they heard footsteps approaching. Kate abruptly stood from her spot, her eyes lighting up, while Genis and Presea turned to watch in somewhat disbelief as she ran to a very familiar looking man.

"The doctor from Flanoir," Presea stated quietly. "How can it be him? I wonder how he got up here?"

She'd taken the questions out of his mouth. Genis nodded and approached the pair with her as they greeted each other, suddenly understanding why Kate had been so willing to not go to Flanoir since it was easily the closest city with the best doctor. Almost simultaneously, he saw a little bit of Mithos in her, not to mention Gabriel. He involuntarily shivered.

The Doc glanced from Kate to them and back to Kate as they approached, then did a double take. Genis waved briefly, knowing for sure that he recognised them even though Lloyd had been his main focus when they had visited his clinic in Flanoir.

"Greetings," the Doc said with a friendly and yet oddly disturbing smile. Genis' mind screamed danger on the inside. On the outside though, he nodded in greeting. Without saying another word to any of them, the Doc reached for the blue pen hooked to his white doctor coat pocket (that looked too warm for their current location, Genis couldn't help but notice) with one hand, while pulling a little blue notebook out of one of his deep side pockets with the other. He flicked through the contents for a few seconds before finding a page and scribbling something down. Kate tilted her head with a curious smile on her face while she watched, while Genis couldn't help but grimace as he was suddenly reminded of the same tendency Kraine had to immediately write down things that came to mind.

" _Sometimes thoughts need time to simmer,"_ Kraine had said to him when he had been particularly ticked off at him for randomly writing in his notebook during a conversation. _"When you let them boil over the top, that's when you forget things."_ He'd gestured to his newest 'creation' simmering away in a pot after saying that. Genis cringed for the second time in as many minutes at the thought.

He hadn't realised the doctor had his eyes pinned on his slightly blue arm, a frown on his face, until it was too late and he had finished writing whatever it was he had thought of in the notebook. Luckily before the doctor opened his mouth to question it, Kate chimed in. "It's odd to see you leave your office here, Professor."

The Doc chuckled and raised his eyebrows at her and she flushed red all of a sudden. Genis grinned to himself. Clearly the two of them had met before. Kate continued, her voice a little higher than it had been before. "You have a look on your face that I haven't seen in a while. You've discovered something new."

Just when Genis was ready to assume it had something to do with the fact that Yuan had shown him his wings less than twenty-four hours ago, the doctor glanced over to another house in the distance. "A doctor can't usually talk about his patients; you know that. Let's head inside." He politely stepped past them and stuck a very old looking gold key into the carved metal door of his residence.

Genis was so curious suddenly about what he might have discovered that his feet moved on their own into the surgery. It was only when the doctor told him to climb on to the operating table that common sense came back to him and he hesitated for just long enough to make himself seem ungrateful. The doctor whistled under his breath in response and eyed Kate. "You did the right thing in bringing him to me. How long has the Toxicosis been taking effect?"

"Well.." Kate scratched her cheek for a second and stuttered. "You see, it's kind of like this."

xxx

Yuan sighed to himself as he stood in the main circle of Palmacosta and turned around.

"You really think they'll be wandering around here?" Lloyd asked him as he stood with his arms crossed next to him. "Don't you think they'd be going after a summon spirit?"

Grimacing, Yuan faced him for a second. "Perhaps I have other reasons for coming here first. Nevertheless, which of the summon spirits do you think they might be going after now?"

Lloyd shifted on his feet as he thought. "Probably Luna seems about right."

Yuan glanced away and focused his attention elsewhere before replying. "You paid more attention to the names of the summon spirits than I had expected of you." Lloyd flinched and stuttered a defensive reply, but he tuned it out in order to listen in to an interesting conversation two passer-by's were having.

"He looked like a mercenary," a man said to the woman by his side. "We don't get many of them coming through Palmacosta lately." He reached for her hand protectively.

She clutched her free hand against her chest. "With all the earthquakes we've been feeling recently, maybe he just wanted to seek refuge here. He did have a young boy with him."

The man laughed under his breath. "Trust you to notice the boy. He looked a bit scared when we made eye contact though."

"Well Palmacosta _is_ a big city. Let's hope Governor-General Dorr-" they walked out of earshot before Yuan had a chance to hear much more. Still, their words were all he'd needed to hear. He whirled around to face the Governor-General's office. The usual pair of guards stood at the front, but they were more to prevent fights happening in the plaza rather than people getting in to see Dorr.

"Maybe we should go and see the Governor-General," Lloyd said behind him, to his surprise. "Maybe he's seen them."

"Did you forget that he likely thinks we stole the Book of Regeneration?"

Lloyd flinched and laughed a bit. "Right."

It was Yuan's turn to flinch when the doors opened and two people stepped out. He caught eye contact with the mercenary for just a second before grasping Lloyd's arm and yanking him away, even though he was quite sure Lloyd had already seen them both. Not that it should have normally meant anything to him. "Let's go to the Tower of Mana," he muttered under his breath as he continued to drag Lloyd away from the town circle. "We've wasted enough time here already."

Lloyd pulled out of his grip but didn't argue. All he did was the occasional glance behind his back until they were clear of the city. Summoning his blade in case any monsters tried their luck, Yuan resisted the urge to pull the dual swordsman up on his curiosity and just continued onward in silence. Ignorance is Knowledge had worked quite well for Kraine after all. He'd been quite surprised at how much the intelligent and industrious half-elf had discovered for himself once most the cards had been out on the table between them. Besides, since Kraine had first learned the creed from Martuan, he couldn't help his curiosity.

xxx

Kate had left out most things to do with their trip to Derris Kharlan or Cruxis, but that hadn't really seemed to matter. Just by the expression on his face, Genis knew the Doc had jumped to a few conclusions before she'd finished. He was nowhere near as good at hiding the thoughts ticking in his mind as Kraine- not that he was complaining.

"Yowch," he cried under his breath, closing one eye at the pinprick sensation of the needle that had been jabbed into him. The Doc took a sample of his blood before standing back and flicking the phial with a finger. "It'll take a little time for me to tell whether you are completely out of danger," he said, turning away and heading to what looked like an apothecary in the corner of the room. He injected the contents of the needle down a little tube that connected to another larger tube and turned back to them. "In the meantime, perhaps you can help me with a curious study, Kate."

"So that's how you were planning on telling me just what has gotten you so excited," Kate said with a laugh in her voice. "Professor, you are despicable."

The Doc fiddled with his glasses and grinned. "I had planned no such thing. I am still your Professor though, so it is my job to allow you the opportunity for new medical experiences." He cleared his throat. "Joking aside, will you accompany me? We are to visit a lady named Virginia."

The bad feeling Genis had experienced as he'd been approaching Exire came back in full force all of a sudden. It felt like a wrecking ball was heading right toward him, but he was stuck staring at it instead of running.

"I only very recently learned of her condition by one of the half-elves here," the Doc continued to explain to Kate. She bobbed her head curiously and took out her own notepad and pencil. The Doc looked in Genis' direction, only making the sick feeling in his gut worsen. "I would prefer to keep a vigilant eye on you until we can be certain of your condition. As such, I think you should accompany us, Genis." With a worrying cat-like grin, he turned tail toward the door and pulled it open. Genis looked at Presea worriedly, but when she didn't return his concern, he started to feel slightly better. They followed Kate and the Doc back out into the village of Exire and toward the house of the woman named Virginia.

_Virginia._

The name grinded at him in the same way the name of Exire had just earlier. His better judgement told him to stop following and insist he needed some rest, but he went along with the current state of affairs anyway.


	73. Against all odds

Virginia's house was incredibly unremarkable. For all the strange foreboding feelings swirling around in his gut, Genis had come to expect the house to be a mansion atop a hill and sporting a door of pure gold. He was definitely relieved to see that it actually looked a little more run down than the rest of the Exire real estate.

Without knocking, the doctor turned the handle and swung the front door open. Of course Genis, along with Presea and Kate, looked at him in question. He waved their concern away quickly. "Relax. I was here only ten minutes ago. If we knock, we're likely to wake her baby." His voice became a low whisper at that and he put his finger to his lips.

"She has a baby?" There was a note of concern in Kate's voice. "And you say this woman seems to be unstable?"

The doctor didn't reply and just more firmly put his finger to his lips before ushering them inside as though it were his own house. The three of them left standing outside glanced at each other while the door squeaked back and forth in the breeze. Eventually they unanimously decided that the Doc had already made the first move and that it was okay to join him. Exire hardly seemed like a place with strongly enforced laws about trespass anyway.

Genis stepped inside first and found himself needing to squint to be able to see anything. At first he thought it was just because it was a sunny day outside, but once his eyes had adjusted a little more, he was able to see that the entrance hallway was actually only dimly lit. There was an open room off to the right where a warm yellow light filtered out. The Doc stood at its entrance, looking in. When the three of them approached, he turned in their direction. "Don't make any sudden movements."

Genis nodded and tried to see where this Virginia lady was. He could feel her mana signature easily enough to know that she was in the room. What he _couldn't_ feel though, was any other. Even if her child had somehow been a human, he would have at least sensed its energy signature. He was quite sure there was nobody else however.

Following the Doc's lead into the room and around a corner, Genis, Presea and Kate approached a silver haired woman. She had her back turned to them and was leaning over a bassinet. When they were close enough, Genis could make out that she was whispering quietly to something she seemed to be holding in her arms. When she turned around, he had to keep his jaw from dropping when he saw the answer to the mystery of the non existent child's mana signature. Wrapped up in a loose blanket and cradled in Virginia's arms was nothing more than a ratty and worn looking rag doll. It had buttons for eyes and a drawn on nose. Its mouth was a simple line with no lips, drawn into a smile.

He didn't look at the doll for too long though- drawn in instead by the features of the woman. She had a fair elven face with blue eyes that reminded him of Kraine somehow, even though she had a very distinct vague look to hers. It was pretty easy for even him to see that the lights were on but nobody was home in her head. Even facing them, the idea that she had people in her home only very slowly seemed to dawn on her.

Cradling the rag doll left to right for a few seconds, she looked down from them all and smiled dotingly at it. "Oh look Raine," she whispered softly, "the milkmen and women are here. How lovely!"

Suddenly the bad feeling that Genis had made sense, even if nothing else did.

" _Raine.."_

He thought the name over again. He was sure he'd heard her right. He blinked and shook his head. Raine might have been a common name for half-elves for all he knew about the naming conventions of his own kind. Kraine had never liked talking about them being half-elves after all. As far as he'd ever been concerned, facts about them were given on a need-to-know basis.

Virginia's face fell as she eyed them all again. "They seem to have forgotten the milk though. What is a mother to do?" She leaned her face down to the doll and rubbed her nose against its face. "Not that you're opposed to the good old methods as mother nature intended." She petted her stomach for a few seconds. "But what will our other little one say to not getting a nice glass of milk for lunch I wonder?"

The Doc cleared his throat. "Excuse me maam, do you not remember me from before?"

Just like before when she had seen them and registered they were there, Genis watched as recollection slowly showed in her eyes and she gave a slight nod. "Sorry Doctor. Is it time for the check up of my baby?" She petted her stomach again. Genis stared at it a bit longer than he knew he should have and came to the conclusion that she definitely was not pregnant. His recovering arm throbbed, throwing him off for a few seconds. Kate peered up from the notebook she was scratching away in at his sudden movement. He shrugged it off and smiled, deciding and hoping it was a normal part of the recovery process.

The Doc was helping Virginia as she put her 'baby' down in its bed and lay on a long red couch that sat against the widest wall of the room next to the lamp. No sooner had she rested her head back on a pillow and the Doc perched himself on a chair next to her, she jumped up and stared worriedly to where the doll slept. "Is she okay? I thought I heard a cry."

Though Genis didn't see much of a point in it, Kate wandered over to the doll and nodded. "She's fine. Sleeping soundly."

"Oh good," Virginia exhaled in relief. It seemed she really did believe the doll was alive. Genis wondered what condition she was sick with. Kraine would have been doubly interested, he was sure. "She has such an intelligent looking face, doesn't my Raine?" Virginia asked, calling over to Kate while the Doc wrapped a blood pressure machine around her arm and squeezed the trigger to puff it up.

Genis turned away briefly to hide his smirk at how on the spot Kate had been put.

"Um.." Kate stammered and looked back at the doll. "She certainly does?"

The mad woman didn't seem phased. Instead she smiled at the compliment she'd asked Kate to give her. "She's my pride and joy." She hummed in thought while the Doc finished doing the blood pressure test and wrote some things down. "She won't be the only one for long though. Once my new little one comes into this world, she'll have a little brother or sister. I've even decided on the names. If it's a girl, she will be named Jean. If it's a boy, Genis."

Genis felt his heart skip at his name. Hearing the name Raine from her mouth could have easily been counted as a coincidence.. but Genis as well? He initially struggled for words to say. Presea seemed equally tongue-tied while Kate's eyes narrowed in the direction of the doctor as he grinned widely. Suddenly the reason he'd insisted that they all go with him to visit this lady seemed all too clear.

"That's _my_ name," he spat defensively without even thinking. His heart pounded in his chest and his face felt like it was being set on fire as he gazed at the woman. She was sick- very sick- but for a reason he couldn't quite explain, he felt angry. _Infuriated_ even _._ His arm throbbed again- this time a little closer to where the Angelus Project sat. He wanted to say something but no more words came to mind. He didn't know how it all connected but he was very sure of one thing by the time they all left Virginia to her own ramblings and regrouped outside. She was his mother.

It made no sense though. Genis knew that in any sort of normal world, an educated half-elf like himself would have come to the conclusion that she was just a crazy elven lady and that the names were coincidence. But he was so sure that she was his mother that none of that seemed to matter. It felt the same as when he had also been sure that the name Raine had significance to him. It was as simple as day and night.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," he said in conclusion to the mess in his head as he held it. He realised his mistake as soon as the words left his mouth. Everyone looked over him with concern and before he knew it, he was practically being dragged back to the doctors office.

xxx

The day had worn on significantly, and with each passing minute Martuan regretted her decision to not rest at the lake when Sheelos had suggested. It was out of pure stubbornness and refusal to admit that for all her thousands of years alive, she still expected more of herself than she was actually capable, that she made every effort to ensure nobody knew of the pain her thighs and back were in for carrying the not-so-light leader of Cruxis.

The ground quivered under her feet and she paused, waiting for it to subside, as did the rest of their unlikely group.

"These earthquakes are becoming quite persistent as of late," Pronyma stated from behind. Martuan could practically feel her accusing stare on the back of her neck. "Let us hope that this is only temporary."

Though she had her doubts, Martuan didn't voice them to the Grand Cardinal. In fact, she was sure that with more of the mana links being broken, things were only going to get worse. Not only that, but now that Mithos no longer possessed the power of Origin, she had the sinking feeling she knew exactly who did. It was the only real way Mithos' idea to "take care" of Yuan made sense. Even though the conclusions she had drawn made the most sense, something still bothered her about them, more than just for moralities sake.

Shifting Mithos on her back and catching a glimpse of him starting to drool, she inwardly shivered and looked up ahead at their destination. She hadn't suffered for nothing. Though she knew she was pushing the Chosen of Tethe'alla pretty hard, they would have the power of Luna and Aska before nightfall. Then it would be onward and upward to Tethe'allan territory once again to take Celsius' and Shadows power.

Both Chosen's stopping in mid-stride up ahead distracted her from her thoughts. Colette tilted her head curiously as Sheelos took out some of the summon spirit gems from her garb. She smiled in memory. Mithos had always enjoyed speaking with the spirits as well- when they had wanted to talk to him. She knew it was kind of selfish, but she couldn't help but blame them for his descent into being branded a fallen hero. Fighting the Sylph had brought the extent of how they must have treated Mithos to light. She tried to calm her fury.

Noticing Colette watching her, Sheelos quickly put the gems away and stuttered something before continuing on to the entrance. Briefly stealing a glance behind herself to confirm that Pronyma insisted she come along with them until Mithos was conscious and she could confirm his wishes, Martuan made to follow them.

Something in the area notified her of a new presence, just as she was about to slip inside after the two Chosen's. Stopping and whirling around, she scanned the hills and plains around them first before heightening her gaze to the highest treetops and clouds. The closer the presence got, the more sure she was that she knew exactly who would be blessing them with an appearance soon. Pronyma looked as well, probably having sensed the signatures. One was undoubtedly half-elven and the other.. was one that had always puzzled her. There was no mistaking it.

A shadow on the grassy wilderness around them all just ahead grew larger and larger as the expected rheaird descended, as did the growing footsteps from Sheelos as she approached from behind. Martuan knew it was Sheelos not by feeling for her energy signature, but more so from the moodiness that came with her steps as she approached. The flirtatious Tethe'allan always seemed to be cross with her. Whether it was through pure jealousy, or something else, she was yet to confirm.

"What's taking you?" Sheelos asked hastily from behind, about as expected.

Martuan decided to let the scene speak for itself. She had more important matters to fry in her head. The top of the lot was whether to tell Yuan of their change in plans. She had already promised Sheelos an explanation, but Yuan's presence made things a little more complicated since Mithos had said in no minced words that he meant to take Yuan's life away, one way or another. She still wondered why Mithos thought he was a threat to their plans. As far as she had seen so far, the blue haired half-elf had mostly put his best foot forward and always aided rather than hindered them.

Sheelos' nagging calls stopped when she reached the crowded doorway and stood next to her to watch Yuan and Lloyd land and disembark their rheaird. Deciding it was time to greet their new company, Martuan headed out of the doorway and toward them. Yuan's gaze snapped straight to her and the half-elf leader of Cruxis sleeping soundly on her back. She couldn't help but grimace at the rare surprised expression he sported. It was already getting interesting. Yuan seemed to always be ahead of the game, so when he was at a loss for words, it was both amusing and an enigma. He stopped staring though, when Sheelos stormed past her with her hands on her hips. "CERBERUS!"

xxx

The name escaped her lips as she looked at the man she had longed to see again for so long. As per usual, he'd sauntered casually back into her life like he'd only gone over to the next town for lunch, looking straight away at Martuan no less. The last time she had seen him, he had been running away from her with a red wig on his head and an unknown plan. She'd gone to the colosseum and seen Mithos and Genis fighting against the giant dragon knight, thinking he'd show up again soon enough and stop her from getting herself into her usual trouble. He hadn't though. Cruxis and Novariel had happened instead.

Tears of frustration stung her eyelids as she glared at him. Too many questions came to mind all at once and she instead found herself going blank. Putting a hand on her hip, she instead opted for a cheeky grin at him. "Miss me?"

She wanted to hide in a hole after saying that. Yuan knew her better than that. Her cheeks filled with fire. The half-elf raised a blue brow at her. "You cut your hair? What in all the hells names possessed you to do that?"

Typical. She rolled her eyes. Her heart resumed its normal pacing. She was kind of glad he hadn't responded to her empty comment with any sign of agreement, even if the new subject he had breached was just as undesirable. " _You_ don't get to ask any more questions until you give _me_ some answers." She glanced to her right when footsteps quickly approached, just in time to see a blur of white and red fall to the sea of greenery below them.

"Lloyd!" came the happy chirp from Colette as it happened.

"O-ow!" Lloyd exclaimed with a chuckle under his breath as he righted himself to be able to sit up while the blonde held him by the stomach tightly, like she never wanted to let him go again. A smile broadened across his lips while he awkwardly rested one arm around her shoulders.

"Don't squeeze him too hard," Yuan said to Colette with a sigh. "You might squeeze the stuffing out of him."

Seeming to realise all of a sudden that their little moment was very public, Colette unlatched herself from Lloyd and flinched backward. Her arms pin-wheeled in short circles before she was on her backside once again, sitting opposite the red-clad swordsman with her face as flushed and red as his outfit. She'd clearly missed Sheelos found interesting though was that her expression betrayed far more feelings than 'missing' him. They were slowly changing the world, all the while their group was changing too. As soon as the thought occurred to her, she tilted her head to the side as the nagging feeling that the revelation of Colette's probable feelings for Lloyd were hardly a new thing. The summon spirits buzzed under her obi but she couldn't hear them.

"Are you okay Lloyd?" Colette asked him when he got to his feet again and offered a hand to help her up.

"What she said," Sheelos added, deciding to interject herself into the conversation before the two of them very quickly went off on a tangent. Martuan had seemed to expect it almost pre-emptively and taken a seat on the grass to watch the event unfold. She'd rested Mithos partly on the ground while his head sat in her lap and faced up to the sky. "Just exactly what happened to our dashing darling?" Sheelos continued to ask.

"Too much," he imparted immediately, glancing at the various sets of eyes on him and stopping at Martuan's. "But what's _she_ doing here?" He looked off to the side a little more and his eyes widened further. "And is that Pronyma? Have I really been gone from the party so long that we've all changed sides?"

Lloyd's attention span seemed to be about the norm. It was sort of comforting actually considering all the things that had changed recently.

"You're more observant than I thought you were," Martuan said to Lloyd, amused.

The idea of Lloyd being observant _was_ pretty amusing, but there did seem to be a little truth to her scrutiny. He was still undoubtedly Lloyd- still with that adorable lady killer innocence to his words, but his brown eyes seemed more.. serious than she remembered. Then again, it may well just have been from seeing the leader of the Renegades sitting down with the sleeping leader of Cruxis. Before Sheelos knew it, she was bobbing her head while she frowned upon the boy with curiosity.

"Still just as much of a simpleton as expected though," Martuan added. "You see people travelling together and always expect that they are on the same side?" There was a bitterness behind her words suddenly that Sheelos hadn't expected. It was pointless pursuing it though. She was totally sure the Renegade was as tough to crack as Yuan unless she was distracted.

"Well.. yeah?" Lloyd pouted. "Why are you helping us get the summon spirits otherwise?" A grimace formed on his lips. "Well, it looks like you're trying to help anyway. We need to find Aska before we go to get Luna, don't we though?"

"Find Aska?" Sheelos asked, mind boggling as she looked from Martuan to Yuan. She was rewarded with seeing them share a glance between one another as though they were shooting questions back and forth. Lloyd had obviously gotten that bit of information from him after all. All of a sudden the way the summon spirits had acted before when she had been attempting to communicate made both more sense and no sense, instead of just no sense. As soon as she had brought up Aska and Luna as a joined pair, Gnome had started to say something, but it had ended up sounding incoherent and muffled. From what she _had_ gathered though, Aska was 'free until he isn't' and apparently 'very two-faced in the matter'. It had only been when she had asked for an elaboration that the spirits had refused to cooperate.

"Well is someone going to say something or are you all just going to leave it to me _once again_ to figure everything out?" She looked at Yuan pointedly as she said that to make sure he knew she had not forgotten all the things he had to answer for. Most of all though, she just wanted to talk to someone who would understand her properly. She turned back toward the tower of Mana. They had already begun to enter, but from what Lloyd had started to say, there was no point.

"You haven't spoken to the travelling caravan salesman then?" Yuan asked behind her back. As he did, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. All thoughts on what she wanted to do vanished and only one remained.

"C..caravan salesman?" The gold-toothed smile of Novariel flashed across her minds-eye, then his salesman smooth-talk. Lastly she pictured the rose petals on the bed at Palmacosta. Surely Yuan had to have been talking about someone else. It seemed like it would have been pretty hard to have spoken to the exact person he was talking about, considering the size of Sylvarant and Tethe'alla.

"I thought he took you to Sylvarant," Yuan replied simply.

She whirled around to face him, sure she hadn't heard him correctly. She realised her mouth was dropping open. Her voice shook. "H..how do you know about that?" The answer was obvious. Yuan knew everything after all.

" _But if he knows everything.."_

"Do you know who Yuan is talking about Sheelos?" Lloyd asked. Colette looked at her pleadingly as well. Her tongue felt tied but she knew she had to say something. Martuan's listening ears were aimed directly at her as well. She couldn't exactly say that she had accidentally journeyed to Sylvarant with a caravanner whom Cruxis had asked her to join in order to be able to tell them where the Renegade base was after all. Mulling over that thought, she felt a slight weight lifting from her chest. The odds of Cruxis getting the same guy that Yuan was talking about seemed even lower than her finding the same one in all of Sylvarant and Tethe'alla.

"I commissioned him to tell you how to get here without the use of a rheaird," were the next words out of Yuan's mouth. "He was quite busy with other matters, so I had not expected that he would take you here himself."

" _Other matters.."_ She clenched her fist. "You… _commissioned_ Novariel.. to talk to me?" She was aware that he'd dodged her question on how he came to know that he'd actually gone with her to Sylvarant in the first place, but she didn't particularly care at the moment.

"Money talks," the half-elf said, shrugging.

She closed her eyes so that she didn't have to look at him. "Well looks like you didn't get your money's worth at all. That creep didn't tell me a single thing about Aska!"

"Creep?" Colette asked as she rested a hand on her arm. Sheelos wondered whether Colette had put some of the bits and pieces of the trauma she had gone through together all of a sudden and felt more vulnerable than she wanted to. She swallowed hard and tried to relax. Thinking of all the things that had happened with Novariel and Kucchinawa just made her skin crawl. She had to focus on the important parts of the mission. Despite how confusing it all now seemed, a part of her still believed that once she helped Martuan with the Mana Cannon and the Angelus Project, her lifetime of memories and pain would be a ghost of the distant past.

Silence fell over the group until Sheelos got curious enough to prop an eye open. She was just in time to see Lloyd cross his arms and tap his foot while looking at her. "I don't know what he's done, but if Sheelos doesn't like him, there has to be another way we can find Aska." He looked at Mithos. "Maybe Mithos has an idea?" He glanced up at Martuan. "Or maybe Martuan does, since she travelled with Mithos the Hero back when he got the summon spirits the first time."

The revelation wasn't a surprise to any of them; but Sheelos still found it surprising that Lloyd knew all that. She wondered who had told him. She was eager to point the finger at Yuan though.

"K-Kraine told me," Lloyd elaborated without being asked to. "I.. I also found out that he's.. my dad." He gripped the swords at his hips as he said that. Colette gasped. The swordsman looked at her. "Oh.. right. Sorry for just dropping that on you Colette. I guess he's your dad too." He scratched his head and shuffled awkwardly about.

Another silence ensued. If it were possible, Sheelos was sure that Colette would be omitting question marks from her head as she blinked at Lloyd. She wasn't the only confused one. Lloyd's words were vital. He spoke as though he and Colette were related when they clearly weren't. They had seen her father at Iselia not so long ago after all. So why was he acting like it wasn't a completely dumb thing to say?

It was true that maybe Lloyd had always just seen her as a sister, but saying that Kraine was her parent as well seemed to be taking it a bit far. Martuan didn't say anything- only chose to bite her lip and absently stroke Mithos' hair while the conversation took its natural course. Whatever was going on, Sheelos knew the lady Renegade was confused with her own memories as well.

"Are you sure you're alright, Lloyd?" Colette questioned. "Have you rested much since everything happened? We went to Iselia recently." She smiled to herself. "Father and grandmother were happy to see me… I think."

"Your father?" Lloyd's voice shook. "Wait… what?" He looked at Yuan, who was stroking his chin, a quizzical frown on his perfectly plucked blue brows. "What's going on?"

"Seems everybody has that question on their minds, if you ask me," he replied.

"S..sister.."

Sheelos, as well as everyone else, turned their gazes to the boy resting in Martuan's lap. He shifted a little and opened his eyes for the first time since he had helped them in the battle against the Sylph. At first he just smiled up at Martuan, but then he seemed to feel the stares on him and looked around at everyone else. The moment he saw Yuan, he jumped from a laying down position to a standing position. "You."

"Mithos," Yuan greeted, lips curling upward. He outstretched his hand and summoned his usual butterfly blade. "What kind of game do you think you're playing?"

Mithos scoffed and summoned his blade too. "I should ask you the very same question!" He raced into close combat with Yuan and exchanged a couple of quick blows. Sheelos glanced between Colette and Martuan, wondering what they should be doing. She was about to yell at the boys to cut it out, but Mithos yelled over the top of her instead. "But I already know everything I need to anyway!" Mithos held his sword with two hands to block a powerful swipe from Yuan. "Gabriel told me everything!"

Yuan's sword faltered at his words for just long enough that Mithos was able to dodge away from the heavy blow and make a quick swipe at him from the side. Yuan cried an agonised yell as the blade struck his flesh. "And.. what does this… _everything_ entail?"

Apparently he wasn't wounded enough to not make it into a game of questions. Sheelos noticed Lloyd slowly drawing one of his swords but then sliding it back into its sheath as he observed their fight.

"Only that your primary goal is to overthrow Cruxis and make all half-elves angels!" Mithos spat. "And that you tried to gain my trust and kill my sister to get the ball rolling!" His enormous wings appeared behind his back a second later. He parried a weak side slash from Yuan, but didn't hit back.

"What?" Sheelos couldn't help but ask. Colette and Martuan mimicked her shock exactly.

"That's preposterous," Yuan snapped. "Why would I want to do that?"

"Why don't you tell me? I've never heard of a more idiotic idea in my life!" Mithos disappeared and a second later reappeared behind Yuan. Sheelos drew her seals and bolted to interject as soon as she saw what he was about to do.

"That's enough!"

Lloyd however was closer and stepped in, blocking the sword with one of his own and knocking it away with another quick swipe to the side. Mithos' eyes widened in surprise at how easily he'd been thwarted. Lloyd glared at him while Yuan positioned himself in a less vulnerable stance behind him. "Say that again and I will end your life right here," his continued, his expression dark and hardened.

Very clearly all of a sudden, Sheelos could see a striking similarity between him and Kraine. "You tell 'im Lloyd!" she couldn't help but let out in a short cheer.

"Are you so blind that you can't see the enemy in your midst!?" Mithos said in his creepy even tone to Lloyd, ignoring her completely. "That half-elf knows things that are impossible."

"Even still," Lloyd responded immediately, "if I judged all of my friends based on their past actions, I'd probably be pretty lonely." He chuckled. "I mean, half of them have tried to kill me at one point or another. Even you, Mithos." He gave Mithos a goofy smile. "You only want to help, right? Even if we're different, I know how you feel. More than you probably realise."

Stabbing the sword he'd pulled to fight with into the dirt at his feet, Lloyd extended a gloved hand to Mithos. "What do you say to working together?"


	74. A trinity of problems

Gabriel had actually seemed just as shocked as Kraine to see the pool of blood on the floor leading out of the cell and away from the camera angle. Kraine observed the man as he tried to see different angles of the picture on the screen by changing to some of the other cameras and leaning from side to side as though it might help him see around corners. The cameras all gave him roughly the same amount of information however. Someone had been in that room before, but they definitely weren't now. The important matters that should have been at hand took a back seat while Gabriel fiddled with the controls, muttering to himself and shaking his head.

To the keen eye, the similarities between Gabriel and Mithos were there for all to see. Kraine had seen many visual clues over the years. Ignorance is Knowledge had helped him immensely to gather the information necessary to tie everything together. Gabriel's 'story' had never sat well with him. It had been warring times after all.

Normal civilians had stayed well within the cities to avoid accidental injury from the various platoons that peppered Sylvarant and Tethe'alla. Kraine certainly had not accidentally found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time, and neither had Martuan- though she had never fully revealed to him how she had gotten herself caught. Mithos, being a young half-elf when he had first come to the laboratory, had little memory of how he'd ended up there. All he'd been able to describe had been darkness and the feeling of rough material rubbing against his skin before he'd awoken in the place he would call home for many years. At the time, it had been pretty plain to see that he had been kidnapped.

Now though...

The final piece of the puzzle was hidden in the mind of the man that stood before Kraine, his shock of long blond hair that fell all the way down to the back of his knees a keen reminder of that fact.

"Gabriel," he addressed patiently for the third time in as many minutes. "Are you so certain that I will not kill you where you stand that you easily turn your back to me?" He purposely scraped his sword out of its sheath slightly to get his attention this time. Apparently it worked, because Gabriel turned to him, his eyes glinting with anger but the usual smirk playing on his lips.

"Why would you do that, if you are so desperate to work with me?"

He had to admit, Gabriel had him there. Very clearly he was reminded of how easily Mithos had found it to contradict him at times. He almost smiled at the memory and had to try a little harder to maintain his natural facade for a second.

Gabriel's shoulders fell and he tilted his head slightly. "Don't you know that if you keep scowling at me like that Krainy, the wind will change direction and you'll be stuck like that forever?" He spoke in his usual lighthearted tone, but his eyes showed his true nature. Kraine was used to it though. Gabriel had not been shy in demonstrating it whenever Mithos was absent.

"Who does the blood belong to, Gabriel?" he asked now that he finally had his attention, trying to sound more patient than he thought Gabriel deserved. "Or do you intend to prolong this?"

Gabriel's eyes darkened into a more serious glare. Kraine was all too aware that he was pushing his buttons. "I already told you what you demanded to know Kraine, and I also told you that I have no interest in partnering up with you."

That didn't even add up. Kraine couldn't resist the pursuit for more. "And you are willing to let me leave, after getting a confirmation on your true identity?"

Gabriel chewed on his lip as his eyes trailed up to the ceiling. "You won't tell him," he mumbled after a second. "You've been hiding how much you actually figured out for a while. Angelus Project research was one of the things you poured all of your time into after all. You just can't seem to get away from needing to save people from it, can you?"

Kraine sighed outwardly. He wasn't necessarily surprised at how much Gabriel had put together. Mithos was a natural genius after all, good at almost anything he put his hand to, and had to have gotten it from at least one of his parents. If Gabriel had been planning something to the scale that he was starting to expect, he reluctantly thought it was possible that Mithos had inherited it from his father. A pang of guilt struck his heart unexpectedly at that. Had he been able to care more and been less focused on trying to help Mithos succeed, he might have been able to see the truth sooner.

There was still something that pestered him about that possibility though- one that prevented him from falling into a deeper slump of guilt. It went by the name of Yuan- a half-elf whom he knew all too well had _helped_ Gabriel. He needed to find out more. Just as he had taught Gesea that the best thing to do when cornered by the enemy was to learn as much as possible using Ignorance is Knowledge, he needed to practice what he had preached.

"Feigning ignorance may end in knowledge, but knowledge does not always give you finite answers," he said before he cleared his throat. "You would know this, considering your background."

"My background?" Gabriel was toying with him, for pure curiosities sake. Kraine could tell just by the smirk on his face. It reminded him of Yuan, and that irritated him even more.

"You made no attempt to hide your intellect from those who worked alongside you. It was obvious even four thousand years ago that you were not the civilian who met trouble by being in the wrong place and wrong time, as you had so proclaimed to us."

At that, Gabriel threw his head back and chuckled. "It is just like you to disguise a compliment amongst a threat. Tell me, just how did you manage to have a son so… different to you?"

Judging by the lack of seriousness in his voice, Kraine knew he was just asking questions that didn't need answering. Though he didn't say it outwardly, he thought it probably had more to do with Annalicia's nature. He'd always loved her smile and quirkiness. Her inner strength though- that had been the thing he'd fallen in love with all those years ago. Rolling his eyes and sighing, he scratched his sword against its sheath again in warning to Gabriel. Despite the fact that the human seemed to have called his bluff in the very fact that there was no way he would kill him just yet, Gabriel stopped with his frustrating light-heartedness and turned serious again.

Kraine opted to continue with his original and well rehearsed plan. "Let me just put it plain and simple. Yuan told me everything."

At that, Gabriel met his eyes once again and slowly rose from his seated position. "Yuan?" He rested one hand on his hip. "Well then, is this why you were hoping to join me?" He smiled smugly. "If you can't fight destiny, join it?"

His practised poker face kicking in, Kraine bobbed his head once. This was going much more smoothly than he'd expected. All the information he had gathered from Yuan, most of which he _hadn't_ told him, had pointed toward the blue haired half-elf having something to do with Gabriel. Yuan had basically admitted to it as well, when he had told him in no minced words that he had somehow been able to allow Gabriel to have control over Origin.

When he'd first walked into the control room and discovered Gabriel, he'd been intending to examine the fingers of the man for signs of the Eternal Ring, but the shock of seeing such obvious similarities between Gabriel and his son had caught him off guard. Now Gabriel had both hands partially rested in his pockets, making it difficult to discern the truth.

"And even though you have resigned to yourself that this is basically destiny, you aren't willing to help me without further explanation?" Gabriel asked him then. "You just don't know when to stop digging for the truth, do you Kraine?" He sniggered. "You would make a very good scientist."

"In order to help, I must know all the facts," he responded evenly while his brain ticked on how to get the conversation to turn toward knowing more about what might have transpired between Gabriel and the very half-elf who was perfect at getting conversations to do just what he wanted. "You can hardly blame me for being suspicious of you, considering all you have done to advance and acquire the Angelus Project."

His mind immediately scattered back to the pool of blood in the room, but he had to push that to a side compartment for the time being. Both candidates for the owner of the blood also being the owner of an Angelus Project were currently in Yuan's care and he was quite sure the bluenette knew the ramifications of letting anything happen to them.

"Are you calling it a crime that I did all I could to assist Mithos in his goals? That I used my intelligence to be able to get ahead in life?" Gabriel's lips pursed. "I certainly did more for myself than you did with the position of power that you _used_ to have."

"You are mistaken," Kraine replied, irritated that Gabriel of all people had learned of his origins in Tethe'alla, long before he'd become a Duke. Martuan had probably figured it out as well, but had always preferred to skip around the topic whenever they had come close to discussing it. He'd never asked her why either, naturally. "Your crime is that you have been using Mithos to accomplish your own goals."

Gabriel shrugged his deduction off with little seeming bother. "That may be so, but that does not mean our goals are exact opposites." He tapped his mouth and raised his brows. "That seems to remind me of somebody else I know, if you ask me." He chuckled then. "Actually, perhaps this is exactly why Yuan has sent you to work with me. There may be some hope for you after all."

Kraine remained quiet for a second before clearing his throat. "Quite the sudden change. Why is it that you trust the word of Yuan, above all else?" He watched his every movement with care, hoping to discern the hidden truth out of him. "He is a half-elf. Though you are admittedly a very good liar, I can tell you harbour hatred for my kind." He could have gone on to ask him why Yuan would want to help a man who hated his own race and wanted to mean harm, but held his tongue.

The glee disappeared from Gabriel's blue gaze, but Kraine found himself confused as he watched the human turn his eyes toward the stark white tiled floor, a kind of sad grimace blooming across his face. "You misunderstand. My aim is to prevent further suffering of the half-elf race. Mithos has endured the pain for far too long, striving for an impossible goal that goes against the laws of nature. He wishes for half-elves to be saved from their eternal torment and I have devised a plan to do just that."

Kraine had a feeling that Gabriel was going to go on without provoking, so he just stayed quiet and waited for more.

"It is the elves that I truly hate," Gabriel snarled suddenly, clenching his pocketed hands into fists. "They came to this land and disturbed its natural course. They must be dealt with."

After that, Kraine thought carefully about Gabriel's actions. In a strange way, the human condition to push those away when suffering was involved came to mind. Though Gabriel held hatred in his heart, it seemed it was directed at what he thought was the appropriate course of action. To hate to such extremes though- Kraine knew Gabriel had things planned for elves and half-elves that were far from the dictionary meaning of 'to save.' "And Yuan told you to do all this?" he managed to ask.

Gabriel glanced around the room without reply. Even without being present, Yuan was as elusive as ever before. Kraine watched Gabriel draw his hands out of his pockets and immediately pinned his gaze on the ring on his left hand. It looked a little different to the ring that he held in his pocket but it was still without a doubt the same thing. There were two Eternal Rings.

He blinked back his shock and paid a bit more attention to Gabriel again, noticing he had also brought something else out of one of his pockets and now held what looked to be a phial with a long needle attached to it in his right hand. Kraine took a defensive stance but Gabriel didn't do anything more than hold the injection with two fingers while he flicked it absently with his index finger. Its light purplish blue contents swirled around inside and Kraine almost swore he saw it sparkle.

"Tell me Kraine," Gabriel said, a cattish grin on his lips as he glanced from the concoction to him. "Are you aware of the process in which a Salvatorian is chosen?"

Though it was an odd question, and a rather abrupt change in topic, Kraine found his curiosity heightened enough to play along for now. He decided to answer. "If you are talking about the general populace of humans, then it is a rather simple process. If you're talking about the Chosen, then it is a little more complicated."

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "The Chosen has nothing to do with this question."

Kraine nodded. "Normal civilians are free to choose their Salvatorian to a large extent. It usually happens within communities once children reach the age where they may choose theirs or be forced together with a person of the Churches choosing." He paused and observed Gabriel's expression. He looked bored. He made a mental note that this had nothing to do with whatever he was driving at before continuing.

"The two people, usually those that have become friends in their town or village, go to the Church of Martel and ask to be tested. They have their blood taken from them and sent off to a laboratory to be examined. Most of the time it is determined that the offspring born from the couple as a requirement for the Worldwide Survival Project would be a suitable gene pool to be able to continue on the human race."

"Except when there are exceptions," Gabriel added in, interrupting.

Kraine agreed and went on regardless after exhaling an annoyed breath. "Such as the one in question being the Chosen, or a family tree being too closely linked with another."

Now it came to the part that irritated him the most.

"The race of humans we see now are a premium race, so to speak, created through thousands of years of controlled breeding, and yet they still are unable to put aside their differences and accept half-elves as a normal part of society."

Just saying it made him feel bitter. He couldn't help but glare at Gabriel. "You are no exception to the race of bigots society has become."

"Dear Kraine, you are completely missing the point," Gabriel replied curtly. "It is through this controlled breeding that we are able to see the truth. Half-elves are not a natural part of society. The natural advancement of technology is upon us as we become closer to creating a new age." Gabriel took a step closer to him then.

"A new age?" he couldn't help but question, watching him carefully. There was no way that it was the Age of Half-elves that Mithos had been wishing for. He opened his mouth to start to come to a conclusion but took a breath instead when he watched Gabriel, who had been standing before him a mere moment ago, vanish into thin air. It was as if by magic, but he knew all too well that Gabriel had no grasp on it. He couldn't even manage basic healing techniques.

Sensing he was being watched from behind, Kraine swiftly whirled around, a kick following his movement. Despite being ready for the impossible attack, his foot connected with nothing but thin air. Quickly scanning the area for the energy signature, he was surprised to find nothing. It was like nobody was in the room what-so-ever. Then, he heard an impossible chuckle. The stab of something into his neck came next, as did the sight of Gabriel out of the corner of his left eye. In the next second, as he tried to grab the hand that had pushed the injection into him and pull him over his shoulder and to the ground, he found nothing to grasp.

Another laugh sounded from somewhere that seemed to be right in front of him, but not at the same time. "Krainy, Krainy Kraine, don't look like that. I'm hardly fighting fairly."

"G-" he stopped uttering his name when he lost grip of his sword he had instinctively pulled from its sheath in defence and it fell to the ground with a loud echoing clatter. He flexed his fingers, noticing how cold and numb they felt all of a sudden. Despite the numbness that seemed to be spreading down his fingers, he could feel another thing quite clearly- burning. The exspheres on both his hands burned furiously against his skin; even the Cruxis crystal he had possessed for forty centuries.

" _Kraine!"_

The sound of Annalicia calling his name sent shivers down his spine. He looked at the Cruxis crystal she resided in more closely.

" _It's so hot.."_ he heard her say. _"I'm burning.."_

He reached for the syringe that was still wedged into his neck and pulled it out, quickly noticing that the liquid that had once been inside was completely gone. It didn't take a genius to wonder where it had gone, but now he was left with no choice but to wonder just what Gabriel had done.

"Gabriel!" he yelled. "You may be a genius, but you are a coward!"

"Ha ha," Gabriel scoffed, "brave scientists tend to not live long! It was true during the war and it's still true now."

Kraine heard footsteps circling him. There didn't seem to be a point to trying to sense where the human was, or in trying to hit him. He had failed on both attempts already once. The burning continued to seep from both Cruxis crystals, while the rest of his surrounding body continued to grow numb. It was pretty safe to assume he'd been poisoned.

"I'm afraid you can't be a part of my plan as you are now," Gabriel said from wherever he was situated, his tone cold and devoid of any of his usual hype. "But as you said, I can't just let you go free either. This is really the only way."

"Because I am a half-elf, I suppose?" he guessed through heavy breaths. His knees were beginning to feel week. He glanced at Annalicia's Cruxis crystal, wishing she would say something again to him. "How is it that you seem to remember that I was ever something different?" he asked Gabriel instead.

"I don't… or at least I _didn't_. But I also have little choice but to believe the word of Yuan. He's the one who led me into this position to be the true leader of Cruxis, and eventually the new world that will come along with my position of power."

"So that's what you want," Kraine muttered, eventually giving in to the weakness in his legs and kneeling on the floor. "Leadership? You want to take it away from Mithos?" He wasn't quite sure how to feel about that. He could say for certain that Mithos would feel incredibly betrayed to find out however.

"Of course not," Gabriel groaned. "I'm the Pope of Tethe'alla. Cruxis leadership is far less of a title than that."

"Then what?"

"I am fulfilling my destiny. I must be the leader of Cruxis to do so," Gabriel replied quickly as though he thought it was incredibly obvious.

Kraine couldn't help but grimace at that. Clearly Gabriel expected this to be the end of him. He tried his best to keep his thoughts together in case it wasn't, despite the black spots that were starting to appear before his eyes and the disconnected feeling he was starting to have from his body. "Your destiny.. to create this new age?"

"That's correct. An Age of Lifeless Beings."

**Beep!**

**BEEEP.**

**INPUT CORRECT. ACCESS GRANTED.**

Raine held her breath as the door that led out to the outskirts of Derris Kharlan slid open with a powerful whoosh after the positive chimes rung out and the soft magi-technological voice congratulated her.

"I must admit, that is slightly amusing," came a deep voice from just behind her. She bobbed her head and glanced back at him. He gave her a soft, friendly smile that complimented his relaxing shade of blue hair.

Despite how unthreatening he looked, she couldn't help but avert her gaze. It was still a bit much to swallow despite how many times she had seen this happen now. She exhaled. "I suppose it shouldn't be surprising that we all came to the same conclusion at precisely the same moment. It should be expected, even."

She glanced to her right at the other man. He'd had his back turned as he'd been keeping watch while she fiddled with the controls of the password machine that had been allowing the exit to be blocked. He watched her now with his wine coloured eyes that reminded her of Lloyd, albeit a much older and more experienced Lloyd. "We should make haste," he said eventually. "I'm not sure what Gabriel is doing currently, but it seems to be only a matter of time before he comes up with a plan. It's safe to say that yet another of his plans has not turned out as he expected."

He was right. What bothered Raine even more though was the idea that he had probably learned something from it. She didn't know whether he could do something with the knowledge, but she didn't want to wait around to find out. Their priority was clear. They had to alert Mithos. Not only that, they needed to find Yuan to satisfy themselves that Lloyd, Genis and Presea were alright. There were a myriad of other things that came to mind as well, especially surrounding the well-being of Annalicia, but she hadn't brought that up yet, and neither had her two companions.

She turned and moved out into the next area, finally one more step closer to freedom. A sound filled her ears.

"This isn't over yet," called the blue haired man behind her again. She nodded, having cast her eyes to the top of purple sky that surrounded them in all directions. The unmistakeable sound of seraphinalia wings flapping had filled the area and she had recognised it immediately. Reaching for the non-existent belt around her robes, she naturally found no sword to draw in preparation.

The flap of wings grew suddenly closer and she frantically searched herself for something to defend with. It was no use. She was most definitely unarmed, though she still seemed to hold an exsphere on her hand and her notebook on the inside pocket of her current orange garb. Knowing she was running out of time, she began to cast guardian.

The first seraphinalia to reach them didn't even get a chance to hit the green shield she'd cast around herself. Instead it was brought down with a powerful upward kick and a downward smash.

"Regal," she gasped. He took a quick glance back and nodded before watching the skies again. "It seems we may have different strengths now. It may be best to do what comes naturally."

Raine's eyebrows creased together while she thought through his words. Meanwhile, Kratos stepped forward in front of her, raising his sword to block the strike of another enemy she hadn't seen right away. A pair of blue wings sprouted from his back and he took to the air to fight it off.

" _Do what comes naturally.."_

It finally hit her. Rather than dodge away, as was the best course of action for surprising an enemy, it had been her first instinct to cast a spell to protect herself. She nodded and smiled to herself as the words to cast the spell she wanted came to her lips with little difficulty. As the rose between the thorns, it was her job to make sure they knew she was not a helpless maiden to be protected. In fact, she thought she would probably be better off protecting them.

 


	75. The price of preservation and promises

The sound of clacking shoes of varying sizes and weights filled the somewhat awkward silence that whispered through the air as the three of them ran through the remainder of Derris Kharlan. They were on the home stretch now, and it seemed that Gabriel may have underestimated their adaptability to their new situation. Either that, or there simply weren't many more of the Seraphinalia to kill at the current point in time. Either way, Raine was glad to find the immediate danger was over.

Although using magic seemed quite natural to her, she couldn't help but feel strange about using it in the way she had during their first (and last for now apparently) run-in. She was most definitely a half-elf and suited to it- just as she remembered having been before. It was different this time though. It had been fine during the heat of the moment in the battle, for such powerful words to not only come to mind, but for the magic to leave her with little effort, but after the adrenaline had worn off, she found herself unable to stop questioning as to _why_ it'd been so easy. She was a part of the same whole as the other two. It made very little sense as to why they'd suddenly each chosen a different style to fight in.

Briefly glancing over her shoulder to where the blue haired man, Regal, ran in silence, she noticed his equally as blue eyes were trained on the road ahead. He had a confident relaxed composure to his stride, making her wonder if now was a good time to ask him if he felt the same unease. She glanced back when his eyes caught hers, deciding that it wasn't. Her thoughts took a different turn after that, as she wondered if Lloyd and Colette had felt the same way upon their split, or if Genis and Presea had also gone through such confusion. Her heart sank when she realised it was probably true.

Trying to avoid thinking too much about the night Gesea had split into Genis and Presea for the time being, she focused on thinking up ideas on how to test her capabilities. First to come to mind was the idea of testing her martial arts in battle. As she continued to carry on at their current pace and discovered herself becoming much more physically exhausted than before though, she banished the thought.

In true brainstorming fashion, her second and third ideas proved to be just as useless. She looked at the exsphere on her hand in desperation after a bit. It shone in the otherworldly blue hue that was pretty standard of exspheres and not-so-standard of Cruxis crystals.

"Oh!" she gasped aloud when she came to a stunning answer to the mystery that plagued her mind. She had seen Kratos summon a pair of wings in battle, ones that seemed to look like the ones she remembered having when she had been a sum of Kraine's parts. Curiosity over practicality getting the better of her, and concluding to herself that it was important for them to know their limits in this trying time, she stopped on the spot and tried to call upon her wings. It didn't seem to want to happen easily though. She squinted her eyes shut to try and concentrate on the memory necessary.

"What are you doing?" asked Kratos, catching up to her and Regal. He'd taken the rear and remained a short distance behind the two of them in case they were being followed by any assailants. She opened her eyes to see both men looking at her with varied but curious expressions. It was odd to even look at them. In their faces she could see resemblances of herself when she had been Kraine, but neither of them looked quite like how she remembered either.

" _Kraine."_

The name sounded strange now, even after having used it for so long. She was glad to have known her name though, thanks to Mithos' ability to see through Origins curse and into the various souls that inhabited people. Since they had all known how Kratos had once looked since he had been the first of them to live (and remembered thanks to Origin's curse), it had been rather easy to decide that Regal was a male name. They'd used it as an alias, after all.

"Raine?"

She blinked rapidly, realising that she'd gotten a little caught up in her thought process while she'd been trying to summon her wings. She didn't need to look behind herself to know it hadn't worked.

"My apologies," she said softly to them, her cheeks flushing. "I suppose curiosity about our current state of affairs got the better of me."

All of a sudden the two men in front of her seemed like stark opposites. Regal simply bobbed his head in understanding, while Kratos just gazed at her with an icy disapproving glare. "This is no time to become unaware of the situation," he lectured. "Distractions will get us killed."

Without permission, the heat on her face increased. For a few seconds, she was almost about to roll over and give in to the fact that, for all his bluntness, he was right. Instead she came to her senses and shook her head, crossing her arms and giving him her own version of the glare to fight fire with fire. "I disagree. Without understanding our limits and capabilities properly, we are only likely to get ourselves into more trouble."

She didn't give him time to make a remark, still having more to add to her argument. "Even if we leave this place, what would happen if we found ourselves at the mercy of Gabriel once again? He can disappear without a trace and catch us unaware. There's no telling what he might be able to do. What would happen if we found ourselves separated from each other without fully understanding everything that has happened to us recently?"

While she watched Kratos briefly contemplate her argument, she thought back to the very moment when it had all happened. Of course, Gabriel had gotten the better of them with his surprising ability. Whatever he had injected into them had made the exspheres they had worn burn so bright and hot against their flesh that she had thought it might actually melt it right off for a minute.

* * *

" _Annalicia…?"_

_Kraine looked at the exsphere his beloved was contained within. He wasn't sure if it was the pain that was starting to finally register in his angelic body or the sudden panic the lack of response provided, but he found himself unable to concentrate on anything. With a blanking out mind, he could only watch his fingers start to turn a hue of blue, like he was lacking circulation._

_The feeling in his fingers and hands disappeared, followed by his arms until the rest of his body became_ _stiff and heavy. His efforts to stand again from his kneeling position failing, he fell forward on to the ground. Even as his condition grew worse, he had the feeling he'd seen something like this before, but nothing came to mind._

* * *

The very last thing Raine remembered before she'd found herself staring at the two men was how she had felt like her mind and body were becoming split into two separate entities. She shivered.

Kratos crossed his arms in a way that almost mimicked her pose and let out a breath as he closed his eyes. His serious lips creased into a slight smile. "I suppose we don't appear to be in any immediate danger. Besides, it would be a complete lie if I were to say that I wasn't even remotely interested." He set his gaze on her, and she couldn't help but flinch back at the suddenness. She felt like she knew that look well. He might as well have just said "make it quick."

"What are your thoughts?" Regal asked from her left, allowing her to turn away from Kratos without making it too obvious.

Her nerves calmed slightly and she cleared her throat. "We have very little time for further experiments, but it seems that we have some very different fighting styles now." She habitually reached for the book in her cloak but moved her hand away from the pocket slowly at the realisation that she hadn't even had time to write anything about it down yet. "I myself have been wondering as to why I was so comfortable fighting and assisting with magic rather than taking the front lines as I.. _we.._ used to."

Neither man said anything, just nodded as though they'd had similar thoughts about their own different styles. Regal looked at Kratos after a bit. "I, too, found it strange to use martial arts rather than the sword. I remember it being a bad idea to use that style in front of too many people since it was a pretty recognisable one."

Kratos' hand fell to the sword that sat comfortably at the side of his purple outfit that seemed to be kind of typical of the average mercenary. "To me, it was the most natural to draw my sword and take flight. Flying is a little more.. challenging.. than it used to be, however."

Raine smiled with curiosity and hoped she wouldn't have to badger him to explain. She had a feeling already that she knew what he meant by that though. Unfortunately, Kratos seemed to be a man of few words and said nothing else. She wondered if he was hoping she would explain it to him instead. She took a breath and decided to do it. "Do you still think of Annalicia?" Her voice fell quieter as she finished her sentence. It felt a bit more uncomfortable to say it than she would have thought.

Kratos' brows furrowed and he glanced over to somewhere off in the distance. "It… took a lot longer to place my memories with that. I instead thought of another memory. While not quite as potent due to certain complications, it did the trick."

Raine wondered why he was being so evasive. There was only one thing as strong as the memories with Annalicia- and that was of course the memory of the day a certain brunet haired boy had come into their world. She decided it was best not to touch the subject of Lloyd for the time being and wondered how it might be best to skip past it. She absently started walking again, this time with both men by her sides as though in escort of her. The teleportation pad that led to the Tethe'alla Tower of Salvation was just around the corner from their location now.

"I can no longer summon wings," Regal said, almost taking the words out of her mouth just as she got the courage up to break the group silence again.

"So you've tried too," she said in response. He didn't seem surprised to know she had done the same thing. His eyes fell from contact with hers and trailed off to the right. "It seems that only one of us has a Cruxis crystal now." He was of course talking about Kratos.

"Which only begs the question as to why I have one, when the two of you don't," Kratos said, voicing the elephant in the room.

They stopped at the teleporter briefly before Raine took the gamble first and stepped on to it. The familiar weightless sensation came over her for a brief spell until she was facing the familiar green and blue surroundings of the tower. Pillars held it up around her and the Eternal Swords were still wedged neatly into the floor between the flights of stairs that led to the landing she stood on as she waited for her companions to follow.

Regal appeared next. He gave her a brief smile as he stepped off and looked toward it to wait for Kratos. A few seconds ticked by, followed by another minute. By then, she was concerned enough to look at Regal in hopes he had additional information. He shook his head while clutching two hands together in front of himself in response.

"Do you think.." She didn't want to say it.

"He was captured?" Regal finished her sentence. He scratched his chin, not seeming as bothered by the thought as she'd expected. "It seems unlikely."

"But then what else?" she questioned before shaking her head. "We should aid him."

A hand caught her shoulder and held her back from stepping on the teleportation device however. "We can't," Regal said gently.

The dots connected and it was all she could do but to stare at the device in front of them both. Neither of them had a Cruxis crystal. There was no reason they would be able to activate the device to go back to Derris Kharlan again, even if they wanted to.

Thinking again about Regal's choice of words, she found their meaning. Her mouth fell agape. "Kratos is planning to still do something."

As the words left her mouth, she felt the truth become all the more real. A part of her wanted to be the voice of reason in saying that she barely knew the man and that she couldn't automatically assume that he had planned this from the beginning, but the other part of her, the part that had been a part of Kraine, instinctively knew that it was him who had driven them to do all they had done in the name of Cruxis. He had been alive first, after all. She turned away from the teleporter and started down the stairs, furious at how close she had been to being able to come to a much more sound conclusion on their own individuality, had she had more time to ponder.

Regal sauntered down behind her, but let her fume about it until she reached the bottom and gazed over the two swords once again. They were marvellous relics of an old generation- one that she hadn't technically lived but had at the same time. The very thought of that made her mind boggle and a grimace touch her lips.

"We should seek out Mithos," Regal said, also eyeing the relic. "As we are now, we're unable to do as Yuan requested. I have a feeling that is somewhat involved in Kratos' actions however, so I will retain my judgement on him for the time being."

Raine couldn't help but laugh a little at his formality. Regal chuckled after her, seeming to catch wind of her reason. "It's certainly interesting," he said. "When you speak, I feel like I am going to learn a valuable lesson. Apologies if I have left the explaining up to you until now."

"There's no need to apologise. I could say the same about Regal Bryant, the Duke," she replied. "Your formality seems suited to you."

Unexpectedly, Regal shied away. "I suppose it can't be helped." He sighed and she tapped his shoulder sympathetically. They shared a confused smile and headed out of the tower to face the land of Tethe'alla once more.

xxx

Kratos turned his back to the teleporter and sighed. His head hurt. So many conflicting memories seemed to be dashing around in his mind. It had been hard to even believe some of the things Raine had been talking about. Drawing his wings had come naturally to him, as had drawing a sword. It seemed like he had always done it and not anything else. By the way she had been talking, it seemed he had also been proficient at martial arts and perhaps magic. Though he could use magic thanks to the Aionis that he had swallowed long ago, it hardly counted as the same type of half-elven magic she had clearly used during their last battle.

Still, he could offer no explanation as to how they might have gotten into their predicament if she _had_ been lying. It meant that at least some of his odd conflicting memories had to be true. Either that, or they were completely false. The problem was deciding which ones were fact and which were fiction. It didn't help that both Raine and Regal had honest faces.

He scowled again and held a hand to his forehead while he made his way back to teleporter that led to the entrance of Welgaia. The only way he was going to get to the bottom of everything was to hunt down Gabriel and find out exactly what was going on with the world, his plans, and most importantly- Yuan's involvement with everything.

xxx

Martuan watched several things at once as she looked between Lloyd and Mithos. The thing she found the most curious out of all was how Yuan had reacted to Mithos' accusation that he was the enemy. She herself wasn't exactly sure which category to put her half-elf.. friend? Accomplice? in, but she was pretty certain that he didn't want an age of angels ruling Sylvarant and Tethe'alla as replacements for the shunned half-elves. On that and probably a lot of other things, she was reluctantly willing to admit that they thought in much the same way.

What was also curious was the fact that the idea of the age of angels, a.k.a an _Age of Lifeless Beings_ had been brought up yet again. Just thinking about it for too long made her head hurt. Conflicting feelings about the whole thing swirled around and around in her head. She was glad Yuan had made his way back to them, as she was sure that he held many answers to the mystery. Even if Mithos was wrong about him being bad, she wholeheartedly agreed that Yuan knew more than he should ..and always had. He had found her Renegade base all on his own, known her motives for the Angelus Project and the Mana Cannon, and been able to take her highest ranking Renegade officer down in less than ten seconds. The list went on for so long that she probably could have written a small novel.

Back to thinking about Mithos' suggestion about the Age of Lifeless Beings being a plan Yuan had concocted (though admittedly he hadn't called it that and so it still seemed he had not been lying to her when he had seemed dumbfounded by the idea of it when she had questioned him earlier), she now knew with fair certainty who the ringmaster behind it all was. That ringmaster being Gabriel, of course.

She wasn't even the least bit surprised. She'd never trusted the human to begin with. She had only accepted him as one of their party because Mithos has so quickly grown to trust him. She had not wanted Mithos' hatred of humans to be completely skewed even more than it had already been day by day back then. She also had not wanted to seem jealous of their relationship by forcefully ejecting him from the group.

She did however relish in the idea that she finally had something to catch him with- a thread that would lead to the whole unravelling cotton reel, so to speak. She would never be able to convince Mithos of the truth without hard proof though, and cringed at the very thought of trying. She needed solid evidence, but she was currently not in a position to get it; nor could she just wait for things to go awry.

Just glancing down at the exsphere on her hand, she knew she would have to confront Yuan either way to be able to mobilise any plans. Unfortunately for her, that also meant he would be privy to them. After that, she would also need to contact Botta and tell him of Mithos' change of heart. She couldn't wait to see the look on his face. Just the thought made her snort and attract a few looks from the people that surrounded her.

Mithos let go of Lloyd's hand after agreeing that maybe they _could_ help each other and that he wouldn't kill Yuan yet and turned to face her, a somewhat happy smile on his face. She smiled back for a second and then glanced at Yuan. He'd obviously been doing something behind the scenes regarding a travelling information dealer and salesperson, but he seemed to have been surprised to see Mithos with them. She hadn't been concerned with the idea of finding Aska, as she had been sure Mithos would awaken before they found Luna. It had been correct after all- even if Mithos had awakened a little more prematurely than she had expected.

"I suppose we might as well get this over and done with," Yuan said. The party looked at him. Just by the look on his face, Martuan knew he was about to say something pretty important. Yuan studied Mithos carefully. "Do you still have your flute? The one we made from the Linkite Nut?"

" _We?"_ Martuan hadn't exactly been prepared for something so random to come out of his mouth. The confusion didn't last long though when she realised Mithos was smiling awkwardly like he'd done something wrong. Refraining from lecturing him, she cleared her throat. "The Linkite flute? The one you use to call Aska, Mithos? You made it with Yuan?"

Mithos stuttered and looked at Yuan with a somewhat confused expression instead of answering her.

"You can call Aska using a flute?" Sheelos asked into the thick air of secrets, deception and lies that swirled around them all like a thick winter fog. She laughed. "Of course you can. Of course Yuan knew about it. Why wouldn't he?"

The poor girl seemed to be trying to hide how hurt it made her, though she wasn't doing a particularly good job. Martuan wondered just why she even seemed to still trust Yuan after all the times he had likely kept things from her. Then again, wondering about that also posed the very same uncomfortable question for her. She decided to neglect it for now, with an afterthought that there was no way she could _trust_ Yuan. No way in all of Sylvarant and Tethe'alla, or even Derris Kharlan!

And yet when he passed by them all and stopped to gaze briefly at her, not with his usual stock grin but an almost forlorn look in his eyes, she found herself gulping back any argument she might have had for him to explain himself, instead following a footstep to the side behind his own.

Farther back, she heard Colette wondering something aloud in her usual chirpy manner. "I wonder why Yuan asked a caravan salesperson to tell you about Aska if he knew Mithos could call him with a flute all along?" She was obviously talking to the Tethe'allan Chosen.

Sheelos only let out a grunt of annoyance and stomped along behind them. Lloyd was being the most quiet of all- something she hadn't expected. From the times Martuan had spent with him, she'd thought he would have been the life of the party. She wondered whether her judge of character had been completely wrong, or whether he was still out of sorts after finding out Kraine's true identity in relation to him. It had to have been quite a shock to the boy.

"Yes, I wonder that too," she muttered in response to Colette, directing it at Yuan. "Among a great deal of other more interesting things."

Yuan didn't give much of a verbal response, but he did do something else she found interesting. She'd seen it before in one of her strange visions. He twisted the ring with the initials of Y and M carved into it that sat on his 'Salvatorian' finger and glanced a little further upward to the sky pensively. "I'll explain one day. I promise."

"One day.. You _promise?!_ " Laughter escaped her at that. "I suppose I shouldn't hold my breath?" She continued to giggle even though she was well aware she shouldn't. He'd sounded so serious when he'd said that just then. Not like him at all.

Yuan stopped atop the entrance to the Tower of Mana and spun around. "Hey!" she exclaimed in surprise more than annoyance, stopping abruptly too. "If I'd been walking right behind you, I'd be falling over you by-"

"I mean it," he said seriously, cutting her off. She paused in thought, wondering how to react. He was leaning a little closer to her than she thought appropriate. Not only that, but he was doing something odd with his hands- moving them toward her own which currently dangled uselessly by her sides. Before they made any contact though, Yuan backed off first and continued onward and into the darkness of their destination with a low grumble.

Taking a deep breath, Martuan quickly followed after him, glad for the brief amount of darkness before any eyes adjusted to the generally well-lit room of the tower. Just judging by the pounding of her heart, she knew her face would have made her look like a blushing schoolgirl. All in all, it was the last thing she wanted _Yuan_ of all people to see.

 


	76. Judgement day

Sheelos watched Martuan with one eye, and their surroundings with the other as their group made their way toward their destination. The lady Renegade and the cynical Cerberus had been standing awfully close at the entrance just a little earlier. Anyone would have had to have been blind to miss the way Yuan had been looking at her.

She wished she hadn't seen it. So many distracting thoughts swirled around her head that she found it impossible to focus on the short skirmishes with monsters that littered the tower. As a floating monster in a dark black robe with a scythe charged at her, she found herself thankful for her well trained reflexes as she dodged out of the way before a couple of chakrams sliced it to pieces. With the typical flash of light, the downed monster disappeared to show Colette approaching.

"Thanks," Sheelos said, holding her heart and smiling at Colette appreciatively.

Colette looked curious. "Is something the matter Sheelos?" she asked, sincerity practically oozing from her like it always did. "Usually you're one of the first to point out that we're under attack."

Sheelos opened her mouth to say something, but shut it again when she noticed Yuan's gaze on her before he turned his back and caught up with Martuan, Mithos and (surprisingly) Lloyd, the current leader of their party. Pronyma had disappeared as they'd all entered, and though it was a bit worrying, Sheelos didn't really have the head-space to wonder what the Grand Cardinal was up to at the moment.

"Oh, nothing really," she lied to Colette, feeling quite dramatic as she did so. "Just admiring how much you've really grown in to your chakrams."

As though sensing the answer wasn't an altogether honest one, Colette's eyebrows raised with concern for a few seconds as she watched her. Sheelos ran a nervous hand through her eternally annoying short hair and pointed off to where the others were starting to clamber up the (second) longest stairwell in existence, right after the Tower of Salvation of course. Her thighs hurt just looking at it, but she left Colette's side and hurried onward. "C'mon Colette! We'll lose the others and then that Cerberus will be complaining forever!"

She heard a low "Right," from Colette and the sound of her following from behind and an "I heard that!" snap from Yuan above. She poked out her tongue at the bluenette even though knowing Colette had realised she was trying to hide something did make her feel a little guilty- especially since the vast majority of her thoughts involved her in one way or another.

As she caught up to the group, Mithos gave a low chuckle. "It's been a while since I went up these stairs." He smiled as though he were remembering it fondly. Sheelos couldn't understand how _anyone_ could think of such forced physical exertion as anything but slow torture. Mithos raised his head to look up to his left at Martuan, only a couple of stairs ahead of him. "Do you remember how hard it was back then, when we were still adjusting to being seraphim?"

"Must have been pretty difficult," Lloyd answered before Martuan could. "I bet you had your sister carry you last time with those short legs of yours. You're pretty much Genis' height."

Martuan scoffed, "Not likely. Mithos needed the exercise. It was his just desserts from eating far too many of our quite limited rations."

"Y-you don't have to tell them that!" Mithos shrieked, his face turning pink. "I _did_ make up for it, didn't I?" Still red-faced, he turned away from Lloyd's grin but instead met one from Martuan. There was nowhere to run, so he apparently decided to just deal with it by heaving a loud meaningful sigh. Just the mere mention of Genis, coupled with seeing how relaxed at least Lloyd, Colette and Martuan seemed to be at Mithos' presence made Sheelos feel uncomfortable and slip back into her thoughts.

She'd learned from eavesdropping into his conversation on their ship with Genis that Mithos' plans for the Angelus Project had all practically been to save a woman named Martel who resided in the soul of Martuan, by attempting to split her soul in two. Just remembering that conversation made her wish she didn't. For one, if she _was_ to believe Martuan encompassed two souls, she would also have to admit that the idea of people having dual souls was actual fact and that, somehow, she had started to lose her memory of it.

Ironically, taking the idea of dual souls as truth _did_ made a few other things make sense; the way Lloyd had so blatantly said that he and Colette shared the same father, for one. No matter how nai've Lloyd could be, Sheelos felt certain he wouldn't have said something like that unless he actually believed it. Not to Colette.

The _other_ thing that oddly made some kind of sense was the idea that the 'Martel' Mithos was trying to save and Yuan's 'Martel' _could_ be the same person. Yuan had looked at Martuan with the same longing face that hurt to see when he thought or spoke about Martel. As soon as the thought tumbled across her mind, Sheelos quickly shook her head and grimaced. Martel was the name of the Goddess to most people. Many girls had surely taken her name as a sign of dedication from their devout parents. Yuan hadn't told her _when_ he had met this Martel woman, either. For all she knew, it could have been twenty or thirty years ago, or a thousand.

"Sheelos," Martuan uttered once they all finally reached the top of the staircase and entered the next room. It was mostly bare inside aside from a few windows with charred looking stains on the wall around them and a door leading off into another room on the left side. "Your constant stare is throwing me off guard. Please avert your gaze elsewhere."

Sheelos blinked and realised her eyes were a little dry. She _had_ been staring at the back of the woman and the enormous amount of blue hair she sported for a while. Martuan didn't seem to expect an apology though and just continued on through the next door. She followed along with the rest of the group to face the familiar large room and light bridge that led to the teleporter which would bring them to the summoning platform.

An all new kind of nervousness bubbled to the surface as she silently tapped across the bridge with everyone else. Fighting the summon spirits always spelled learning new things as of late. They had been going easy on her in their previous battles- that much had become abundantly clear. She still didn't understand _why_ though, but she knew the answer was right in front of her. Directly in front, actually; in the form of a certain half-elf Cerberus. Just like everything else, the mystery went back to him, and as always, now wasn't the best time to try to bring it up. Holding onto her deep-seeded frustrations, she joined the group at the teleporter and watched as they disappeared one by one.

The weightless sensation subsided quickly after she entered herself and she opened her eyes to see familiar surroundings, feel the slightly crisp air as it brushed against her skin, and finally notice her friends all standing around in a weird semi-circle. Stepping off of the teleporter and over to the group, she found the source of the sudden strangeness. Colette sat on the ground, looking up at them.

"I-I'm fine," she said three times in succession, only with a pained croak in her voice to illustrate that she was likely anything _but_ fine.

"Did you trip over something again?" Lloyd asked her, spinning on his heels to try and find a culprit. Aside from the summoning dais and the stray leaves that littered the edges of the tower, there was nothing. Sheelos shifted through the small gap between Yuan and Martuan to get a better look at her. Colette smiled apologetically and she had to smile back. "Come on, let's get this battle over with, right Colette?" She offered her hand to her.

"Right," the girl said with a nod and a thankful smile. "Then we only have two more summon spirits to go." Gently clutching her hand, Colette pulled herself up.

When their eyes met in the brief moment before Colette set about reassuring everyone that she was fine once again, Sheelos found herself reassured that not blabbing about Colette's true condition was the right thing to do. She didn't know exactly what was wrong, but if Colette wanted to push forward and get things done, she had to respect her decision. That didn't mean that she was willing to let it just keep going without knowing how she could help though, and promised herself mentally that she would approach her about it later when they could get away from the rest of the group.

Lloyd still looked a little dubious, his eyes examining Colette up and down while his brain ticked with ways to get her to admit that she wasn't okay. Sheelos guessed he might have figured out she was lying from the way she was doing the nervous laugh at the end of her sentences when she said she was okay. For the time being, she had to do something to protect Colette. Distraction seemed like the easiest option and it was pretty easy to figure out the best one, given their current location.

"Let's do this," she said, feigning excitement for the good of the group. She took a step forward. Lloyd chuckled and followed. "It's up to you, Chosen."

Blinking back the minor surprise and irritation that Lloyd had decided to call her _that_ , she approached the device that acted like a summoning beacon. As she did, Luna faded into existence as she had the first time they had ventured to the roof of the tower, sitting on her moon and looking down at them with curiosity.

"I am Sheelos," she started, practically hearing Gnome groan at her formality. She couldn't help but glance back at Mithos before she went through with the next bit. Just by the look on his face, she knew that he still wasn't very pleased that she was taking the pacts away from him. She vowed to find out just what was in it for him and just what kind of plan he and Martuan had hatched while he'd stopped time during their battle with the Sylph. In the meantime, she had to get down to business. She pressed onward. "I ask that thou annulst thy pact with Mithos and establish a new pact with me."

Luna seemed understandably confused at her request as she gazed over the rest of the group. "And what of Aska?" she eventually asked after a silence that made Sheelos' armpits sweat a little. Her voice was soft and pleasantly motherly, but it had a slight sharp edge to it. "I cannot make a pact without Aska."

"Looks like it's my turn," Mithos said, his voice low and emotionless as he stepped forward, a hand in one of his pockets. Sheelos watched him draw out what looked like some kind of ancient panpipe instrument. With a breath, he put his mouth to it and began to blow a tune through the pipes.

Though the melody was short, Sheelos found chills going down her spine as the notes continued to deepen. When Mithos finished and looked up at her with a child-like smile, she almost wanted to applaud him for a job well done.

"Wow," Colette whispered from the back of the group, voicing what was probably their collective opinion so they didn't have to. "That's amazing Mithos."

"Y-yeah," Lloyd agreed. "And you made that flute with Yuan?"

"Now isn't the time," Yuan said quickly. "Aska approaches." He tilted his head to the sky. Sheelos followed suit, as did everyone else. A pillar of light shone down from the sun to their location. Sheelos had to shield her eyes from it and her flyaway hairs as the breeze around them took a tumultuous turn. The light started wrapping around itself and created a shining white ball for a second, then extended itself out in various directions, eventually forming a bird-like shape. It stopped shining after a time to reveal a majestic red and golden two-headed bird. Spears of mana, similar to the look of seraph wings, tipped its feathery appendages.

" _Aska comes to the call, for Luna's sake,"_ said a voice that flew by Sheelos' ears, as though being carried on the wind.

"Aska!" Luna said, her even voice hitting a higher note. Her moon wandered closer to him and she gently leaned across it to reach out a hand. Aska's heads stirred toward her in response until they were touching. "It has been so long, my friend," Luna whispered fondly, her fingers twining through some of the crest feathers on his heads. "How I have missed you."

" _Aska flies freely,"_ Aska responded back. _"However, Luna is never far from Aska's thoughts."_

Luna closed her eyes and bobbed her head once in understanding before she turned her attention back to their group, just standing around feeling a mixture of awkward and enamoured at the sweet scene taking place. As soon as Aska turned both of his heads though, Sheelos found herself quickly taking a step back.

"All is well," Luna announced. "We shall test thy worthiness to wieldst our power." Right after, her aura started to glow. Aska flew backward a little and straightened his back as he flapped toward them in a nose dive. Sheelos ducked only just in time before he skimmed over her to the group behind her, eliciting various cries from her friends.

"Scatter!" Mithos yelled from a little way to her right, backing away and summoning his wings quickly to fly into the air. While Sheelos took out her seals and deliberated what summon spirit might work best, she watched Lloyd skim overhead with his enormous blue wings and take a swipe at Aska from above in a downward stabbing motion using his right handed sword. Not far behind him, Mithos finished off the already hit Aska and sent him crashing toward the ground using a powerful slash from his summoned sword.

"Don't get distracted," Yuan said, running past Sheelos with Martuan two steps behind him. The lady Renegade looked at her too as she passed. "Go for Aska. We'll distract Luna."

Yuan swung his blade at Luna but missed when she quickly raised herself higher into the air and floated a little further out from the immediate battlefield. The aura she'd started with grew by the second and it was only a matter of time before she unleashed the first wave of her magic. Martuan kept running, taking the lead of the attack and raising her staff as she did. Before she got into range, she pirouetted and let go of it, sending it flying like an enormous arrow straight for the summon spirit.

Sheelos didn't have time to see the conclusion of the onslaught though. Angel feathers magic from Colette flew past her and toward Aska, who was putting up a good fight against Lloyd and Mithos as they continued to wail on him from both directions. "Well, as long as he's on the ground!" She pulled out Gnome's summoning gem. "I call upon the servant of Mother Earth. I summon-"

Before she could finish her chant, Aska raised his two wings higher above Lloyd and Mithos before swiftly bringing them down in a sharp slicing motion. Lloyd and Mithos had been so busy slashing with their swords and keeping him split from Luna that they hadn't been quick enough to dodge. Both boys went skidding to the floor in two different directions.

As Colette's chakrams closed in, her having seen the backlash from the bird, Aska spun himself around in a tight circle. The chakrams hit their mark but spun off, one heading in the direction of Martuan and Yuan and the other toward the edge of the building. Crying out at the top of her lungs, Colette chased the one in danger of being lost first while the other did a slam dunk around Martuan's raised staff.

Deciding it was time to change tactic, Sheelos felt around for the specific shape of Sylph's summoning gem. Finding it with ease, she cupped her hands around it and began a new chant.

"I call upon the heavenly messengers. I summon thee. Come, Sylph!"

"You should have started with us in the first place," squeaked Fairess in her unmistakeable pitch as she and the other two Sylph appeared in a rainbow of colours before them all. Sephie flew in toward Aska first, swinging her sword in an upward arch. "Sorry Aska!" she apologised, her voice almost getting completely lost amongst the clashes of weapons and yells that surrounded the battlefield.

Mithos and Lloyd hovered to each side of Aska, watching as he got ready to try and air-dive out of whatever situation was about to befall him. A miniature cyclone started to build up off of the ground and higher toward him. Aska flapped his large wings fast as the wind started to keep him at bay, and for a second it looked like he might be able to get out of it. That was, until a volley of arrows flew directly into the fray, seemingly untroubled by the wind magic, scoring a direct hit. With a sharp shrill, Aska flinched backward, only to be knocked straight back into the cyclone by Fairess' enormous shield. On completion of their team attack, the three summon spirits vanished.

Mithos and Lloyd didn't waste time, swinging their swords at Aska in a rhythmic way to stop him from getting up again.

"Photon!"

Sheelos swung her head in the direction of the fight with Luna, Yuan and Martuan, to see Colette finally retrieving her second chakram and Martuan and Yuan attacking Luna. Though she sounded hurt, Luna had successfully crafted a spell amongst the hits. A yell of anguish sounded from Lloyd when a bright magic circle surrounded him, before he let out a roar of agony, his wings disappearing for a moment. He started to fall but managed to re-summon them and save face before he planted to the ground like when Aska had gotten a hit in earlier. The moments distraction was all Aska had needed to get an upper-hand on Mithos though, letting out a shrill that made even Sheelos, who was standing a fair way back from the fight, need to cover her ears. She saw Mithos' blade rattling at the noise. Aska raised his wings in preparation for another wing slam.

"Oh no you don't!" Sheelos yelled, drawing her seals from her robes and running in as fast as her legs would allow. Colette zipped along close to her, getting ready with her chakrams to support if needed. "Pyre seal!" Swinging her arm and throwing not one, but two seals at Aska, the small slices of paper exploded on contact and sent him back-first to the ground. Mithos and Lloyd only continued their onslaught alongside Colette's supporting moves for a short time more before Aska appeared spent and didn't try to move from his position.

Gaining some of her strength back and looking toward Luna at the same time as both boys, Sheelos noticed Luna had fallen off of her moon and was on the ground, Yuan's sword at her back while he appeared to be breathing heavily. Martuan had one hand rested on Yuan's shoulder, her eyes closed while she muttered something.

"Very well," Luna said in a low pained voice, only just loud enough for them to hear. "Thou art powerful. Now state thy vow upon which thou wilt base our pact." She and Aska disappeared from their separate locations and reappeared in front of Sheelos. Surprised at the suddenness, the summoner took a few very quick steps backward before clearing her throat.

"I-" She stopped, frowning. She'd been prepared to say one thing- that she vowed to reunite the worlds, but for some reason, a different thought came to mind. The words tumbled from her lips as though of their own accord. "Vow to germinate the Great Seed in order to realise the true regeneration of both worlds."

She received a serious glare from Martuan and a surprised look from Mithos- both of which worried her and cemented the idea that there was something else going on. More than that though, it cemented that her memories of her agreements with Martuan were indeed memories and not a part of some kind of strange lengthy dream.

There was a brief point of silence, as seemed pretty normal of the summon spirits once she made her vow. Luna eventually smiled down at her. "Thou have done well, as we hoped thou would. We accept thy vow. Our power is thine."

Both Luna and Aska disappeared with a flash, leaving a yellow crystal floating in their place. Sheelos reached her arms up to it and clasped her hands around the precious gem once it became within reach. It felt warm and she could smell a nice scent coming from it for a short time- like clothes that had dried in the sun.

"You did it Sheelos!" Colette said.

"Yes, well done," Martuan also complimented as she and Yuan stepped up to her. Sheelos watched Lloyd approach, putting away the sword he'd been fighting with. "Only two more to get now, right? Then we have to go and get a pact with Origin."

There was silence. Sheelos wondered what he was talking about. Of course she'd heard of Origin, but she hadn't realised she would need to be getting a pact with him.

"Origin..." Colette mumbled. Sheelos glanced at her and saw a troubled expression. Colette, realising she was being observed, seemed to flip a switch to happy mode once again.

"Yeah," Lloyd said. "It's just like how it is in the story of Regeneration. We need to meet Origin to be able to restore the worlds, I bet."

Mithos chuckled darkly at that. "That's way too good of a guess for _you_. Did Kraine tell you about what we did?"

Scratching his head and shuffling about while he had a guilty look on his face was enough of an answer. Sheelos was kind of glad. She didn't need another thing to add to the growing list of strange behaviour of late from the swordsman. She wondered if his recent interaction with Kraine had made him try to change his fighting style, too. It was only natural for him to want to be like his father, she supposed.

"Enough of the idle chitchat," Yuan said, providing the perfect distraction away from Lloyd. For the first time since the end of the battle though, Sheelos noticed the blood stains on his outfit. They weren't very big, nor did they look life threatening, but still she found herself surprised. She'd never seen him get wounded in a fight before and something just seemed very wrong about that.

"To Tethe'alla now, right?" Colette asked. "Where are the last two summon spirits located?"

"Shadow is located in a temple to the south of the Meltokian continent," Mithos explained. "Though… we may have a little bit of an issue with that."

Sheelos wasn't sure what he meant, but wished he would elaborate on it so that she could avoid the inevitable location of the summon spirit of ice just a little longer.

"To Celcius' lair then?" Lloyd asked. "We can figure out how to get into Shadow's temple while we're doing that, right?"

To Sheelos' dismay, the group nodded in unanimous agreement and started to hightail it out through the teleporter until it was just her and Yuan left. Yuan went to follow but stopped. Sheelos took a quick breath, knowing what was coming. "I'm fine," she said pre-emptively. "We have to do this, right?"

He turned his head to glance back at her and his ponytail took rise to a soft breeze. "Unfortunately it is the only way to 'Germinate the Great Seed.'" With that, he spun on his heel and narrowed his brows in typical ' _explain'_ fashion at her.

"Damn it.." she muttered, knowing she was cornered. "Should have known that wouldn't get past you." She huffed to herself and gazed away from his alluring green eyes. "I.. I don't even know what I meant when I said that. What's the Great Seed?" Even though she was lying, another thought struck her. "Wait.. how do _you_ know about it, if you're even bringing it up?"

Yuan didn't reply back right away, instead just looking straight into her eyes. She could practically hear his brain ticking and might have laughed if it weren't for the doubt about his true intentions once again creeping up to the forefront of her mind.

"Why do you think I shouldn't know?" he asked, in much less of an elaborate fashion than she'd come to expect from his usual game.

"Are you a Renegade?" she replied back, unable to help her grin- especially when she watched the colour drain from his face at that.

"Are you asking this because of Martuan?" he asked back, seriousness dripping from his words.

Sheelos took a moment to question what he'd meant to be saying between the lines. This was going differently than she'd expected. Instead of doing his usual method of dodging questions and forcing her into a statement, he seemed to be giving her more questions to ask than she knew what to do with. It was almost like he _wanted_ her to figure something out.

"Why have you been so close to her lately?" she demanded to know.

"Isn't it normal for comrades who share a common goal to be friendly?" he quickly queried, barely seeming to think about this one.

She gulped, realising he had her in the palm of his hand. "Then why do you have it in for Mithos?" she asked, not willing to give in yet.

"Haven't I told you that I am weary of his unpredictability?" Yuan crossed his arms in disapproval.

Despite her previously feeling like she was losing, suddenly victory seemed within reach. "Is that because you knew he was the leader of Cruxis the whole time?" Despite her better judgement, she didn't give him a chance to question back just yet. "Just like how you know a lot of other things that you shouldn't and how you always have the solution?"

"Are you asking me why I know things when you also clearly do?" Her bid to corner him with a loaded question had seemed promising in her head, but a hole quickly appeared in her plans after he'd asked his next query. It would all be over in the next two questions if she didn't play her cards right. She was dangerously close to being snared into the trap of asking the same question twice.

"How about we both come clean?" she asked, knowing it was a hollow question and one unlikely to help her win.

"About?" the half-elf challenged. Neither of them were in a good position. He was lucky he hadn't asked that question yet, unlike her. As expected, she was about to lose. She couldn't ask him to explain what he knew, because that was a repeated question. She had to be more specific, but any further questioning would also give her hand away about her _own_ knowledge.

Exhaling, she held her hands out in surrender. "Man," she groaned, glancing away from Yuan's smug grin, "you're too good at this. Why do you even do it in the first place?" She stuttered and interrupted him before he could open his mouth. "No, I'm not playing that game again with you Cerberus!"

"If it makes you feel better, I was going to tell you everything anyway."

She blinked and snapped her attention back to him. "R-really?"

"The summon spirits have already told you things anyway, haven't they?" He raised his brows. "It's no surprise. Mithos always said that Gnome couldn't keep his mouth shut."

Sheelos couldn't help but laugh then, thinking back on the most recent and yet strange clue the summon spirit of earth had spat out despite the wishes of some of the more cryptic spirits. When she thought of _why_ he'd said what he had said though, she gritted her teeth. Once again the picture of Martuan and Yuan from earlier sprung to mind and ruin her mood.

"Efreet said something weird earlier," she explained. Clearing her throat, she prepared to summon a voice from the depths of her stomach in order to do her best impersonation of the fire summon spirit. **"Sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eye. A powerful weapon is a mortal soul on fire with longing."** She switched her voices. "' _ **And the most powerful in all the lands come from an immortal soul which seeks the same.'**_ That's what Gnome said after him. I think he was trying to sound as mysterious as Efreet."

" _Aw man,"_ Gnome said as his gem rattled a little against her body. _"_ _Now I'm in trouble."_

She couldn't help but laugh and apologise to him before studying her blue haired half-elf friend. "Just what did you do for those four thousand plus years you've been alive?" When he gave her a shocked look, she raised an eyebrow. "I didn't forget that little slip up, Yuan."

"I didn't think you would have," he retorted curtly. With a sigh, he turned his back to her and took a step toward the teleporter.

Sheelos gaped at him before quickly gripping his cape as it flew in the breeze behind him. "Hooooold on a second Yuan! Weren't you going to tell me everything!?"

Yuan tried to tug away. Failing, he glared back at her. "Did you really expect me to explain everything _right now?"_ There was a slight clicking sound before his cape fell limply to the ground and he was gone through the teleporter. Sheelos rolled her eyes, screwed his cape up under her arm, and gave chase. The worst part about it now was that there was no way to discuss things unless they wanted to be overheard, or unless he put up one of his sound barriers. She knew neither one was a desired situation and so she was once again left in the dark while the Cerberus (also once again) continued on with all of his secrets intact.

xxx

Sheelos tried her best not to brood, but it wasn't easy. First of all, she was stuck sharing a rheaird with Yuan since Martuan had made it very clear that she didn't want to share one with him, and second of all the wind was annoying her. Not only was her hair once again getting in her eyes since she couldn't even knot it to keep it from falling there, but the wind made it impossible to talk to the Cerberus properly without shouting and losing her voice. They were heading toward the Renegade base in Triet in order to use the system that worked with the rheairds to take them back to Tethe'alla. The easiest way to get to it was to head north past Palmacosta before making a turn to the west.

As they made their way over the water and over the town, Sheelos couldn't help but notice the abnormality. Judging by the stalled rheairds of both Martuan and Mithos and Colette and Lloyd, she knew they were wondering what was going on as well. From high up, it was kind of hard to see, but in the very least she could tell that there was an enormous crowd leading from the entrance to the city and spanning further out down the road. Without a word, Martuan started a nosedive downward.

"W..wait!" Yuan exclaimed. If Martuan had heard him, she hadn't done as instructed. If the people down on the ground were the size of ants, she was the size of a cockroach.. a sly blue-haired one. Sheelos grimaced at her own thoughts.

"We should probably go down and see what's going on," Lloyd said. Strangely, he didn't wait for Yuan to give his unlikely permission and zipped downward to get a better look.

"Dokim e's!" Yuan cursed loudly. Sheelos tilted her head curiously. She'd heard him use that language before- mostly when he was cursing. It _sounded_ like Kharlian- only with a different accent to it. As such, she didn't know exactly what he was saying. Not that she really had many doubts that it was some kind of profanity though.

Before she knew it, they were zooming down toward the city of Palmacosta to join the other rheairds. Nobody even blinked an eye up at them, which was strange. Sheelos understood better why though once they landed and she got an earful from some hurrying townsfolk. "You're going the wrong way!" one man said in passing, clutching belongings under each arm nervously. She didn't get a chance to ask why before he was disappearing over one of the smaller hills that dotted the region.

Taking matters into her own hands a second before Sheelos went to do the same thing, Martuan stopped a woman as she scurried away with a small child in her arms and asked her in no minced words to tell them what was happening.

"It's the Chosen's fault!" the woman offered first, breathing in and out hysterically. "She must have failed in her mission! The Angels are attacking!" She pushed past them and continued on her way, only stopping to board a horse and cart a short distance away.

"The angels.." Martuan said, glaring in the direction of the city. There didn't seem to be anyone guarding it. She started toward it.

"Martuan," Yuan called, "this is not the time to be interfering with-"

"Silence," Martuan snapped. "We can not turn a blind eye to this." She looked down at Mithos, who nodded in agreement with her. Colette joined Martuan's side with Lloyd silently, leaving the question of who was for or against the idea pretty overwhelmingly in the odds of _for._ Sheelos glanced up at Yuan when he glared at her. "Don't look at me like _that!_ Even if I was on your side, we can't go against the majority vote."

With no more argument needed, Mithos and Martuan led the charge past the scared townsfolk and into the eerily quiet port city. For the amount of people still present, it may as well have been midnight instead of late afternoon. They didn't even stop to try and figure out where the culprit might be, instead running ahead past the occasional terrified straggler toward where the town circle was. Sheelos did notice however, that there didn't seem to be any actual _damage_ to the city.

The sight that befell Sheelos took her breath away once they arrived at their location. She'd been expecting that maybe the town circle would be reduced to rubble in all directions and to see a bunch of angels with pitchforks flying around. Instead she saw a strikingly familiar young boy, standing beside a man who looked to the ground while he leaned against one of the pillars that stood out the front of Governor General Dorr's office. Martuan and Mithos stopped running to stare at the sight- not that Sheelos had done any differently.

Sapphire coloured seraph wings sprouted from the mercenary-looking man's back and a shock of long red and wavy hair fell about his shoulders. Sheelos recognised him immediately as the man that had initially prevented them from entering the Balacruf Mausoleum.

The boy looked up at them first. At first he looked surprised, then terrified. Colette gasped in recognition. "E-Eon? What are you doing here?" She glanced up at the man. "Hello? We've met before I-I think." In typical Colette fashion, she took a careful step forward in greeting.

The man didn't respond.

"You guys have to get out of here!" Eon exclaimed.

Nobody budged at his warning.

"That mana signature," Martuan said, breaching the staring contest between the two groups. She summoned her staff from the next dimension. "There is no mistaking it. You were suppressing it last time but now I'm sure." She ran for him. Sheelos watched as the seraph drew a long blade from the scabbard at his waist and met her attack with ease.

Clashing once only, Martuan jumped away and stared him down, a look of complete disbelief raining across her features. "Kratos."


	77. Candles and conspiracies

The mercenary didn't even flinch in the slightest at the name Martuan had given him- only Sheelos and the rest of the group as they individually registered the meaning of the name. Colette gasped in response and cupped Lloyd's shoulder, to which he flinched and furrowed his brows.

For Sheelos, the surprise was two-fold as soon as Colette opened her mouth. "Isn't he… your father, Lloyd?"

The two of them _did_ look alike.

"What are you talking about?" Lloyd asked her quietly. "Didn't I just explain that I found out about Kraine being my father?" He looked back at Kratos. "Unless… he found a way to do the same thing we did."

Though Colette looked confused, she said nothing else. Meanwhile Sheelos, who had been listening in to the murmured conversation while Martuan did her best to force Kratos to explain himself (to which he had remained silent), found realisation dawning on her and her mouth slowly falling open. The conversation she'd overheard between Genis and Mithos on their sailboat- the very one she had mulled over for so long- instantly came to mind once again.

" _Kraine is a part of Kratos,"_ the leader of Cruxis had practically said. He'd changed into Kraine as time went on, but unlike other people, he remembered his other aliases.

Lloyd's words could have only meant one thing- and very clearly for that matter. _He remembered being one with Colette, and he had figured Kraine must have split with his other souls._ This meant that people having multiple souls _had_ to be real. The question was- why did _he_ remember? Why did _she_ remember?

There were too many questions and not enough time to answer them- especially when Eon let out a growl in her direction that sent shivers down her spine. "Leave Palmacosta at once," he warned, his voice a far cry from the childish charm it'd had last time they had met him at the Balacruf Mausoleum. "Don't make us warn you again."

Without a lie, seeing the boy like that made Sheelos wonder just a little bit whether there had been an agenda that she hadn't known about as to why Novariel had captured him. Something was just very odd about him. His strangeness was only now made worse by the angel he accompanied, of course. Novariel had captured Genis, probably because he had seen his angel wings, so she had to wonder what he'd seen of the boy to think he was valuable enough to kidnap and sell on the black market in Sylvarant.

"Why are you doing this?" Lloyd asked, stepping forward to where Martuan and Mithos stood.

Kratos levelled his gaze on Lloyd. "I am one of the four leaders of Cruxis and the Desians. That should be excuse enough, shouldn't it?"

Sheelos was almost surprised that Kratos gave any sort of response when Lloyd spoke. He'd stayed silent and made Eon do all the talking for their side up until now. Lloyd simply stared instead of responding. Sheelos felt the need to do it for him and took to the front to stand beside Yuan and get a better view. "So you really are one of the four Seraphim?"

Kratos surveyed her and said nothing. She felt the hackles going up on the back of her neck and her patience wearing thin. "You can't just stay silent like that. It's rude and ignorant to not reply when you're spoken to- especially to your own son! I don't care if you're smoking gorgeous; personality matters too!"

She realised the last part of her outburst probably hadn't helped her case, but she'd wanted to make it clear nonetheless. When Kratos seemed to lose interest and looked elsewhere at the group, she felt like stomping away. The only thing that kept her pinned in her place was her curiosity as she realised that Kratos and Yuan were having a staring contest.

"I've heard just about enough as well," came Mithos' input finally.

"Mithos-" Martuan warned.

He shook his head and continued on. "Although Cruxis' motives may have changed rather recently, it is no excuse for your sudden insubordination." He summoned his sword and pointed it at Kratos. "Civilians are a valuable commodity. It has always been our desire to change things, not to destroy everything we are working toward! There is no need to have the humans fleeing from us in fear any more."

"Hmph," Kratos only offered, lowering his sword a bit. A slight smile played across his lips. "Things really have changed." He sheathed his sword. "Do your best." He turned on his heel and headed inside the Governor-General's office without another word.

"Hold on!" Martuan exclaimed, running to the building. "You don't get to just run off like that without explaining yourself!" Just as she was about to reach the doors, Eon stood in front to block her way. "Move, kid."

Eon crossed his arms and stood firm. "I can't. I'm sorry."

"You can't?" Martuan raised one eyebrow. "Are your feet suddenly glued to the ground?" She tapped her foot impatiently and gripped her hand around her staff for a minute, then relaxed it. For all her toughness, Sheelos was sure that there was no way the Renegade would injure a child.

"What's all this about Eon?" Colette asked, looking down at him and smiling sweetly. "I know you're not a bad person. I don't think Mr Kratos is either. We just want to know why he's doing this. People are really scared."

Eon faced Colette, his eyes wide. He opened his mouth but shut it again quickly and looked down at his feet as he shuffled them. "I...I.. I've-gotta-go-bye!"

With a casual sidestep away from Martuan, the boy bolted for it and disappeared around the corner. Martuan briefly looked from the door to the corner where he'd gone before giving chase. Sheelos parried down the water-edged back alleyway after her, the others at her heels. She skidded to a sudden stop when she turned another corner and almost ran into Martuan.. and the giant white and green bird she had one hand holding onto while using the other to keep herself from making lift off as it tried with all its might to escape her grasp.

It screeched and flapped its enormous wings so hard that the sea that lapped up against the side of the alleyway got caught in the current and splashed upward into the air. Martuan wore the brunt of the water as she desperately held on to him. "You might as well give up!" she exclaimed through gritted teeth while they all did nothing but watch the strange sight. "I can do this all da-" She coughed as another wave of water splashed at her before she reached the end of her sentence. The bird continued to twitter as it tried to break free.

"What's going on?" Lloyd asked. "That bird looks really familiar."

It didn't take too much to put together, at least for Sheelos. The question as to why Novariel had captured Eon was solved. She wouldn't have put it past him to steal and innocent child, but the fact that Eon could turn himself into a giant bird seemed much more in line with his other motives since he had captured Genis after seeing he was an angel. Whatever Eon was, he clearly wasn't human.

Still, Sheelos had to admit, something _did_ seem very familiar about it _other_ than the fact that it was Eon. Colette seemed to think so as well as she nodded and tilted her head to Lloyd's comment.

"Is that bird really who I think it is?" Lloyd asked to the group in general.

Colette nodded slowly in response as she stared at Eon, her mouth open in wonder. "Could it really be you, Eon?"

Sheelos felt like slapping a hand to her forehead for assuming that they had already realised it was the boy, but resisted upon the thought that maybe it wasn't as easy to be able to put the pieces about Eon's identity together to someone who hadn't gone through what she had with the cruel and calculating caravanner. "I-I don't think there's much doubt about it honeys," she said, trying not to laugh as Martuan got her third douse in thirty seconds. "The question is- _what_ is he?" He didn't look like a general monster. "I don't think he's a summon spirit."

As though she'd said a joke, Mithos chuckled at her words and put his hands on his non-existent hips. "A summon spirit?" He choked into laughter as he shook his head.

Sheelos closed her eyes and breathed deeply to calm her rage. "I just finished saying I _didn't_ think he was one, Yggdrasil."

"Do you know what he is, Mithos?" Colette asked curiously, skirting past his insolence toward her.

Sheelos propped an eye open regardless to watch the leader of Cruxis nod his head enthusiastically. "He's even more important than a Summon Spirit."

He had her attention. More important? That didn't seem possible unless the subject of people's beliefs in the Church of Martel came into it. It seemed Mithos had everyone's attention, even Eon's. The bird had stopped chirping so loudly and turned his feathery face around to them while he still tried to flap away from Martuan's grasp.

"Eon is a Protozoan," Mithos said, smiling proudly as he looked at Martuan. Loose strands of her blue hair fell into her face as she stared at him with what looked like surprise. "I'm surprised you couldn't tell, sister. You only really need to look at his markings and his eyes."

Martuan looked back up at Eon, then back at Mithos, then back at Eon. She did a quick double take after that.

"A pro-what?" Lloyd asked after a sad attempt at the strange word. Sheelos couldn't remember ever having heard of a creature called that before.

"A Protozoan," Mithos repeated, his proud smile becoming broader as he looked up at Yuan. "I'm right, aren't I?"

Yuan appeared surprised that Mithos had asked him of all people for his opinion on the matter. Eventually he seemed to give up on faking his surprise and shrugged. With a heavy sigh, he bobbed his head. "I suppose so."

"But if that's true.. then..." Martuan blinked. In her seeming shock, she released the hold she had on Eon's leg. The Protozoan tweeted as he locked eyes with each of them for a moment before flapping off freely toward the exit of Palmacosta. The lady Renegade tried to run past them all to give chase, only to be halted by Yuan as he stood in her way, his arms wide. "There's no point in pursuit at this point," he explained. "There is no doubt that he would be able to fly faster than you."

Martuan huffed and glanced away, not liking that he was right but agreeing in her own way.

"Not to mention that he is probably trying to lead us away from Kratos," Sheelos added to the defence. "I don't really know much about what a Protozoan is, but I think that if the little cutie had the guts to try and stall us earlier, he'd have the stones to misdirect us as well."

"Perhaps you're right," Martuan said softly.

"I have to agree as well sis," Mithos said, coming up to her side and resting a hand gingerly on her arm. "Considering everything, we should probably try to locate Kratos first."

"Well of course. Why do you think we are here in the first place?" Martuan waved a hand over in the general direction of the back of the building. "I didn't just come here to chase the boy you know. It seemed the back way was the most logical exit for Kratos to take. I didn't see him leave though."

"Hmm," Colette said, expressing her thoughts loudly to them all. "Um..."

Everyone turned their heads in her direction and watched as she fiddled with her clothes. "I'm sorry. I should have said something sooner."

"Colette?" Martuan's gaze narrowed. "Please just say it before we all wither and die."

"R-right," the girl said, looking disappointed. "It might be easier to show you. Follow me." She bobbed her head at all of them as she passed and then disappeared around the corner. Sheelos followed behind quickly, as did the rest of the party.

Colette showed them into the Governer-General's office and down some stairs that led to what seemed to be a small set of holding cells for Palmacosta's criminals. Sheelos watched Colette as she stepped further in, wondering why the Chosen had been in a place like this to begin with. She looked away and tried to pretend she was more interested in the cells when Colette looked at her though.

"Um," Colette whispered, coming closer.

"Sorry," she apologised, realising she'd been caught. "I was just wondering why you even knew about this place."

"Oh." Colette looked sad. "It's sort of a long story."

"We have no time for long stories," Martuan reminded her from behind. "Why are we down here, Colette?"

"Well you see..." Colette pointed at Sheelos. She blinked. "Me?"

The Chosen shook her head and lowered her pointer to the floor. Sheelos looked down to see the obvious cut-out in the floor directly below her. Quickly stepping to the side, she tried to make the best of her obliviousness and knelt down to examine it. It didn't take her too long to find a latch. With a tug, she pulled the trapdoor open and secured the safety latch to hold it open. Dust that had settled underneath it wafted out and made her nose and eyes itch, giving her the incredible urge to sneeze.

"Where does it lead?" she asked between sniffs and wiping her watery eyes.

"I'm not sure," Colette replied. "I think it probably leads outside of town though. I saw a Desian leave through here once.. and Clara." She faced Lloyd. "You remember too, don't you Lloyd?"

The swordsman blinked and looked at her blankly for a second before nodding. "Uh, yeah. Of course. I guess I just forgot about it because of everything that has been going on."

"So who's Clara?" Sheelos asked, going along with it even if Lloyd wasn't exactly telling the truth. Her curiosity about Lloyd being able to remember some things that Colette didn't was enough to stop her from feeling bad about putting him on the spot.

As expected, Lloyd fell deep into thought. His eyes frowned hard and he scratched his chin. "Clara is..." he trailed off for a second. Finally feeling bad, Sheelos tried to come up with a way to distract Colette from seeing that he'd lied to her. "A woman who had the misfortune to be at the mercy of the Desians," Lloyd added to his sentence after a bit.

To Sheelos' surprise, Colette nodded in agreement, still looking sad. She didn't know who Clara was, but if it involved the Desians and likely the ranches, she knew it had to be bad. Sylvarant had been suffering for so long at the hands of the Desians. It was one of the defining reasons she hadn't wanted the same problems to befall Tethe'alla and had resolved to kill Sylvarant's Chosen.

"As much as I am also curious as to what happened down here, we need to hurry," Martuan said, gently but firmly reminding them that time was of the essence. Before she even finished, Mithos had agreed with her and started down the slope that led into the underground passage. With a roll of her eyes and an exasperated smile, the lady Renegade lowered herself down and followed. Sheelos could hear her shoes clacking for some time as she chased Mithos down into the darkness.

"A couple of us should probably stay here in case our friend comes back looking for Eon," Yuan said just after Colette had been the third to disappear and as Sheelos was about to follow closely behind in case she tripped and broke her neck on something. It seemed like a very real possibility considering how black it was down there. She didn't even want to think about the possibility of all the spider webs getting stuck in her hair.

"I'm not sure that's even really going to be relevant," she replied to him after some thought. It was true, she barely knew this Kratos, but somehow she didn't think that he was the type to return to the scene of the crime so easily. She was going to explain it to Yuan and Lloyd, but got distracted when Yuan tuned out from the conversation and instead started rummaging through his backpack for something. Frankly, she was surprised he hadn't lost it yet considering he left it in places all the time while they did battle. To be fair on him though, it _did_ look like it weighed a ton.

Lloyd, probably curious too, waited with Sheelos to see the grand reveal of whatever Yuan was looking for. Eventually after various zipping and miscellaneous sounds, Yuan plucked something so small out of the backpack that neither watcher could see it right away. Sheelos was frankly surprised to feel anything as he stepped up to her and placed it in one of her hands. When she slowly opened her palm, all she saw was a tiny blue candle. She imagined it would have been perfect for the 'doll houses' she'd seen advertised on a rogue flyer that had flown in on the wind from Meltokio all the way to Mizuho. She'd been intrigued by all the tiny things that could be bought for those and wanted one when she'd been younger. She'd never asked though- knowing the village wouldn't be happy for her to have toys like that. She was a tool, not a person, after all.

"It'll light the way down there," Yuan said, pointing at the open trapdoor. She watched and waited for him to tell her he was joking. He didn't.

"You've got to be kidding," she laughed. He looked plainly at her and pointed to the passage. Partly deciding to humour the Cerberus and partially worried all of a sudden about leaving Colette alone with Mithos and Martuan since they had both tried to capture her at one point or another, Sheelos turned and hurried after them, calling Colette's name as she did.

Yuan glanced at Lloyd next and he sighed. "I'm going, I'm going." He started to lower down but instead found himself yanked backward by the half-elf. He watched Yuan lower the safety latch of the trapdoor and let it fall into its place, probably plummeting the rest of the party into complete darkness. "Didn't you hear me Lloyd?" he asked, straightening himself up and giving him a once-over. "I _did_ say a couple of us."

Lloyd blinked a few times as realisation dawned on him. He wanted to ask Yuan why he'd picked him, but the half-elf was already looking impatient with him. "Gotcha," he said while clambering up the staircase that led to the main office area behind Yuan. "I had a feeling Kratos would come back here anyway."

"You did?" Yuan sounded curious. "Well, I suppose you always were one to go by gut instinct." He stopped at the top of the stairs and glanced down at him without saying anything for a moment before quickly heading for the double doors that decorated the entrance way.

"What are you doing? Shouldn't we look around here a bit more first?" Lloyd asked, taking a quick glance behind the large desk that sat in the middle of the room. He felt a bit silly as he did it though.

"What are you doing?" Yuan questioned, making it worse. He gave him a sarcastic look. "Even I wouldn't insult Kratos' hiding ability _that_ much."

"Y-you know Kratos?" Lloyd asked. Yuan's hand, which had been slowly turning the door knob, froze at the question. He cleared his throat. "I'll explain everything in a minute." He pushed the door open and took a few steps out into the darkening city. "Well, probably less than a minute," Lloyd heard him say. "Come on in."

Lloyd heard footsteps that didn't appear to come from Yuan and could only watch as a tall figure with shoulder length brown-red hair stepped inside, his signature blue angel wings fluttering behind him for a few moments before they dissipated. There had been a blank look to his eyes as he'd entered, but when they caught eye contact, Lloyd thought he saw a hint of surprise. The look quickly left when he directed his attention to Yuan and crossed his arms. "Just what are you playing at this time, Yuan?"

"What?" Yuan's mouth hung open at the question. He pulled the double doors shut again and faced Kratos. " _Me?_ Really? You're going to open with _that?"_

"I don't have time for your games," Kratos said back simply. "Especially not that question one that you seem rather fond of nowadays."

"F-fine!" Yuan stuttered a half-hearted argumentative sound and rolled his eyes. "Now that we're alone, why don't _you_ explain why you decided to terrorise Palmacosta?!"

Lloyd watched Kratos glance at him and quickly took a few steps back. The man had a way of intimidating those around him without even a single word. "The definition of 'alone' seems to have changed since I last read a dictionary," the angel said, clearly not in the mood to answer Yuan's question.

"It's fine. You can drop the act now," Yuan replied in the angel tongue.

Kratos didn't seem very impressed at that confusing statement though. "Perhaps time has warped your mind, but was it not you who came to enlist my help in matters? Did you not explicitly tell me that I was not to interact with any of them?"

"Well you already failed on that front when they saw you and Noishe at the Balacruf Mausoleum," Yuan argued back, gesturing to Lloyd. "But I wasn't talking to you." He turned away and to the boy who watched their exchange.

"M-me?" Lloyd asked, looking between the two men in confusion.

Yuan pierced him with his glare and took a step in his direction. "I think it's time we had everything out in the open. Wouldn't you agree, Mithos?"

Lloyd raised two eyebrows at him in surprise. Yuan kept a straight face. A silence ensued. Eventually, Lloyd took a breath and glanced away, pouting. "I see. You're as annoying as ever. How long have you known?"

xxx

The blue candle was working far _far_ better than Sheelos had expected. At first, it hadn't really done much. That was, until the world around her became an all new version of dark once she'd heard the trapdoor close behind her. She hadn't expected Yuan would keep Lloyd with him when he stayed behind, but appreciated it nonetheless. Lloyd would be much easier to ask about what had occurred in the time she'd been separated from Yuan after all.

She'd almost forgotten that it was dark inside the passage until the bright light of the Sylvaranti sunset hit her eyes upon the short climb up a ladder to the exit. The others all stared at her in surprise when she reached the top. She felt her cheeks redden. "What's with those looks?"

"What's that you're holding?" Colette asked, leaning forward and squinting. "It's so tiny and cute!"

Sheelos glanced down at her own hand and almost fumbled with the blue candle. It looked kind of ridiculous to be holding between two fingers when it was light outside and tiny enough to be a children's toy when it clearly wasn't. "Uh..." she wondered whether she should tell them that Yuan had given it to her for a moment before shrugging and deciding to go for broke. "That Cerberus of mine gave it to me to light the way in the dark."

"R-really?" Mithos' eyes were wide. He looked from it and to his sister before he looked back at her and her novelty candle. "I thought I'd never see it again."

"Neither did I," Martuan agreed. "It was so small that it seemed you'd lost it forever when you couldn't find it."

"Will one of you just tell me what you're going on about?" she cried in frustration after a couple more short exchanges between the two.

"What you're holding is the very thing we need," Mithos said. "To go to Shadow's temple."

"What? Really?" Sheelos blinked at the thing, an all new kind of disbelief washing over her. It wasn't because of the candle though. She clenched her free fist in realisation that she'd been tricked once again by Yuan. "Damn it Yuan."  
He'd had this in mind from the point where he'd handed it to her, she was sure. All of a sudden their quest to hunt down Kratos seemed like a very obvious wild goose chase.

"It seems Yuan, by some stroke of luck, found the Blue Candle," Martuan resolved as she swung around in a circle. "And it also seems there is no sign of Kratos here." She looked down at the green grass, a troubled expression on her face. Sheelos felt she knew what was coming next.

"Lloyd stayed with Yuan, didn't he?" Colette asked her then, breaking her out of her observations.

"Yeah," she answered. "He probably wanted to see if Kratos came back to Palmacosta."

"Makes sense," Colette mumbled. "Kratos is his father. He probably wants to talk to him."

"At this point, I'm inclined to agree that there's a high chance he will show up again there," Martuan said. "But we shouldn't waste this time. Kratos won't try anything too hasty with Lloyd around, I'm sure."

"And Yuan can take care of himself," Mithos added. The blond and blue haired half-elves watched Sheelos with expectant faces after that.

"Real subtle guys," she said, grimacing as she eyed the candle again. "Looks like it's time for us to go pay a visit to Shadow."


	78. Kindred spirits

The more Presea looked at her silver haired friend, the more confused she felt. It was strange. At first, she'd tried her best to ignore it and it had worked while they had waited for a doctor to see to Genis. Kate had spoken to them about many things and had said that she found it difficult to believe for some reason that she and Genis had ever been one person.

Upon the Doc's arrival and request for them to accompany him to Virginia's house though, she hadn't been able to help feeling a strange sense of foreboding. Even before they had let themselves in, the temptation to turn around and run or wait outside had been very real. Convincing herself that it was wrong to leave Genis alone with two acquaintances though, she'd gone along with it.

The foreboding feeling had proven itself true- as it had without a doubt gotten much worse upon entering and seeing the poor confused woman clutching a doll and petting her very un-pregnant stomach. Genis had been acting strangely since entering as well. At first she had thought it was to do with the village being full of half-elves and that speaking with Virginia was his first chance to interact with another half-elf in a very long time, but that idea had very quickly dissipated upon the woman saying two names- Raine and Genis- in the same breath. The idea that it could just be a coincidence bothered her.

After they exited the woman's house, bid their farewells to Kate for the time being and headed to the place where they had parked their rheaird, she started to feel less and less like the names should have bothered her. A weird sense of de ja vous came over her, along with the feeling that she should know more about this Raine person than she did. Genis' reaction also started to seem more...normal. The weirdest thing though was that she was starting to question why exactly she and Genis had told Kate that they had for some reason been one person. It didn't seem like them to lie so blatantly.

"P-presea," Genis called, stuttering on her name like he had been doing a lot rather recently. She always tried to make it seem like she didn't notice it in order to spare him of any uncomfortable situations while he was clearly still ill from the toxins Gabriel had injected into him in order to get the Angelus Project.

"Presea?"

She realised she'd been ignoring his efforts to make small talk with her and blinked out of her thoughts when she saw him stop a little way away from their destination to look at her with concern. "Are you okay Presea?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered almost automatically. "Why wouldn't I be?" She glanced down at the exsphere he had buried on his hand before absently reaching to her chest to feel her own. It seemed strange for it to be there, but also simultaneously _not_. Having the dormant Cruxis crystal on her chest hadn't seemed like a big deal before, but now as she looked at Genis' Angelus Project, the uneasy feeling that something was very unnatural about this picture didn't want to go away.

"We should hurry and head to the Flanoir Renegade base," she said to try and change the subject for now. Before they had departed from Lloyd, they had been preparing to leave for Sylvarant in order to find Sheelos. Since it was clear that they didn't know the whereabouts of Mithos for the time being, they had decided to try and track down Lloyd and Yuan, hopefully finding Sheelos in the process. As with finding Mithos, the problem was that Sylvarant was a big place. Unlike the needle in a haystack that was the leader of Cruxis however, Presea was certain she would find Lloyd, Yuan and Sheelos if they searched around the seals in Sylvarant. Even if they found Sheelos before Lloyd and Yuan did, it would still be a start.

Genis gave her an unsure look. She knew he knew she was hiding something, or at least she thought he might know. One part of her thought he would know her very well by now, but the other part questioned that entirely.

_The bustle of a large city filled her ears all of a sudden. A weight was on her left shoulder. Her current surroundings faded and she found herself standing stationary, looking forward at Lloyd._

" _I'm Lloyd," the red-clad swordsman said with a casual smile. He gestured to a group of somewhat blurry looking individuals. "And this is Raine, Colette and..."_

_Her vision moved to where she could hear stuttering. Genis stood off to Lloyd's right, his face flushed and pink as he stuttered and looked at her with wide and scared eyes. "I-I'm Genis!"_

The imagery faded after that, leaving her to gasp in surprise and hold a hand to her head. "What was that?" She frowned at Genis, looking kind of freaked out by her sudden change in demeanour.

A question came to mind. A part of her was too scared to ask, but the other part that needed to know took over. "Genis?" she queried slowly. "How long have we known each other now?"

Genis' silver eyebrows furrowed and his irises turned to one corner of his eyes while he tried to remember. She felt her eyes starting to sting with the possibility of frustrated tears even before he answered. "I guess maybe a month or so?" the boy said eventually. After that, he scratched his head. "I think."

The threatening tears stopped when she realised he sounded a little unsure too. "You think?"

"Uhh.." Genis glanced away and scratched his arm nervously. "Well, I just feel weird saying that for some reason. I get the same feeling when I look at the exsphere on my hand. Like… I know it's the Angelus Project but..."

Presea couldn't help the relief she felt at his expense. "But it feels like it shouldn't be?"

"Yeah exactly!" Genis gasped in reply, seeming to be reflecting her feelings. "Maybe Raine can explain why this feels so confusing all of a sudden."

Presea had been about to mount their rheaird so she might be able to fly it this time, but stopped at the mention of the name. "Raine?" she asked cautiously, not able to look at him as she asked. "Where is Raine?"

"Huh?" Genis seemed confused. "She'll be with Lloyd, won't she?" There was a pause. "Yeah, she must be."

Presea clambered onto the magi-technological bird after Genis seemed finished talking. If Genis knew who this Raine person was that Virginia had spoken of, then it appeared her flash of memory might have been correct. The problem with it was that she had no recollection of the events that added up to that memory. Thinking back, she could still clearly remember the time a man who she had thought was her brother had come to her rescue in Ozette. His name escaped her, but she remembered his face and how she had travelled with him.

" _Gesea."_

The name sprung to mind as the rheaird underneath her hummed to life and started to hover off of the ground. That had been her name once. Of that she was sure. The name seemed to put some other things into perspective as well. She remembered seeing her sister and the man who had been the one she had called brother for the longest time in a loving embrace. Walls of red had inundated her at the time.

" _Silver."_

That had been what she'd initially called the silver haired half-elf that had stood opposite her in the red surroundings on that night, right before he had been spirited away to somewhere 'outside'. She also remembered that he hadn't known her name either and called her 'Pink'.

Things only got more confusing as her thoughts trailed deeper and deeper. As a strange sense of loss came over her, it was all she could do to hope that Genis was right and that perhaps this Raine lady could tell them what was wrong. Either her or Yuan, anyway. She grimly hoped that it was just a side-effect from Gabriel's injections.

xxx

If I'd been able to physically manifest a body in order to make my jaw drop, I might have. Somehow, Yuan had known. He'd gotten wise to the change when even the King of Summon Spirits hadn't. All I had honestly noticed was that the young swordsman in red had grown a little wiser during his journey and had finally been able to use his brain for the good of the groups objective. Having no connection to the sub-world inside the Angelus project (or any other exsphere for that matter), I hadn't been able to see what had gone on. I'd assumed that Lloyd had been able to overthrow the Mithos that had been trapped in the Angelus Project these last four thousand years with the help of his mother, but now I had to wonder.

Feverishly looking back on the various chapters of Lloyd's life for signs of when Mithos may have let a little too much of himself slip into the limelight, and with my mind racing in wonder like a stampede of kittens at milk time, I was somewhat glad when Mithos put an end to it by asking Yuan a simple but powerful question.

"How long have you known?" the boy in disguise had asked.

"How long has it been since you so easily let two of your friends run away to Derris Kharlan?" Yuan queried back in typical Yuan fashion. I couldn't help but also be a little in admiration at the half-elf for having the gall to attempt a game of questions with the former leader of Cruxis.

"From the beginning then," Mithos-Lloyd acknowledged as he crossed his arms and lulled his head from side to side. If he understood the concept of the game Yuan had started, he either didn't care that he'd ruined it or was really bad at it. The latter didn't seem possible considering he had watched Lloyd grow to be quite good at it over the last decade or so, despite his simple nature.

"Good," Yuan said, sighing with much the same relief that I felt. "Then we can continue with this conversation." He stood to the side and looked between Mithos-Lloyd and Kratos. "As we all know, Palmacosta is due for devastation any day now. One way or another though, the people have been spared of the towns inevitable fate. Now it is time for Act Two."

"And what, pray tell, might that be Yuan?" Kratos grumbled. "Why is it that you do not seem overly concerned of Mithos' presence inside the body of Lloyd?" He cast an intimidating glare in the direction of Lloyd-Mithos before stepping away from the front door and up to him. "Where is Lloyd currently? Have you harmed him?" His tone was cold and questioning. The usual.

Mithos-Lloyd smirked. "The bond of family is strong. I always admired your loyalty to _them_. Perhaps that is why we were able to see eye to eye and why it hurt the most to learn I had been double-crossed by you." He glanced at Yuan, making a point to him without saying it. The bluenette rolled his eyes but didn't have a rebuttal.

"I see," Kratos replied, taking a step back from him. "Interesting."

… Let's just say that I wasn't sure what to make of his tone at first.

"You speak as though you knew I was planning to betray you," Kratos continued on to Mithos. He popped his sword out of its sheath and glared back at Yuan. "I believe I have heard enough. I may have judged you too soon Yuan, to leave my family in your care."

Yuan frowned for a second before the dawning realisation hit him and his face went white as a sheet. Mine would have probably done the same, to be fair. "You're-"

Lloyd-Mithos flinched backward, reaching the same conclusion. "I-it's..."

"If the end of either of your sentences is 'the one you are clearly misleading', then I would say that 'misleading' is an understatement," Kratos replied to both of them before finally turning to Yuan. "Considering you knew of Mithos' swap with Lloyd, I am left with no choice but to believe that you asked me to join forces with Gabriel to get me out of the picture."

"But you're..." Yuan stuttered. "You're _Kratos._ What happened to Kraine?"

"Kraine?" Kratos asked, blinking in surprise at the name. "Hmph." With a sharp sound, he slid his sword from its sheath and pointed it at him. "You do not get to ask questions until I have answers of my own this time." Slowly he stepped forward toward Yuan. "Firstly, how do you know that Palmacosta was almost certainly going to fall within the next seventy two hours?" His eyes narrowed. "You very explicitly told me that you have not seen the future, yet not even Cruxis knows fully of the devastating effects joining the worlds once again may have."

"So.. you remember our conversation then." Yuan didn't look intimidated. His frown portrayed an element of confusion, more than anything. "But you don't remember being Kraine?"

"Answer, Yuan!" Kratos barked.

Yuan blinked a few times, then glanced at Lloyd-Mithos, who shrugged. "Don't look at me. I've been in that exsphere forever. I'm not taking responsibility for your screw up."

"You're enjoying this a little too much considering this whole thing was _your_ fault!" Yuan commented incredulously, still not taking too much heed of the blade Kratos was slowly pointing closer to his chest. Still, his keen battle senses didn't betray him and he managed to duck out of the way and summon his own sword before Kratos showed him he wasn't bluffing this time.

Lloyd-Mithos took a few more steps back and propped himself up on the curved office desk behind him, seeming content to watch their exchange. I however found myself concerned that the destruction expected of a town that had evacuated due to terrorism might be realised and stem from the late Governer-General's office in the near future.

A knock sounded before they could get going though and all heads turned to the front door. Neither Yuan or Kratos moved from their positions, only watching the doorknob turn and the door slowly open to reveal a figure cloaked in shadow. A shorter figure stood beside him. They stepped forward into the artificial light of the office quietly and looked left to right.

Yuan surveyed the figures over and groaned as he un-summoned his sword and slapped a hand to his face. "Of all the..."

The clatter of a sword falling to the ground filled the stunned silence between the occupants of the room. Yuan looked past the two that had entered to Kratos, naturally staring at the scene in disbelief.

"Trippy," the short green haired boy who had entered said as he turned his head from left to right.

"Hmph..." sighed the tall man next to him. He tilted his head as he looked over Kratos for a moment before glancing at Yuan. "It seems I am unable to detect my own mana signature."

"No?! Really?" Yuan snapped back sarcastically.

I couldn't help but be in the same state of surprise as my co-conspirator. With the atmosphere growing more and more uncomfortable by the millisecond, I had to resist the urge to look away and instead perhaps view the misadventures of Sheelos' group as they made their way to Tethe'alla. The events about to unfold here were going to be far too fascinating to ignore though and I found myself glued to the scene, waiting for the exciting conclusion and unable to look away. It reminded me of the first time I'd witnessed a ranch explode into smithereens.

All eyes fell to Kraine-Kratos, seeming to wait for the next stage in this fascinating tale just as I was. He leaned down to pick up the sword he had dropped in surprise and sheathed it casually before resting his gaze back on the anomaly before him. "I must admit, I _did_ wonder why Yuan mentioned something about running into Lloyd's group at the Balacruf Mausoleum."

"I can't wait for him to explain this one," Lloyd-Mithos chuckled almost cruelly, kicking his legs back and forth while he stayed perched on the desk.

"Actually.." Kraine-Kratos started, crossing his arms, "I've been having… visions, since arriving in Sylvarant." He considered the other Kratos carefully for a moment, then his attention flashed to Yuan. "That is how I knew where to find you. I wasn't quite sure as to why though, but I'm fairly certain this new development has something to do with it."

"Visions," the Kratos standing next to Noishe repeated. It was less of a question and more of a statement. "It seems we are alike in more ways than just the obvious. They started off-"

"-being rather vague. But they gradually grew clearer," Kraine-Kratos finished for him. At that, the two men cracked a half-grimace at one another.

"That's not just trippy," Noishe mumbled, abruptly side-stepping away until he was standing next to the still seated Lloyd-Mithos. "It's _super_ creepy."

"Tell me about it," the boy agreed.

"Just what did you see?" Kraine-Kratos asked Kratos. It was a bit strange to see how easily he was adapting to the idea that there were two of him in the same room. He closed his eyes after that and sighed. "Strange. I ask, but I already have a feeling I know."

"Why don't you say it on three?" Mithos suggested from the back with a giggle.

Both Kratos' glared at him at that. "I'm not done with you yet either. You _will_ tell me what has happened to Lloyd," they demanded in sync.

The dual threat and stern look seemed to put the old leader of Cruxis in his place because he shrunk back and fell quiet.

"To answer your question," Kratos said, switching his attention back to Kraine-Kratos, "I saw some old acquaintances of mine. Based on the design of this world, I was left to deduce that something must have happened to you." He turned his head to look at Yuan, who had been silently watching and calculating the very sticky situation he'd found himself in.

"Raine and Regal.." Kraine-Kratos said under his breath. "Is it true, what they were talking about?" He looked at Yuan. "This is why I also sought you out. Since an incident between Gabriel and I in Derris Kharlan, my memories have been somewhat questionable. I feel as though I am remembering two sides of the same coin- especially regarding the events that led up to the great Kharlan war."  
He tapped his foot while he had a few silent thoughts to himself before continuing on. "Why is it that I remember you, Yuan? From a time four thousand years ago, during the war? Not only do I remember you, but I believe we were comrades."

It seemed like there was more he could have added, but true to Kratos form, he only gave the information necessary.

"That is the question I'd be more than happy to answer, if I were permitted," Yuan growled, cursing something in the angelic tongue that I would rather not repeat.

Kraine-Kratos looked at Kratos then in hopes of an explanation that might satisfy him but only got a shake of the head. "I'm afraid I know little of the true meaning behind the world as it is currently. Yuan was also unable to tell me. I can, however, tell you that you are remembering true events. As much as it may seem unlikely, Yuan was a trusted comrade and friend for a great many years." He didn't sound happy recalling the facts to him, but carried on. "The other world you are remembering, in the very least, _used_ to exist."

"Kratos," Yuan barked, an urgent tone set in his voice. When both men looked, he realised his error and rolled his eyes in frustration. "Say no more on this matter," he decided to say anyway before turning his head to Lloyd-Mithos. "You as well."

The red-clad boy pulled a face and shrugged. "Anything other than my silence wouldn't exactly be in my best interest now, would it?"

Yuan looked a little less tense at his words. I had to admit, I'd also been worried about the same possibility. It was the primary reason as to why the half-elf had worked so hard to keep Mithos sealed inside the Angelus Project, after all. The fact that Mithos was willing to remain silent practically jingled of positive notes to the both of us.

"Well then," the bluenette said, clearing his throat and turning his attention back to the dual Kratos' now standing next to one another with the exact same expressionless facade, crossed arms and annoyed airs about them. Unless one looked incredibly carefully, it was impossible to tell them apart. Myself being the King of Summon Spirits however, I was able to notice the almost imperceptible growth in the hair of the normal Kratos. If things were to keep going on however, I hoped Yuan would ask this Kratos to wear the wig he had lent him once again to save any confusion and possible accidental revelations.

"As you have both probably already gathered," Yuan started, "Lloyd is in the Angelus Project. I'm certain he is safe with his mother and probably watching everything we are doing right now."

"His mother," both Kratos' said at the same time. Kraine-Kratos' eyes briefly fell to the exsphere on his hand.

"Why not take off the key crest and see if you can hear him talking?" Yuan dared to prod Mithos more. "Or perhaps you know that is the only thing standing between you seeing this through or him."

"Shut up," Mithos spat, jumping off of the counter and unsheathing one of the twin blades Lloyd kept at his sides. He unhesitatingly pointed it at Yuan despite the fact that he had to have known full well fighting him would result in a very quick loss. "You don't know anything. Don't you _dare_ try to take this victory away from me." His eyes were so wide with apparent grief on the matter that I could practically see Mithos' blue irises rather than Lloyd's brown ones.

Yuan didn't match his stance, instead smirking in his usual _I'm up to something_ fashion. Mithos' hand shook as his face contorted until a furious look appeared on Lloyd's features. "This is not a joke, Yuan! I will not let Lloyd kill Gabriel!"

"So, it is revenge then?" Yuan asked. "For Martel?"

Surprisingly, Mithos shook his head. "Not just for Martel, no. I want revenge for me. If I'd known he'd been the one who-" He gasped and looked down, clenching his fists. "I would never have named something so important after him!"

Yuan looked well and truly puzzled, as did the normal Kratos.

"I am still deciphering the riddles you all seem to be speaking, but I do understand one thing very well, having just discovered it myself," Kraine-Kratos' said, frowning contemptuously at Mithos. "You know who Gabriel is."

"Of course I do." Mithos' reply was quiet. He kept his eyes peeled on the floor as though he expected it to open up and swallow him whole any moment. "I respected our late father, after all, and despite the connotations my real surname had in the past, I continued the Angelus name in dedication to fathers famous research and study on exspheres before he disappeared." He finally raised his head and an eyebrow at Yuan, who looked to be struggling for words to the sudden revelation. "Oh? My sister didn't tell even _you_ about that?" His lip curled crookedly like he was trying to hide that this brought him satisfaction. "I suppose it makes sense since we were the children of the very man who unintentionally started the war. She always hated him for that. Why do you think she was so determined to put things right?"


	79. Impossible possibilities

Sheelos couldn't help but raise her eyes from their campfire to Martuan when she saw her shiver out of the corner of her eye. Colette looked at her too, as did Mithos. She blinked at them, an embarrassed smile appearing.

"Are you cold Martuan?" Colette asked quietly, glancing from the fire that burned brilliantly in front of them and back to her. She might as well have asked the follow up question that was written all over her face. _"Can you feel the warmth of the fire?"_

"Oh, don't worry," Martuan said, chuckling. "I'm not cold. Someone must have just been talking about me behind my back." She rolled her eyes and also didn't say the next bit she was thinking. _"Yuan."_

Sheelos was once again struck at the similarity between Colette and Martuan. If her memories were correct and Mithos had sought to split her souls into two, then it really did seem like Colette would have been the perfect vessel for her. Martuan was far more abrasive than Colette however, but Sheelos had a feeling that was because of something very different.

That brought her to her thoughts on Mithos' goals. She glanced to the blond boy sitting beside the lady Renegade. He seemed content to poke a wooden spoon around in the pot of curry she had prepared and left to boil on the fire. "Why do you put pineapple in it?" he asked her when he noticed her looking at him. He raised the spoon out of the pot to show a piece of pineapple as though he thought she'd accidentally chopped up several rings of it and dropped it in.

"It brings out the flavour," she said in short. "Why are you working with us?"

It may not have been the most stealthy way to address the elephant in the room, but it was effective nonetheless. Mithos sat back on his haunches to observe her and Colette. "I suppose," he sighed, "you deserve an explanation."

"Please Mithos," Colette pleaded. "If you can tell us what has changed, I think it will help a lot. I feel like I know why you wanted to capture me but…" She shook her head and plucked at a piece of fluff stuck to her leggings. "All I can think of is that I was meant to be a vessel for Martel, your sister, but it feels like something is missing from that picture." She looked at Martuan. "Your sister is named Martuan after all, and she is alive and well."

Sheelos quietly observed Martuan as Colette poured her heart out to them. She looked troubled but said nothing. She appeared to want to leave it in Mithos' hands.

"Well then," Mithos started with a stiff upper lip, "let me start by asking you a question. Do you remember what happened to you at the Tower of Salvation?"

Cringing visibly, Colette squeezed her eyelids shut and held her arms around herself. "I felt really cold. It was horrible. I was ready to die for Sylvarant."

"And what else?" Mithos continued to pry. Sheelos had to bite her tongue to stop herself from guiding Colette to the answer.

Colette opened tear filled eyes and frowned at him. "W-well.. L-Lloyd came just before it happened. I was.. able to say g-goodbye."

Sheelos felt her heart sinking a bit. Colette's description was less than desirable because she remembered how Colette was describing it as well. She recalled it so well in fact that she started to feel anxious. Her _other_ memories contradicted what Colette was describing- particularly that she and Lloyd had always been two separate entities. There was also the enigma that was _Colette's father and grandmother_ at Iselia.

" _Give me strength, Corrine,"_ she begged silently, erasing the images of Frank and Phaidra from her mind for now. If the idea that people were dual entities was entirely false and she had somehow dreamed it all up, then she didn't know what she was doing. The intense desire for Lloyd to step in and correct the path she needed to walk cropped to the surface of her feelings before she even had a choice in the matter. Though they had just seen Lloyd recently, somehow she felt like it had been an eternity since they had spoken. It was an odd thing to ponder.

"I see," Mithos said simply in reply to Colette. To her surprise, Sheelos found Mithos looking at her. "And you? What do you remember?"

And there it was. She didn't know what to say and instead of saying anything, she found herself stuttering for a response. "A ladies thoughts are private," slipped out, "especially when a man asks for them out of the blue. Especially an incredibly _old_ man like you."

Mithos chuckled under his breath at that, thankfully. For a moment she thought she had overstepped her bounds carelessly. "Can't say I've ever been called an old man before, given my appearance." When his seriousness returned and gaze pierced her again, Sheelos felt akin to a rat caught in a trap. "Given your reluctance to answer though, I believe I have mine. You remember things about that situation that don't match up, just like me." He glanced at Martuan. "And probably my sister, given how she chose to interfere." He settled on Colette again. "Only Colette seems to be the exception to that at the moment."

Colette looked so sad at his words that Sheelos found herself feeling guilty for no reason.

"B-but that's good!" Mithos spluttered reassuringly then, crumbling at the sight of her. "In fact, this has been good research as to what may happen when the next stage of our mission reaches its completion."

"Once we use the mana cannon and the Angelus Project to convert society," Martuan reiterated. Her voice sounded sarcastic as she said that. Sheelos was caught off-guard by the fact that she had mentioned the mana cannon in front of Mithos, and also by the fact that they had mentioned something about _converting._ To her that only meant one thing. She _had_ to say something now.

"By convert, you mean split, right?" she asked simply, hoping it made sense.

Mithos nodded and she felt a huge weight lifting from her shoulders. "It took a long time for it to come together," the angel explained. "But we finally know why this has been possible during the time Gabriel and I spent observing your group. It is why we need the Angelus Project now."

"And how does that relate to you getting all chummy with us?" Sheelos questioned. "You never had an issue with trying to take things by force before."

"Let's just call it an eye for an eye," Martuan commented mysteriously.

"And a favour for _someone,_ no doubt," Mithos added, looking at Martuan with a curious expression. Sheelos got the feeling all of a sudden that this had more to do with her than him. Martuan didn't agree to his invisible question though, nor did she say anything to the contrary.

Mithos got up from his spot and paced back and forth a few steps, still with the wooden spoon that had been in the curry gripped in his hand. "I can't say I completely agree with the idea of breaking the mana links, but perhaps my sister is right. In order to restore things to how they should be, it should be done thoroughly."

"And how it should be is…" Colette gestured to herself, "… like how I am now, you say?"

Mithos bobbed his head. "That's right. In order to understand what half-elves feel and accept us, people need to return to the way they should be."

"But how do you know this is the right way?" Colette suddenly asked, her voice more serious than Sheelos thought any of them had expected of her. "We can't just change people's lives like this, can we?" She stood then. "I'm sure Lloyd would feel the same way about this if he were here."

She was right. It _did_ seem like the type of thing Lloyd would disagree with. Changing the way people lived their lives was definitely wrong. A part of Sheelos wondered whether it was because she simply wanted to not be the Chosen any more that she wanted to believe it was the right thing to do. Plus she didn't have to be a double agent now that it seemed Mithos and Martuan had joined forces and planned to help them break the mana links.

Mithos clenched his fists and glared at her. "Let me ask you this then, Chosen. Just what is love to you?"

Colette blinked at the question. "What do you mean?"

"Just answer the question," Mithos replied forcefully as he pointed the spoon at her like a weapon.

"Mithos-" Martuan decided to interject suddenly. Mithos held a hand out in a stop signal to her. "No, this is important for us to know."

Colette quivered nervously as she tried to come up with an answer. Her cheeks grew rosy. "Well, there are so many different kinds of love. I love my father and grandmother, and my friends, and-"

"Well then, that is my answer to you," Mithos interrupted before she could finish the juicy sentence. "If I can show you that there are people who will answer vastly differently, will you believe me when I say that their combined souls is why half-elves haven't been accepted into society?"

"I…" Colette paused, "..guess?"

Grimacing, Mithos glanced away from her and over to the entrance back into the labyrinth forest. "Conveniently timed. You might as well come out of hiding, assassin."

The trees rustled at his words. Sheelos felt goosebumps starting to crawl on her skin as she scanned the scrub. Eventually a small formation of bushes close to their proximity rustled more noticeably and a hooded figure stood out from them.

With only their campfire for light, Sheelos couldn't see much. Despite that fact, she couldn't help the surprise in her voice when she uttered his name as he inched closer to reveal himself to them. "K-Kuchinawa!" He pinned his gaze on her and she stood, reaching for her seals automatically.

"I have come to finish what I started," her childhood friend-turned enemy said. He looked away at the rest of the group. "This is not official business under the Pope and concerns nobody other than Tethe'alla's forsaken Chosen." He then focused on Sheelos again. "You'd prefer to die anyway, wouldn't you?"

xxx

The crickets had chirped a lot that night; Kratos remembered _that_ well enough. Why did he remember the insects of all things? Probably because it had been the first night he had noticed his exsphere going through its evolution process. Insomnia was to be the first of the expected side-effects, it seemed.

He'd retired to bed early, gently nudging Mithos and their human acquaintance Gabriel- a prisoner of war who had apparently just been trying to make his way to freedom but needed help from those more qualified- to do the same so that the two lovers in their midst might have some time alone for a change. Though Martel had been astutely against the idea of him joining them at the beginning, Mithos had made her crumble with a pair of puppy-dog eyes and a long and drawn out "Please Sis?"

After some resistance and sulking that night, mostly related to his very obvious jealousy over Yuan, Gabriel had been the one to convince Mithos that rising early was the fastest way to become a man. This being apparently a weak chink in the child's armour, Kratos had quickly taken note of it for future arguments with him, particularly those that revolved around doing training in aspects of combat that did not involve a sword.

Resting in his own tent after the young half-elf retreated to the quarters he shared with their temporary companion, Kratos had been left to wonder just when he had become so accepting of Yuan courting Martel. His initial attitude toward it had been less than enthusiastic, especially when the bluenette had come to him to explain his desires. He'd denied his friend, told him that it was a distraction that they didn't need and that he would be compromising their mission. He'd even used the fact that Martel would never wish for them to fail their journey as ammunition to the argument.

Yuan had been more angry at him than he had ever seen before that and had seen ever since then as well- and rightly so. Just as Yuan had explained that he didn't have a choice but to feel that way about the half-elf woman, it turned out that Kratos was more alike his friend than he really cared to admit. Had timing and circumstance been different, he was even willing to concede that he might have fallen for her instead.

In a way he had never seen anyone else do the same, Martel simply had a way to touch the hearts of those she surrounded herself with. She believed in the world, its people, and their groups goal with every fibre of her being. With some combat training, she would have made a fantastic soldier- not that he would have ever wished that life upon her. Seeing those attributes shine every day had eventually made him wish her only happiness. That was why he'd expressed his blessing to their long lives together (not that there had been a choice in the matter) by fashioning them both a ring each, using a copper ingot he'd taken for emergencies sake before leaving his life at Castle Tethe'alla for the last time. Yuan was the one who made Martel the most happy, and she him.

The two had become engaged only a week earlier, and since then Martel hadn't stopped talking about her ideal wedding- to the point of wanting fruit in her bouquet but then worrying about it attracting ants and mosquitoes if made prior to the day. While he'd reminded her again and again as they travelled that they would need to focus on the matters at hand first, a part of him had secretly vowed to one day do all he could to help his friends.

Vaguely listening to Yuan and Martel whispering sweet nothing's to one another over the crackling fire for what felt like hours on end that night, his eyes had eventually grown heavy and his brain weary of overthinking. Closing his lids to let sleep take him had been brief and unsettling, but nothing in comparison to the events that followed his rude awakening.

A blood-curdling scream had caused him to go from his relaxed position on his bedroll to a standing and running one. Noishe had been barking worriedly outside as he passed him and ran in the direction of the voice. Back then he hadn't really thought about _how_ he'd known where she was located just by the sound of her voice, but now he understood that it had been because his ears were becoming more sensitive thanks to the powers of the exsphere on his hand.

Just one look at her wound upon reaching her was enough to send a cold shiver of knowing down his spine. A mix of dried and fresh blood stained the green robes around her abdomen. Yuan, who'd not been with her at the time it seemed but had arrived before him, had a face filled with rage and agony as held his fiancee's hand and helplessly watched as his healing arts did nothing and her life slowly trickled away. It had been all Kratos could do amongst his scattered thoughts to ask her who had done this to her. Clutching Yuan's healing hand eventually and shaking her head slightly, Martel opened her mouth to utter the name neither of them would ever forget.

"Gabriel." She saw their stunned looks and followed on with another statement. "I came to confront him about the past. Please don't tell Mithos."

Neither of them had gotten a chance to ask much more before the boy in mention ran into the area, a yapping Noishe in tow. "They're here!" was all he said before he spotted Martel's condition with his own eyes and his attention diverted completely.

After that, Kratos had eyed Yuan and received the same knowing look back. The sound of marching boots and their accompanying vibration on the ground all around them was enough to clue them in. They had to lure the soldiers that surrounded them as far away from Mithos and Martel as they could.

Despite knowing they would be better off separating and luring their assailants in two different directions, Kratos hadn't been able to leave Yuan's side. He'd been likely to get himself killed by acting recklessly in his emotional condition. Several times as the half-elf had swung his blade at his enemies, he'd left himself open to being flanked by two more. They had been outnumbered as it was. One thing he had noticed though, was that the men who fought them were not distinctively wearing Sylvaranti _or_ Tethe'allan gear. Instead they'd donned non-descript battle gear, with helmets that covered the majority of their faces, similar in look to a typical desian helmet. To this day he had never learned who they had been allied to, or why they had been ordered to cause such destruction to a group of travellers rather than a town or village.

"I'll kill him!" Yuan had barked as they'd stood back to back, waiting for the next wave to come to them, their tents and belongings going up in flames all around them. "I'll spend forever looking for him if I have to. He won't get away with this!"

But he had.. even if his own life had been cut short in the process.

Days after fleeing from the site, and with Mithos and Yuan practically shadows of their former selves after the loss of Martel, Kratos had taken it upon himself to search the battleground for any of their surviving belongings. More importantly, for signs of life. Instead he found the dead, and amongst them, Gabriel. He'd been stabbed fatally through the abdomen in the same way Martel had. Judging from his condition, it hadn't seemed likely he'd put up much of a fight either. Someone had caught him by surprise.

He'd secretly told Yuan of Gabriel's destiny in hopes of giving him some peace, but had been reluctant to tell Mithos. The boy had a very strange attachment to the man despite the fact that he'd thought he was little more than an acquaintance to him. In the throes of his despair about the death of his sister, Kratos hadn't wanted to add another complication for the half-elf. As time went by however, Mithos eventually accepted the human as missing and probably deceased. By then though, his emotions had become far more muted thanks to the parasite of an exsphere that grew on his chest and the realisation had brought little more emotion from him than a shrug of the shoulders.

Had he _known_ just who Gabriel had been to Mithos, he may have done things differently back then.

Kratos took a breath and glanced up at the Tower of Salvation, then down at the exsphere on his hand. "So my old exsphere won't work? Just what is going on here, Yuan?"

He'd asked that of course when he and the other Kratos had made the switch, but Yuan hadn't given much of an explanation. He wondered just when Yuan had become such an enigma. After spending so long with him, he'd thought himself able to read him like a book. Something had changed. The only explanation he could come up with was that something _huge_ was riding on whatever it was that Yuan was so meticulously planning.

" _Yuan," he said when the doors to the heart of Welgaia opened for the first time in four thousand years. It was more than a little surprising to face his old comrade despite the fact that Derris Kharlan had been in Aselia's orbit for quite some time after drifting out into space._

_Yuan cut him off before he could ask anything of him. "Kratos, it's time for us to right the wrongs of the past."_

_There was no question in his statement. Yuan was demanding this of him._

" _The past?" he queried, shaking his head. "I thought we had already_ _decided as to how that very matter was_ _being achieved. The Exspheres were scattered into space long ago and the angels of Cruxis have been living their lives out here." He really wondered what more Yuan could want from him. "You also had the task as Guardian of the Great Tree. Or did you forget your pact with Mana?"_

Oddly, Yuan had gone quiet at the mention of the spirit born from the new Great Tree. He'd offered a simple "No, I didn't," but that was about all.

There were two things Kratos did know however; the first being that history seemed to be repeating, or at least echoing the events that had happened in the past- the ones he remembered. Palmacosta was due for an apparent inevitable destruction thanks to the complications regarding the mana links, a summoner was making pacts with the summon spirits, and Mithos was _alive,_ as was Gabriel. They weren't the only ones either, but he didn't really want to think too much about 'Martuan'. Coming face to face with the woman had been worrisome enough as it was.

The second thing that he was sure of was that killing Gabriel definitely folded into Yuan's plot. For what, he could only speculate, but the other Kratos.. the _new_ Kratos, had found out something neither he nor Yuan had ever known about. Gabriel was Mithos and Martel's father. They had kept it a secret from them for somewhat understandable reasons. What was more surprising to Kratos in particular though was that Gabriel was _alive_ now. Somehow, despite seeing _Martuan and Sheelos_ only earlier, this seemed the most shocking evidence to date for him. It was a perfect shining example that this world was not the same one he'd left four thousand years earlier after saying his goodbyes to his son.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end after he began to close the space between the grassy landmass he'd landed on and the Tower of Salvation that stood proudly up ahead. When a familiar mechanical sound reached his earshot, he whirled around and turned his eyes upward to the starry night sky. The culprit of the noise cast a shadow over him and blocked out the moon for a time until it was on the ground. A young half-elf woman with silver hair disembarked from the machine, as did an older man with an air of familiar elegance and a head of messy blue hair. Both of them looked relieved to see him as they called his name.

The feeling might have been mutual once upon a time. He'd gotten along well with Raine in particular after all; having had many a midnight exchange with her about the fate of the Chosen and eventually about his past with Lloyd and Anna. Unsurprisingly, the woman had sniffed out the truth of his paternity long before his son had discovered it.

He hadn't spent nearly as much time with Regal, but they shared an almost unsaid understanding of one another somehow. Their destinies involving the ones they had loved had been so eerily similar, for one. On another note, Regal had always reminded him of his days living as a prince at Castle Tethe'alla before the Kharlan War had even been thought of.

Instead of being happy to see them though, he was filled with dread. These people _were_ Raine and Regal, but they without a doubt had him mixed up with the _other_ him- the one who had lived in this bizarre world, just like them. He didn't say anything to them right away, even though he was definitely curious to learn just how much they knew. The other Kratos had definitely recalled things that, for all intents and purposes, he shouldn't have.

"We didn't think we would find you out here," Regal said, a note of curiosity in his words.

"You have some explaining to do," Raine said. She sounded like she was trying not to talk to him in her teacher voice, but as she had explained to him when she had first confronted him about his relation to Lloyd, it had become habit to her.

"I let the two of you leave without me for good reason," he said, recalling what the new Kratos had said about his recent venture while thinking he would be leaving once again very soon. "I needed answers from Gabriel." He still did. Not only Gabriel, but from Yuan too. The only reason he and the other Kratos had come to an agreement on swapping their current objectives had been because Yuan had said that the damaging power of Origin would not affect him should things turn awry. He hadn't said why, but both of them had known better than to press him. Getting information out of Yuan as things stood seemed to be more difficult than getting blood out of a stone.

"Gabriel.." Raine repeated the name, her brow creasing. "Kratos, what do you mean when you say you left us?"

Kratos studied her, wondering why the confusion. "What are the two of you doing?" he cautiously asked. To that, Raine hung her head strangely.

"We are seeking out Mithos," Regal replied. "However.. there have been a few… complications. Upon heading to Flanoir, we happened across the half-elf village of Exire. Something strange happened soon after landing there."

"I don't know how I could have imagined it differently," Raine whispered quietly.

"Upon entering Exire, our memories seem to have been tampered with," Regal explained. "Genis is undoubtedly Raine's brother, however…" He looked to be competing with himself as to how to explain the next bit. Kratos had a feeling he knew where this was going though. He'd heard bits of this odd story only an hour earlier from someone he understood far better. Himself.

Regal cleared his throat. "However, although I specifically remember parts Raine has spoken to me about her memories, I also have clear memories of different events. Your earlier statement makes sense to me, about leaving us behind. I also remember Gabriel." He tilted his head at Raine. "But I'm guessing that Raine does not."

Kratos could only mumble a non-committal sound at that, instead busy joining the dots. This had happened to the new Kratos and Raine, but not Regal. It seemed the two of them had something in common that Regal did not. Kratos had left Derris Kharlan and Raine had entered Exire. It had nothing to do with location, or so it seemed anyway.


	80. We need to talk

As per usual, when Mithos got involved, things got far more complicated than Yuan really thought he deserved. He clutched the handle of his blade tightly and held it steady against the small of the red-clad boy's back. "So what will it be?" he asked. "I am merely asking out of courtesy though."

"So I don't really have much of a choice then?" Lloyd-Mithos stood still like a statue, feeling the pressure from the weapon. They stood alone in Governer-General Dorr's office with only the ticking of the antique clocks to fill the long moments of silence between their conversation. "You really don't have any new tricks up your sleeve, do you?" He gave a mocking chuckle. "Always the backstabber. Even now you're backstabbing me and 'requesting' my help so that you can betray _her."_ He raised a couple of fingers on each hand in a quotation gesture.

"What?" Yuan's eyes narrowed at him. Despite the fact that he was using force to get what he wanted, he hadn't expected Mithos to put up so much of an argument. The likely reason why this was made his blood pressure rise. "Don't you want this as well? This is the only way!" He raised his voice a little more. "Or are you so caught up in your revenge that you're willing to give up the thing you want the most!?"

Mithos scoffed at that and glanced down at Lloyd's Angelus Project. "As usual, you haven't thought too far ahead. Isn't that why the whole disaster happened at Palmacosta to begin with the first time?"

"I refuse to be lectured about _not thinking too far ahead,_ especially when it is coming from _your_ mouth," Yuan snarled, deciding to withdraw his sword despite his better judgement. With the way Mithos was able to pull his strings, it was only a matter of time before he lost his patience and harmed Lloyd's body. The faint yap of Arshis-Noishe from outside soon after justified his action even further. Kraine-Kratos would soon be returning from his survey of the area for a potential uprising of the guards that still watched the harbour town from its fringes. "It's that very insanity of yours that I have worked hard to change," he continued to hiss softly to the boy. "It's what created this gods-forsaken twisted world to begin with!"

"And yet here you are, using it to your benefit," Mithos observed, turning to properly face him. Despite the fact that it was Lloyd's face looking at him, Yuan could easily picture Mithos from within, grinning with his usual indignant smile- like a child who always expected to get what he wanted. Of course, he'd been partially to blame for condoning and not punishing those personality traits. "How can you be sure that making so many little ripples in time haven't caused a wave to wash over your efforts for the future already?" Mithos asked, raising one brow.

Though he had an answer, Yuan involuntarily had his tongue stilled when the sound of boots stopping just outside the front door reached his ears. The knob turned and the auburn haired human stepped in, a thinking expression on his face and one hand rested lazily on the pommel of his sword. Obviously nothing had really threatened him out there.

"It seems they might have been considering entering, but once I took out my wings, they retreated," he explained to the two of them before scowling at Yuan. "I am not a fan of scaremongering Yuan. The earthquakes are however getting much worse, especially in Sylvarant. It is no surprise that a disaster may befall the world when the mana links are completely severed."

The blue-haired half-elf grimaced. "You've figured out that is the cause. Curious."

"You might call it a hunch," the human replied, then looked at Lloyd. "Do not think I have forgotten what you have done to my son, Mithos."

"I haven't _done_ anything to him," Mithos childishly defended with a slight whine. "He's safe with his mother, which is far more than he ever was when he was loitering around his other parent."

Mithos was just full of insults and yet once again Yuan found himself unable to stop him. Kratos merely glared at him for a few seconds and did nothing else. He probably thought it was mostly a true statement. Yuan felt like kicking himself, and Kratos to boot.

Mithos faced Yuan again. "Let's go find her then, shall we?"

Unable to argue a point in front of Kraine-Kratos, Yuan bobbed his head and ushered an arm in the direction of the door. Mithos-Lloyd opened it and stepped out, greeting Noishe as he did. The door thudded shut behind him.

"Yuan," Kratos called from behind Yuan as he made his way to follow. "I will evacuate Luin next. In exchange, you will ensure Lloyd and his mother remain safe."

"You needn't ask for that," Yuan responded, sighing. "As I already said many times over our time spent together, I am on your side. Lloyd will not and _can not_ perish. I would sooner lop off my own head." He didn't wait for Kratos to answer, slightly fearing that he had completely forgotten those times. Instead, he ventured out into the quiet streets of Palmacosta. Noishe had transitioned into his Aeros form and was flapping his wings in anticipation upon seeing him. Mithos was raising a leg and reaching upward to mount him. Scurrying toward him, Yuan pulled the boy back to the ground, using the thin white scarf he always wore as a means. "What do you think you're doing!? You'll get found out in no time if you intend to just come along!"

Mithos exhaled and laughed. "I fooled Genis and Presea didn't I?"

"They are only children," Yuan rebutted, still gripping him tightly. "The same will not be said for Martuan. Tethe'alla's Chosen is also figuring you out. She's been staring at you for… longer than her normal perverted self usually does."

"You really do know her quite well. It's no wonder she's so enamoured by you," Mithos then teased. He stuck out his tongue. "It's quite creepy really, how well those two personalities have merged into one. Almost as much as Martuan."

"Don't remind me," Yuan muttered, deciding he was getting nowhere and letting the boy go. "You _do_ realise the complications of training the exsphere yourself, don't you?"

"Can't be any more complicated than having two Kratos' already, and eventually..." He gave him a pointed look and then shivered. "Actually, I'd rather not think about that."

"But-" Yuan groaned.

"Just admit it. This works with your plan. You need Lloyd, and I will be the one to kill Gabriel." Mithos stood looking at him with a satisfied grimace, waiting for him to give in. Yuan turned away and clenched his fists. "Suit yourself. Just ensure you fulfil your end of this bargain."

Noishe chirruped behind him and Mithos cackled. "Relax. I don't plan to stand in your way. Either way, whether you succeed or fail, I'll finally have what I want."

xxx

Before Kratos knew it, he was seated in front of a camp fire while Regal cooked a meal in a small stone pot he seemed to have acquired despite the lack of belongings he and Raine had. He also seemed to have gained some food from somewhere along the way. Many things had changed, but the Duke's hand at cooking had not, thankfully. Kratos was glad for a constant in the strangely alien and yet familiar world that encircled him.

Glancing away from the bright embers of their fire and to his right, he studied Raine as she sat perched on a large flat stone, scratching away in a red notebook she carried, similar to a bound brown one he remembered her having on her person at all times. He wasn't particularly interested in asking just what she was writing, but he found himself curious nevertheless since she had started writing a fair way into the tome, as though other pages from it were full already. This was only one of the minor curiosities that kept him from his usual route in thinking. Usually he preferred to tackle tasks one at a time, from beginning to completion, avoiding distractions at all costs, but given the entire situation as of late, he felt he might be as valuable to Raine and Regal as they were to him regarding an exchange of information. He certainly wasn't going to get the whole story from Yuan any time soon. Plus he hadn't really been given much of a choice in the matter.

" _I'm very curious to hear your take on the matters at hand,"_ Raine had said as she looked over him with her intelligent and inquisitive blue eyes that told him that she expected he could tell her something new. She was rarely intimidating- ruin maniac tendancies aside- and perhaps that was why teaching indeed was her calling. Raine held an almost motherly air about her, similar to that of Martel. It wasn't surprising to compare the two of them though, especially considering they each had brought up a younger half-elf sibling.

Probably sensing his eyes on her, the half-elf teacher lifted her own from her books worn looking pages and rested the pen down beside herself. "Forgive my rudeness. I'm just writing down all of the now-memories I seem to have."

"That's probably a good idea, given the circumstances," Regal agreed, turning away from the boiling pot on the fire. His eyes flickered to Kratos for a second and then back to her. "Is that what you were thinking about while we were travelling earlier?" The half-elf woman tilted her head slightly until a look of recollection passed her features. Regal rubbed his chin for a moment. "You kept peering at the book and flipping through the pages," he said, gesturing to where it sat on her lap.

At that, Raine grimaced and clutched the tome gently. "Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you. It's just..." She breathed out and closed her eyes as she shut the diary and made to hand it to him. "Truth be told, I couldn't have brought myself to believe your strange tale on combined souls, had I not had this." She looked apologetic.

At being handed Raine's book, Regal shook his head and gave her a gentle smile as he nudged it back toward her. "There's no need for me to read it. I still remember writing in it quite well, even if those memories seem rather… strange and conflicting with the memories I have acquired since entering Exire."

Kratos could practically feel the question looming in the air between the three of them. He knew it was only a matter of time before what he now remembered was questioned. Knowing he had to be diligent in his answers as to not arouse suspicion that he wasn't technically who they thought he was, he started to make mental notes.

"It's a little odd," Regal continued, turning back to the food that was boiling away. It smelled like the herbs and spices of the elves. They must have gotten their supplies from a store in Exire while they had visited. "How I seem to remember conflicting things. The new memories seem to mostly revolve around you and Genis, but if I stretch my mind a little, I can see glimpses of other things as well that don't match my other, much clearer memories."

Raine appeared struck by something in his words. One hand briskly moved to the pen by her side while the other opened her tome again to the page she had been at. She scribbled down a few words before returning her mindfulness back to the conversation at present. "It seems my memories work in the opposite direction to yours," she explained. "My only memory of Gabriel comes from the words that are written on these pages and the bits and pieces you mentioned. There are quite a number of them dedicated to him. Almost as many as someone else we all know." Her eyes darted to Kratos. "Especially Kratos here."

She was obviously talking about Yuan, and with the way that man had been acting, Kratos couldn't have really blamed this "Kraine" person for investigating him. He had to wonder just which part of his multi-coloured alter-ego personality had been the one the most curious about him.

" _Especially_ me?" he repeated. It was a true enough statement, for anyone who knew the truth of their past together. Only, as far as he had gathered so far, _Martuan_ had filled that role in this world. Raine was clearly recalling memories she shouldn't possess, just like the other Kratos. He briefly looked at Regal to find himself meeting his eyes. It seemed the Duke might have been wondering about something similar.

"Yes," Raine replied, bowing her head once. "My point is that although I remember these things, I have to admit that there is a part of me that feels like something isn't quite right about them. They feel almost.. distant. At its core, it's almost like my brain is recalling the clearest memory and, naturally, I want to trust that memory." She tapped the book in her lap. "Unfortunately memory can never really be relied on completely. That's why I always write my thoughts down."

Regal reached for the bowls off to one side of their campfire and started to scoop the soup he had made into them in equal helpings. Handing them each a bowl and sitting down so that their small group made a rough triangle, Regal looked like he had something else on his mind rather than having the first bite.

Kratos decided to go ahead and break the air of formality by blowing on the first spoonful of the soup and downing it once it was ready. The moment it hit his tongue, he almost gagged. Despite swallowing it and washing the taste away with water, he hadn't been able to avoid pulling a rather unnatural face and catching the attention of his fellow campers. Dropping the spoon, he glared down at the bowl in disbelief that something that had smelled so fantastic could taste so ridiculously bad. He would have been lying to himself if he hadn't admitted that he had quite been looking forward to eating for the first time in four thousand years.

"Not good?" Regal asked, frowning down at his own bowl and the spoon that had been halfway to his mouth. "I shouldn't have expected for my ability in cooking to have changed."

"What are you talking about? I'm sure it's delicious," Raine reassured him. "You always seemed like a natural in the kitchen."

Kratos waited for her to eat her own words (and the soup), still rather confused. Raine was correct. Regal was a good cook, at least as far as he remembered from his brief ventures with Lloyd's group. When she put it to her mouth, she tasted and swallowed it, all with a mostly blank face. Regal followed her example. After a short time, both of them were reaching for their respective water cannisters and downing a fair few glugs.

"It's got a rather.. unique.. taste," Raine said to Regal, resting the bowl down and out of her sight. "Unfortunately I don't think I have the palette for it." She coughed a bit and took another few sips of water.

"Neither do I," Regal agreed with a defeated sigh. "I doubt many would, given that a four thousand year old angel of Cruxis who likely has tasted a great many dishes over the years doesn't."

"Speaking of those things," Raine started, "just what side of the Pattern Separation Phenomena do your memories sit on, Kratos?"

"Hm, a fitting name," Regal interjected after a slight curious pause despite the question, grimacing at it and scratching his chin as he looked upward to the sky.

Kratos nodded in agreement. Did he not know better, he would have been convinced this Raine was the same woman he'd spent admittedly the most time with during the days of the Journey of Regeneration. Raine and Regal watched him, waiting for the response he knew he was going to have to give.

"I'm afraid I am the same as Regal," he said, with careful consideration as to the complications of taking a side. He'd unfortunately already given away far too much of his hand to be able to confidently take Raine's side without arousing suspicion. He had to take an alternate route. "I remember Gabriel, writing in that book you carry, and the strange events that have transpired as of late."

"And what about Annalicia?" Regal asked, a painfulness in his voice that hadn't been there a moment before.

"Annalicia?" Raine's question answered Regal's, evidently. Her eyes darted to the book. "There is no mention of her in here. Who is she?"

"She was… _is…_ my wife," Regal answered, glancing down at the exsphere embedded within a key crest on his hand. "Since our split however, I haven't heard a single word from her. I have a feeling it is because of this key crest. However, recently every time I try to take the key crest off..."

He reached for it and hesitated as though some kind of invisible force was stopping him. "This strange phenomena happens." He did it for a little longer while Raine observed curiously. He took his hand away. Raine gave him a questioning look and he bobbed his head. With his permission, she outstretched a hand to it, only to find the same barrier blocking her. She couldn't get close to it. Leaning back to a more comfortable position, the half-elf set her eyes on the exsphere attached to her own hand. Kratos listened to her making a variety of curious sounds as she attempted to touch it and discovered the same strange behaviour. It wasn't long until both Regal and Raine turned expectant eyes onto him.

"I don't see a need to try the same exercise," he replied, resisting the urge to touch his exsphere. "It is obvious that this is affecting us all."

Even as he said it, he recalled Yuan explaining to him that he wouldn't be affected by Gabriel's Origin-based magic and that his exsphere would not allow him access to Welgaia. Just glancing at the gem on his right hand, he almost didn't have to wonder if this phenomena would be different for him.

Even though Regal and Raine dropped the matter, he could tell they were formulating some kind of suspicion on him. It wouldn't take Raine long to figure the truth out if she ever met the 'other' him. He had to tread carefully and try not to incriminate himself further.

xxx

"Is that all you have to report?"

Pronyma twitched and shifted a little uncomfortably as she watched the man before her, wandering around in his hidden lab, looking at various phials he had stored on the shelves. He stopped in front of a collection of various blood samples, labelled with confusing sequences of numbers. He took one and swirled the liquid in it around briefly, a curious frown gracing his forehead. She couldn't help but take in his figure as it truly was. She hadn't seen him acting so carefree while looking like that in a great many years.

"Yes, Lord Gabriel," she responded formally. "Was there something else you wanted to know?"

The man who so much looked like his son glanced up from his studies at her, re-tying his blond ponytail as he did. "Why so formal Prony? It's unlike you to call me that when we are alone. Have I intimidated you?"

Pronyma stood frozen to her spot at hearing her old nickname. Gabriel put the blood he'd been observing down and approached slowly. He stopped close enough to reach out to the side of her fringe and gave her a questioning look while he gingerly brushed a loose strand behind her left ear.

"M-my lord," she whispered softly, her body involuntarily quivering at his touch. She gazed up into his aquamarine eyes and somehow finally found the strength to resist his allure. The mesmerising gold and silver wings that fluttered behind his back now didn't make it any easier. "I've come to ask you to explain to me why you have kept the true nature of the Age of Angels a secret from Mithos." Her voice stuttered every now and then, but she went on with it regardless. "I'm sure he is intelligent enough to understand that it would solve the issue for half-elves."

Gabriel stepped away, which felt almost like a punishment. "Is it because Marty has joined the merry party that you're now questioning which side you should be on?" His voice sounded cross. Pronyma immediately regretted bringing it up.

"No," she replied, disliking how weak he made her. It had been the sole reason she had taken up position as a Grand Cardinal rather than pushing for her rightful position within the ranks of Cruxis.

"The new age draws closer," Gabriel whispered, reaching for her arms that she realised she had crossed against her chest. Grasping her hands with his own, he gave her one of his genuine smiles. He wanted this so badly. Of course, she felt the same. "Soon, my darling, soon," he said smoothly. "Our Kate will finally be free to live her life the way she truly should. You'll see."

 


	81. A fools errand

Sheelos froze at Kuchinawa's words. She should have denied it sooner, judging from the worried expression Colette was giving her as she clearly held herself back from rushing to stop the commotion that had disturbed their important conversation.

" _You'd prefer to die anyway."_

It wasn't like the wish had never crossed her mind. Back when she'd been living in Mizuho, protected as the Chosen but with the villagers blaming her for what had happened in Volts temple, she'd regularly wished she hadn't stumbled into Celsius' lair and found Yuan that cold winter night in Flanoir. If she had only gotten a little more lost and not found shelter, she would not have made it through the night.

She was kind of surprised to be faced with the thought that it wasn't exactly what she wanted any more. With the definite possibility of split souls being a real thing, she could have both a life and never be the Chosen again.

Taking her seals out of her kimono, she stood across from her childhood friend, waiting for him to start charging at her first. First he had to state the conditions of their dual though.

"It will be a fight to the death," Kuchinawa stated, his voice dry and emotionless. She wondered whether him helping her back in Meltokio with the use of the E.C had also been a ruse. It _had_ turned out to be extremely slow and unsafe.

"N-no!" Colette cried. Martuan hushed her.

"I agree with Colette's sentiment," Mithos added, to much his sisters annoyance as she tried to hush him as well. "Killing the Chosen will only result in a great many complications."

"The release of the summon spirits, for one," Kuchinawa replied. "I will not have this traitor to Tethe'alla and Mizuho control the sacred spirits any longer. I will not be forced into a Salvatorian relationship with her."

Colette's eyes darted up to one side as though she was recalling something."When a summoner dies, their pact is broken. I remember Mr Kratos saying that. I… I think."

Sheelos found Kuchinawa looking at her. He was waiting for her to accept. With such a hardened expression, she almost got the feeling he was _trying_ to be rough on her. She shook it off and nodded. "Alright. And if I win?"

Kuchinawa didn't seem have a complaint about letting her give conditions, as per Mizuho tradition.

"You will tell me why you are working for the Pope. Tell me what he has to do with all of this. Before I kill you. I don't want you haunting me."

There wasn't even a moment of hesitation before Kuchinawa agreed. "Deal."

"But-" Sheelos heard Mithos start to say something but Martuan muffled his mouth. She didn't have time to question anything else. Kuchinawa was already rushing toward her, taking his signature dagger from his waist as he did. She ran toward him as well, feeling the summon spirit gems starting to warm up against her body.

" _You can do it Sheelos!"_ Gnome called into her head.

" _You can't lose here, quite literally,"_ said Undine in a mysterious way.

"Thanks guys," she replied through gritted teeth, just barely dodging Kuchinawa's blade as it soared through the air toward where he likely expected her to be by the time it reached the ground. She parried to the side and allowed him time to pick it up while she turned and somersaulted into the air so that she would land behind him.

"Heh." She grinned as she thrust two seals onto his back before he managed to turn around. "Pyre seal!"

The seals exploded, knocking him with force right toward her. She sidestepped and shook her head while taking her dagger out next. The same trick wouldn't work twice on him. Whenever she had trained against him in the past, she had always needed to invent new ways of coming at him. He was a talented ninja- far better than she hoped she could ever be. She was lucky that she was a summoner. Jumping back while keeping an eye on him as he ran toward her, she swiped her dagger in a downward motion through the air. "Demon fang!"

Kuchinawa saw the shockwave coming along the ground toward him and sidestepped almost comically away from it while he continued to motion toward her. She waited for him to stop and throw his dagger again, but realised too late that she shouldn't have expected the same move twice from him either. As they met blows close range and she raised her forearms to block, she saw a strange determination in his eyes rather than the hatred she thought she should be seeing. Testing their strengths, she noticed how much stronger he had gotten since they'd fought last. Though she held him off successfully, his dagger was slowly getting closer to her skin. She had to retreat before he got too much further. She couldn't risk further injury to her hair. It was already annoying enough as it was.

"That bastard Cerberus can't save you this time," Kuchinawa muttered, obviously thinking he had her this time.

She blinked and momentarily lost her focus. The dagger he was stabbing toward her chest got close enough that she could feel its cold breath. "Yuan? What's he got to do with this?"

"Don't pretend like you don't know!" he cried back, the power behind his motion growing stronger. With so much force against her now, she had no choice but to go on the defensive. Kuchinawa _was_ using more strength, but he was also off balance and vulnerable.

Resisting the urge to close her eyes, she dropped to the ground and raised her legs to catch Kuchinawa as he tripped toward her, blade plunging right for her heart. Still with her dagger gripped tightly in hand, she swiped at his dagger, knocking it out of his hand and off to the side with little effort as he fell in surprise. She then rolled slightly to her right.

A red flash of pain hit her in the her left shoulder before she could turn herself back toward Kuchinawa. She knew this four-spiked pain well and hated herself for having forgotten his most favourite weapon. Getting to her feet despite the pain, she saw that her old friend had already recuperated from his fall and retrieved his weapon. She backed away quickly, reaching a hand to her shoulder and carefully gripping the throwing star wedged into her skin. It wasn't deep enough to cause too much damage, but it would hurt later. Pulling it out and crying to the heavens as she did, she also realised another thing. She'd been so distracted by the pain that she had forgotten to pick up her own dagger. It still lay on the ground where she had rolled, glinting in the light of the moon that shone down on all of them.

"Guess it's down to my seals," she muttered to herself, preparing them quickly and rushing in to meet Kuchinawa for another bout of combat. He spun around on her approach with a roundhouse kick, which she blocked rather painfully with her hurt arm and retaliated with a knee to his stomach, winding him. He briefly held his stomach in pain before somersaulting over her to try and gain the advantage. Setting her seals, she whirled around and slapped them against him. "Demon Seal!"

Snarling, Kuchinawa was caught in the power of the seal long enough for her to get a few direct blows on him. Though she didn't have her dagger, she was kind of glad in a way. They had promised to fight to the death, but a part of her still hoped that it wouldn't go that far. She wondered if Kuchinawa, her former best friend, would really actually kill her.

A chill crept up her spine.

" _Sheelos!"_ called Yutis, one of the summon spirits of wind. _"Watch out. Something strange is afoot in this battle."_

She wondered whether that was the cause of the chill. Kuchinawa hadn't charged her again yet, and was instead just standing on the spot glaring at her. Even though she couldn't see his mouth, she got the strange feeling he was grinning under the cloth that covered it. She was about to go for him instead when she realised she couldn't move her legs. In fact, it felt like her feet were pinned to the ground by tiny electrical needles. They weren't necessarily painful, but the sensation made her stomach churn a bit.

She prepared her seals again when Kuchinawa seemed to be taking advantage of this strange event, knowing all too well the disadvantage she was at. He tried another roundhouse on her, which she ducked under somehow, but she couldn't dodge the second blow. The pressure alone sent her spiralling away from her locked position and to the ground. It stung badly upon her rough landing. She knew she might have a bit of internal bleeding from it. She could almost picture the terrible bruising she would have for weeks after this. This battle needed to end, and soon.

Getting to her feet, she reached for her summoning gems. She needed the upper-hand. A part of her felt bad for thinking about using them against him, but another part felt as though he deserved a bit of a lesson in respect for her abilities. She only had a short time to lament on those thoughts before she had to dodge another attack from Kuchinawa's throwing knife. While she dodged it, she noticed that he hadn't charged for her immediately after throwing it, as was his usual technique. It was only when she saw a flash of electric blue come from the knife out of the corner of her eye that she realised he was up to something else. The knife pulsed and a blue aura emanated from the ground and to her position so suddenly that she didn't have time to step out of the radius. Memories of her fight with Volt came to mind almost immediately when she felt the searing heat of electricity magic.

Unable to stand the pain, she fell to her knees in disbelief. It was _magic._ Without a doubt. She glanced up at Kuchinawa. He approached her slowly, taking out a second smaller knife from a hidden pocket as he did. "Kuchinawa," she groaned, "how are you using magic?"

"That's none of your business," he said. Evidently, it was also kind of an answer. She'd heard that response too many times over her journey for it to not be.

"You're a half-elf..." she gasped, eyes widening. "I can't believe it."

Kuchinawa paused, his brow creasing. "How do you know about half-elves?" He glanced over to Mithos and Martuan. They shrugged almost comically together.

"I can't believe you never told me," she said softly, her vision blanking out from the pain her body was feeling now. "We used to be so close."

"We don't exactly have a choice, thanks to the W.S.P," Kuchinawa replied. "Besides, whenever I was going to tell you, you were always fawning over _him."_

Sheelos' head spun as she connected the dots. He must have been talking about Yuan. "I wasn't-"

"Oh shut _up_!" Kuchinawa exclaimed. "I don't want to hear about it any more. I know everything. I get it! I get it already!"

"Get what?" Sheelos felt a surge of anger. She was full to the max from getting no answers from Yuan. She wasn't going to take it from Kuchinawa as well. "Why don't _you_ shut up and explain yourself!" She got to her feet and grimaced through the pain. "Or do I have to beat it out of you!?"

"Like you could in your state!" he mocked, taking throwing stars out of several other hidden pockets. "You can barely stand. Just die with honour!"

Fire danced from his fingertips for a second before transferring to the weapons. A hit from those would be too painful. She had to do something. Summoning would take longer than she had. Stepping back quickly to try and gauge the trajectory of the missiles he was about to throw was all she had time to do. With the fire around them, they looked like mini fireballs.

Sidestepping to the left, and then to the right, she realised too late that Kuchinawa had thrown some at a later point as well. She closed her eyes, getting ready to feel the burn. It never came however. Instead she heard a gasp from Kuchinawa, followed by a buzzing sound. Squinting her eyes open slowly, she couldn't help but gasp as well when she saw Volt floating in front of her, the shurikens of fire spinning around in his spherical body for a few seconds before disintegrating completely.

"Volt?" she asked, touching his gemstone. "But I didn't..."

"…." Volt replied. Sheelos wished she could understand what he was saying.

" _What?" c_ ame a yell behind her. She turned her head to see Martuan staring at Volt with a look of disbelief on her face. Mithos looked at his sister curiously. "You understood what he said?"

"Y..yes," she replied, her eyes darting back and forth. "He said that Lord Yuan wouldn't be happy if he let Sheelos die when he is so very close to success!"

At that, everyone's initial reactions were the same as Martuan's. Lightning crackled and struck down at Kuchinawa, sending him forcefully to his knees.

"..." Volt said, then vanished. For a few seconds after, all Sheelos could hear was the summon spirits congratulating Volt on a job well done. She took some deep breaths and watched Kuchinawa. He stayed on his knees staring at her for a few moments before falling backward to the ground, his body fizzling every now and again.

"It's over!" she cried, relief and terror washing over her as she ran toward her friend to check on him. She didn't want to check his pulse, but she knew she had to. Holding her finger to his neck for a short time, she let the relief overcome her terror when she felt a gentle thudding against it. "Thank the gods.." she breathed, kneeling and watching him while she took some breaths herself. "Kuchinawa? Can you hear me?" She coughed as the scent of burnt leather wafted up her nose. "Gods you need a bath."

Kuchinawa's eyes fluttered open. "Since when do you say something like that and not end it in a perverted way?" He side-glanced at her before looking back up at the sky and heaving a deep sigh. "That was pretty mean you know- using Volt against me, all things considered."

"You're the one who wanted to have a battle to the death," she accused back. "Besides, I didn't exactly ask Volt to do that. You heard what he said."

"Hmph, yeah," Kuchinawa muttered. "Of course the Cerberus got the summon spirits on his side. He has everything, doesn't he."

Sheelos frowned. "Why are you so hung up on Yuan all of a sudden? You never said anything about not liking him before."

"You think I'd get away with that in Mizuho?" Kuchinawa scoffed. "If you hadn't noticed, the Cerberus ranks higher than even _you."_

Sheelos rolled her eyes. "You know very well that I _noticed._ They'd all much rather he was _actually_ the Chosen after what happened with Volt. I thought you were the same."

"Pfft, no," the assassin flatly denied before crossing his hands around his stomach. Sheelos suddenly felt bad for winding him like she had. She only stopped feeling bad when she saw his stomach and chest moving up and down rapidly until Kuchinawa let out a laugh. "Ironic as it is, they'll probably get their wish, in one way or another."

Sheelos blinked and scratched her head. "You're not making sense again!" She poked him and he cringed, so she resorted to a lighter poke. "You promised you'd tell me why you're doing this. It seems so unlike you."

" _It_ truly is the wisdom of the fool and the folly of the wise," Kuchinawa replied, closing his eyes.

"Huh?" Sheelos squinted, feeling like she missed out on something. She was sure she'd been paying attention. "I guess I might as well tell you everything. I'm going to die anyway."

"You think I _meant it_ when I promised I'd kill you?" Sheelos raised her brows. "Who are you and what have you done with my dear Kuchy?"

"Please don't use that nickname ever again," Kuchinawa muttered. Sheelos grimaced and tilted her head, waiting for him to answer. He looked away from her. "I didn't join the Pope because I wanted to. I did it to stop myself being discovered as a half-elf. I struck a deal with him."

Sheelos thought about it. While she'd been away, the Church of Meltokio must have sent the order for the Chosen's Salvatorian. Mizuho had held it off for a long time, but they had always known that once the final order came, that would be it. It would either be time for a war between Mizuho and the Church, or acceptance of the way the rest of the world worked. Obviously Mizuho had chosen the peaceful approach. That meant that people's blood would be tested in Mizuho, and all over the world.

"You mean…. you made a deal with the Pope to make sure your blood didn't get tested? But that would mean-"

Kuchinawa didn't give her eye contact. "I didn't expect to get away with lying to you like that. Or I guess… I kind of hoped I wouldn't." He took a few deep breaths, obviously still in a lot of pain. "I suppose you just never paid as much attention to me as you did the Cerberus."

"Wait!" She held her hands in front of her in a stop signal. "So you're _not_ my Salvatorian?"

"Unfortunately not," Kuchinawa replied. "I swapped my blood with someone else's from the village. I didn't know who it was.. and I felt really bad about it, believe me."

Sheelos couldn't help but take a look over to the rest of the group. Mithos was clenching both fists, looking on at Kuchinawa with rage. She turned back to him. "But then who's-" She cut herself off from asking who the match had been when Kuchinawa got a look in his eyes. One she'd seen only a little earlier when he'd shown a hostility she hadn't witnessed before. All of a sudden it made sense.

" _They'll probably get their wish, one way or another."_

Her heart skipped a beat as she put her hands to her mouth. "N-no, it can't be."

Kuchinawa hid his eyes with a hand and heaved a deep sigh. "When the test came back as a match, along with an order to extradite me from Mizuho, that's when I realised I had swapped my blood with the only other half-elf in the village." He shook his head and cackled pitifully at himself. "I really am such a fool."

xxx

Kratos knew he should know better than to test it, but later that night as the remainder of the orange Tethe'allan sunset faded into the dark blues of the night sky, he found his mind and hand wandering to the gem sitting on his sword hand.

At first he pulled away and mentally tried to shake it off and think of something else. Once upon a time, listening to crickets had distracted him during the night. They were the steady beating heartbeat of the night, able to be so many different variants of noises all at once while also being a good indication of intruders in the surrounding areas. Nowadays, he almost found their natural sounds unsettling. The crisp silence of Welgaia at all times and there being no difference between day and night had warped his mind into thinking that was the normal way. He'd forgotten nature. That thought in itself was terrifying.

Still, Yuan had brought him out of his seclusion for a reason, and despite his misgivings for his old comrade, he intended to follow through with plans for the time being. It wasn't every day that the opportunity to fix ones mistakes presented itself, not to mention the opportunity to speak with Gabriel.

He planned to leave Raine and Regal just before daybreak- a relatively easy feat now considering how deep they both seemed to be into their sleeping patterns. They were both breathing shallow breaths, still with an air of refinement to them that he had never gotten from travelling with Lloyd and the children. Back then, it had taken a lot of self-restraint to not wake Lloyd or Genis up and tell them to stop snoring in such obnoxious tunes. The thing that had held him back was that he was fully and painfully aware that he too had once had a habit of blowing the roof off of an inn with his snores. It had been so bad in fact that Yuan had refused to share a room with him unless he first had earplugs.

" _Krat-"_

Though his mind had successfully wandered, his hand had as well, right to his Cruxis crystal. He pulled it back just as soon as he had touched it upon hearing a reverberating cry in his mind. Freezing on the spot and watching the sleeping figures of the human and half-elf that accompanied him, he waited until he was sure that he hadn't startled them awake to focus on the matter at hand.

He stared at the exsphere in disbelief. The voice he'd heard was unmistakeable. It was the sound of a voice that had once been dear to him, one that he had longed to hear again for a great many years. Kratos blinked at the gem, trying to dare himself to touch it again. It was the sound of his wonderful wife, and mother to his son. Anna. It didn't seem possible. How could that even be the case?

The brief conversation with Regal from earlier came to mind. He'd found out that a woman named Annalicia had existed. That in itself had been rather surprising considering that he'd learned that Lloyd was inside the Angelus Project on his own hand with Anna while Mithos took up residence in his body. He still didn't quite understand why or how that was possible.

Why had he heard the sound of Anna's voice? Regal had mentioned that since the split between himself, Raine and the other Kratos, he hadn't been able to contact her. Though he hadn't actually said it, he had implied that he expected Annalicia to be inside his exsphere somehow. Trying to remain calm, Kratos allowed his curiosity and confusion to lay way to courage to touch the gem again.

" _Pl-…. Hel-…. me….!"_

He flinched again. The voice was a little louder than it had been the first time, but far more distorted. There was no denying the tone even if he hadn't necessarily understood what was being said. It was a cry for help that sent shivers of unwanted but undeniable memory trailing up and down his spine, giving him goosebumps.

"Anna.." he mouthed accidentally as he touched the Cruxis crystal again. All he received this time was static. A thought came to mind thanks to the conversation with Regal earlier, and though he knew it was dangerous, he lifted the key crest that housed his exsphere off of his hand.

" _Finally! You can hear me now, right?"_

He'd been unprepared to hear her voice so suddenly, and found himself sending the key crest flying out of his hand and to within only a few feet from where Raine rested.

" _I've been trying to reach you for so long."_ She sounded upset. Kratos blundered for what exactly he should say but actually found himself speechless. He could feel a slight warmth coming from the Cruxis crystal.

Anna laughed then, a stark contrast to before. He recognised the laugh as one that was always at his expense, but he didn't really mind. _"I know you're not_ _ **my**_ _Kraine, but you're still Kratos. It is a little strange how much of Kraine I can see in you though."_

"You can say that again," he mumbled. "When I came down from Welgaia, I hadn't expected to meet such a.. strange.. version of Aselia."

" _Watch what you say about my home,"_ came a surprising snap from the woman. Kratos could almost picture her with her hands on her hips. He smiled, having always secretly liked that fiery part of her personality. _"_ _Though, I still have trouble understanding_ _how there are two Kratos' and two.. well, me. Yuan seems to have done a good job at dancing around that subject as always. I'm almost starting to think there are doubles of everyone going around. Mithos seemed a bit different to how I remember him when he was with the group as well._ _"_

"Curious," Kratos replied. He didn't say it, but it was pretty much the stark opposite to him. Mithos was the same as he remembered, putting the fact that he'd invaded Lloyd's body aside.

" _Sorry, but I know pretty much the same amount as both versions of you about what that half-elf is doing. Nice tactic with sticking around to try getting more information from Raine and Regal though."_

Kratos didn't know how to respond to her flattery.

" _It feels odd that_ _I'm not a half-elf now though,"_ Anna continued. _"_ _I still remember being Annalicia. I just.. feel a bit different now about things._ _"_

So she _was_ this Annalicia woman. Kratos tried to figure out the best way to word his next question. It seemed that Anna could see him, so he knew he would have to make up his mind shortly. She'd always disliked how long it took him sometimes to make a decision, since she generally acted more on instinct and impulse. She had the makings of a natural fighter despite her tall and thin frame.

Getting in just before Anna's timer reached its limit, Kratos asked his next query. "You were once two souls in one, correct?"

" _That's right."_ She sounded regretful. There was a bit of a pause before she continued. _"_ _It got so hot so suddenly after Gabriel gave Kraine that injection. I don't remember much after that until I woke up just after you swapped exspheres with my Kraine._ _"_

With Anna bringing that up, Kratos pondered back to the visions he'd received recently to do with Kraine-Kratos until another thought struck him. He'd seen Raine and Regal unable to touch their exspheres due to the strange forcefield. Why was it different for the other Kratos? He was the same as them as far as he knew. Did it have something to do with the company he had at the time? For that, he didn't have a single answer. He wanted to blame Yuan though.

"And where is Alicia?" he asked, wondering if he should have mentioned her name so easily. It was too late to go back on it now though.

" _Alicia…"_ Anna trailed off. _"_ _That must be my other half. I don't know where she went, but she isn't here._ _"_

Kratos sighed and glanced at the sleeping figure of Regal for a second. He had no way of trying to see if somehow the spirit of Alicia had entered his or even Raine's exspheres without revealing his ability to touch them through the barrier. Disposed to the fact that there was nothing more he seemed to be able to do, he stood from his spot and silently left Raine and Regal to ponder without worry of waking them.

xx

Raine shot her eyes open when she heard Kratos' footsteps fade off into the distance. Slowly moving at first in case he was still watching, she surveyed the area around herself and Regal. She could still see his silhouette in the distance, but he wasn't facing them. As quietly as she could, she reached for her book and pen and opened it to the next clear page. Starting at the top, she wrote and underlined a header.

_**Kratos: Acting suspiciously.** _


	82. Fractured friendships

Yuan.

Freaking Yuan.

Sheelos clenched her fists, trying to compute the serious amount of information she'd suddenly been in receipt of from her childhood friend. She snapped out of it when Kuchinawa wrapped one of his hands around hers for a second. "Why such an intense look? Shouldn't you be happy?"

Her heartbeat thumped in her ears and she carefully avoided eye contact. "What do you mean?"

Kuchinawa sighed and let go. "You know Sheelos, I spent a long time wondering why you were able to exhibit the same feelings we half-elves can. I guessed that it had to be because your summoning blood is strong, but I never really understood why someone with such a high IQ acted so.. ignorantly."

Sheelos struck a hand across his mouth to stop him from talking, but it was too late. She could already feel the "I knew it!" look from Colette and Martuan. Groaning, she took her hand away and let him continue. He did so with a mischievous gleam to his eyes at first. "You flirted with so many men, saying that it was the perfect cover for the Chosen, when actually it was a cover for how you were _really_ feeling."

She knew what he was getting at and knew she had to stop him. "D-don't be ridiculous. I did it because all of those handsome darlings needed to feel appreciated!"

"Moonshine on the water!" he snapped. "You did it because deep down you understood those feelings long ago!" His intense stare turned into something else; something that made Sheelos feel uncomfortable. She'd seen that look before in the eyes of many people she'd come to know. A certain blue haired half-elf man in particular came to mind, as inconveniently as ever.

"You were blinded by him and, to be fair, why wouldn't you have been? That's why you never saw how little he felt toward you!" He jolted upright as he poured his emotions out to her and let out a cry before resting back down on the ground. Volt's magic had done a real number on him. She hoped that the summon spirit hadn't fried his insides as well as his outside.

"And..." Kuchinawa added once the pain subsided a bit again, his voice turning into a low mumble, "why you never saw the one who would have given anything to take his place in your heart."

Her heart sank at Kuchinawa's revelation. Truth be told, the moment he'd started sounding so venomous toward the Cerberus, she'd realised his feelings. Just hearing his tone had reminded her of herself and how she'd felt upon seeing Yuan's own antics with Martuan, not to mention upon hearing the way he still fondly thought of this _Martel_ woman. It was a difficult aspect of her personality to accept when she saw how it looked from the outside. It hurt for Kuchinawa to hate Yuan, which meant that she had hurt Yuan over and over with her own jealousy. Ironically, she kind of hoped in an odd way she had.

"Um," Colette quickly spoke from the area where she, Martuan and Mithos were still standing around, watching their intimate conversation. Sheelos looked over at her and she continued. "We'll just be over there." She pointed toward the other side of the clearing. "Is that okay?"

Sheelos nodded thankfully. With their prying ears further away, she figured she might be able to more easily summon the courage to say what needed to be said. Mithos didn't seem to want to move, but did anyway when Martuan forcefully began to drag him along the ground.

Sheelos turned back to Kuchinawa. He had closed his eyes but his breathing was still deep and alive. It seemed that he just didn't want to see her any more. With just the two of them alone now, she noticed her nerves settling in. Unable to call Colette back without looking like an idiot, she accepted that she had to deal with it. "Kuchinawa…." she started, wondering how to let him down softly.

"It's alright," Kuchinawa muttered, "you don't need to say it. As I mentioned before, your feelings are abundantly clear." He sat up slightly and reached his hand to the garb wrapped around his head and face. In a quick movement, he'd removed it and dropped it to the ground beside him.

"What are you doing!?" she hissed, glancing around the clearing, "you're not meant to-" She stopped and gave in to feverishly studying the light silvery aqua tinged hair that poured down to his shoulders. She found herself stuttering. Her eyes travelled to the slightly pointed curve of his ears, and to the line of the mouth she'd never seen. Many of the men in Mizuho took part in a tradition of complete silence about their identities. They covered up their bodies and hid their true names until the day they were forced to take part in the W.S.P. Then, and only then, would they reveal their true selves to their Salvatorian. It was Mizuho's way of strengthening the bond between those forced together by the Church.

Kuchinawa smiled curtly at her expression. "Maybe that was part of the problem. You never got to see me for myself, so how could you really understand how utterly in love with you I was?"

Her heart twisted at his words, and any strength she might have had to say what she thought needed to be said vanished. He smiled, but he looked sad at the same time. She wondered how many times he'd looked at her with that kind of expression. Forcing herself to look away from his striking elven features, she gabbled for anything normal to say.

"Who knew you were hiding such a hot guy underneath that garment?" she concluded with such a soft, fake chuckle that made even her want to cringe. She prattled on regardless, not knowing when to quit, obviously. "You've really been holding out on me!"

"Very funny," he replied sarcastically, trying to stand again. Realising quickly that he wouldn't let her keep him down this time, she resorted to helping him. Kuchinawa turned his head toward the labyrinth forest. "Do you still have that charm I gave you back when I helped you with the E.C?"

"I..I think so?" she replied, reaching around her body and trying to find which hidden pocket it was in. She was stopped when Kuchinawa handed her a folded piece of paper.

"Good. _Keep it safe,"_ he said, raising his brows and poking the paper. She opened it quickly to read its contents, only to discover that there were two pieces. Perusing the words written on the first piece, she was shocked at the opening paragraph.

" _Destroy the charm. The Pope is listening to everything you say and do with it. I'm sorry. I had been eavesdropping on your adventure because I was worried about you. He found out and forced me to impart to him the technology I was using."_

She looked up from the letter briefly. Kuchinawa stood there, eyes plastered to the ground. Upon sensing her looking at him, his eyes briefly met hers. She tore away first and kept reading.

_"One thing you should know is that_ _**the Pope reports to the Cerberus. The Cerberus is working with him.** _ _I stole the following from the Pope upon our most recent meeting. I'm sure you will have no doubt who the writer was."_

_-Your Kuchinawa_

She looked up from the paper as she moved the new, slightly smaller strip in to reading view. Kuchinawa coughed and gave her a look that told her to get on with it.

* * *

_1\. Keep Mithos' trust. Help him with the Angelus Project research, pretending you are learning at the same time as him._ _Never_ _reveal your true relation to the project._

_2\. Convince Mithos that leadership as the Pope is vital to the creation of a viable body for the soul of his sister. Become the Pope at all costs and seek to gain the throne of Tethe'alla by any means necessary._

_3\. Take leadership of Cruxis at all costs. This is vital. Failure of this ensures your death._

_4\. Wait for the destined group to bring the summon spirits to you. You will have Origin by this time. This shall be all the proof you need of my abilities as well as your own latent ones. I will trick the summoner into transferring the pacts to you._

_5\. The mana cannon will be yours to use as you desire. With it, you are free to pursue the Age of Lifeless Beings._

_You will reign supreme if all of these conditions are met. If they are not, or if you betray me, I will not hesitate to take matters into my own hands. Do not forget our conversation of this night._

_-Y_

* * *

Sheelos took a breath after finishing the letter, her mind reeling to try and catch up. Glancing back over it, she stopped on the fourth listed paragraph. _**I will trick the summoner into transferring the pacts to you.**_

She read over the letter again. The same words echoed back to her in her mind. She quickly refolded the paper and looked up at Kuchinawa. To her surprise, he was much closer than he had been before. With him standing so close, she couldn't even wipe away the tears threatening to drop from her eyes.

"I'm sorry," Kuchinawa whispered, "my time is up."

"Your time?" She raised one eyebrow at him and playfully pushed him back a little. "Come _on,_ don't be like that. Who cares about those Mizuho customs? Obviously neither of us at this point." She gestured to his fully shown face, then to herself in general. "We'd make a good team."

She waved the letter he'd given her about, thinking on how they could possibly investigate the contents further together in secret. She could forgive him for what he'd done. He might even be able to join their cause, since it was likely he knew more than she had initially expected from their earlier conversation. He would get along well with the rest of the group and sooner or later they would all be sitting around a camp fire laughing about the time he tried to have a fight to the death with her.

Kuchinawa's face fell into a grimace at her offer. "Sorry..." He shook his head. She opened her mouth to complain, but blinked for a split second and found him completely gone from her sight. Still sensing she was being watched, she whirled around and reached out around her. Her hand clasped something, and Kuchinawa came back into sight. He smiled with a set of pearly white teeth that made her think he'd never eaten anything sweet in his entire life, before stepping in closer.

It all happened so fast that she didn't have a chance to react until he was leaning back and turning away. "This is goodbye, Sheelos."

Touching the cheek he'd pecked her on, just under her eye, she watched him casually wander over to pick up his head wrap before breaking into a limping jog toward the labyrinth forest. He vanished after a short time, as was his usual way. Despite knowing that he didn't want to be found, it didn't take her long to convince herself that she had to find him.

"Wait, Kuchinawa!" she yelled, giving chase, only looking back briefly as she wondered whether she had alerted her friends and whether she should ask for their help. She decided that this was a matter for her alone and sprinted off after him, as fast her her own wounded body would allow.

The labyrinth forest felt surprisingly alien to her after being away from Mizuho for so long. The moment she entered, she felt alone. The woods which had once been as much a home to her as Mizuho felt eerie and dark. Shadows lurked around every corner and the light of the moon rarely reached the ground. Without a sorcerers ring, she was left to possibly consider asking one of the summon spirits for help. She paused mid-step for only a second before shaking her head and continuing onward. Using a summon spirit in the middle of the woods have to be a last resort. Kuchinawa was an expert at hiding. Despite his wounds, she knew she would have to rely on her other senses as well to be able to find him.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself and closing her eyes, she tried to remember her training and focus on the noises of the night. At first they all came at once to her, until slowly she was able to separate them. She heard the buzz and tweet of two distinctly different insects, followed by the hoots of owls high up in the trees. A light breeze flew past her face, making her fringe tap against her forehead ever so slightly and the leaves and vines above her rustle.

Squinting her eyes shut even tighter, she told herself to concentrate harder. A frustratingly long time of only hearing the same sequence of sounds passed until an unnatural sound made her flinch. Trying not to lose her focus, she listened intently. Light footsteps caused some leaves to crunch under the weight. At first the sound was almost imperceivable, but it gradually grew easier to hear. She realised it was getting closer. Ignoring the urge to open her eyes, she waited until the noise grew close enough to potentially be dangerous. It sounded like whoever it was planned to ambush her from behind.

She sprung into action and whirled around as soundlessly as she could when she thought the presence was going to be on top of her at any second. The crunchy footsteps paused immediately and she froze, glancing around in all directions as far as she could without moving her head. A soft pink light caught the corner of her eye before disappearing once she turned to face it.

"Ack!"

The short pained cry that filled the night didn't require any special extra-sensory training. Instinct taking over, she forgot the footsteps that had been close and jogged to the north-west, the direction she'd seen the pink light. Even if it wasn't Kuchinawa, it was still certainly unnatural.

Running as fast as her legs would take her considering her wounds, she found the source to be coming from the opposite side of a stream and stopped dead in her tracks. The culprit stood from the figure lying at his feet and looked straight at her. She covered her mouth and stared when she saw how purple his blue hair looked under the amethyst coloured light his wings gave to the area immediately surrounding him.

"Sheelos," he muttered in his unimpressed tone, "what are you doing out here on your own?" The majority of his features were in shadow but he sounded like he seriously expected _her_ to explain herself. _"_ Where are the others?"

Unable to say anything to him presently, she looked down at the stream that gurgled past her. It was too wide to jump over from one side to the other, but several craggy rocks dotted an area just a little off to her right. Her heart pulsing in her ears and chest, she started across. Moving quickly hurt more than she expected it to, and by the time she reached the closest rock to the shore on the other side and jumped, she felt exhausted. It took all her remaining adrenaline and strength to take the last final long leap to dry land.

Painful jolts travelled up her legs and through her body upon landing. Crying in anguish, she lost her balance and fell down in front of a very still looking Kuchinawa. The ripe, slightly salty smell of fresh blood entered her nostrils while she looked him over. She didn't even really need to touch him to know the obvious. Flashes of the image of her mother, and the contrast between her blood and the white snow came to mind. She'd seen death before, and she felt just as confused this time around as she had been when she'd been a small child.

Despite knowing the awful truth, she summoned up the courage to feel for a pulse. When no sensation thudded under her finger, she sat back and stared. "No." She shook her head defiantly and pressed her fingers closer to the vein. Still nothing. The tears from earlier finally falling from her eyes, she rested her head against him for a brief moment until the realisation of Yuan's eyes on her forced her up to her feet.

"Why?" she whispered, looking the half-elf over, disgusted.

Unexpectedly, Yuan looked shocked. "Wait, you think _I_ did this?" The bewilderment in his voice sounded genuine. Sheelos had to remind herself that it was probably exactly what he would want her to think if he was tricking her like it seemed he had always planned to.

The crunch and rustle of more feet on leaves sounded through the stunning air of silence between them, drawing attention to a shadow that seemed to be darting around between the trees behind Yuan. Sheelos wearily drew a couple of her seals and waited for the unknown person to make themselves known, all the while seeing Yuan resting his forehead against a couple of fingers as though deep in thought.

"Man, whoever it was is _long_ gone," spoke a familiar voice that made her release a bated breath that she didn't realise she had been holding. "What a pain. I can't sense things anywhere near as well in this b-"

Lloyd stopped talking when he saw the stand-off between her and Yuan once he finally emerged properly into the area. Under Yuan's pink wing light, his red clothes were so bright that Sheelos had to shield her eyes until they adjusted.

"Chosen! I-I mean, Sh-Sheelos!" Lloyd greeted cheerfully, waving in a somewhat awkward fashion. She couldn't see much in the dim lighting, but she could make out a smile. Seeing her expression, his smile faded. He looked from Yuan to Kuchinawa- unmoving on the ground and a stark contrast to how he had been less than an hour ago- and then back to her. Sheelos found herself staring at Kuchinawa's lifeless body again. It still didn't seem real.

"This looks kinda bad, doesn't it," Lloyd said, bringing her back down to reality. She didn't quite know what to say yet. Before Lloyd had appeared, she'd been prepared to accuse Yuan- the half-elf she had known for more than half of her life, the man she had always trusted through thick and thin despite his multitude of secrets- of murder. Now that the swordsman had appeared, she knew it had to be someone else. There was no way that he was a part of any kind of elaborate scam. At least, she didn't think it was likely.

"What happened?" she asked cautiously, retracting her blame just slightly. Lloyd had always been willing to give her a chance to explain herself, so it was only fair that she did the same. "What were you talking about before?"

"We were looking for you," Lloyd explained, sounding a bit defensive. "And we heard a noise coming from this direction and saw this guy on the ground. Someone was running away from him. I chased them but they got away before I was able to find them."

"And that's when you showed up," Yuan continued on. "And as usual, you jumped to conclusions."

"Well what was I supposed to think?!" She put her hands on her hips. "You're always up to things, and you promised you'd tell me, and you still haven't!" The moment she said it, she felt bitter. If he _had_ ever planned to tell her everything, maybe he had been planning on using that to be able to trick her. Her hand touched something small and slightly sharp. She realised she'd subconsciously reached for the letter Kuchinawa had given to her.

"You were going to tell _her!?"_ Lloyd asked, eyes wide and staring at Yuan.

All of a sudden it all clicked. Sheelos blinked away her surprise quickly and tried to remain as straight-faced as possible. Everything made sense. Lloyd had been acting suspicious for a while- seeming to be a little more clued in on things than she remembered him having been before he and Yuan had appeared together at the foot of the Tower of Mana, right before the battle with Luna and Aska. Yuan had Lloyd working for him, probably by some messed-up means. They'd probably been working toward something, possibly the contents of the letter that had been addressed to the Pope, for some time.

Sheelos clenched her fists and bit her lip. She had to force herself to forget about that for the time being. If things _were_ the way the letter said, and the writer had been Yuan, then the last thing she wanted to do was to clue him or Lloyd in on her new-found knowledge. Currently she knew she had to focus on the matter at hand. Funnily enough though, thinking about it made her realise something.

"He knew he was going to die," she blurted out, her brain racing back in time to recall his words. He'd seemed so sure that she was going to kill him. It had felt odd then, to think that he would expect that of her, but now she knew why. "Why did he let it happen? He couldn't have..." She tried not to think of _that_ possibility.

"I don't think he did _that,"_ Yuan replied. Even hearing his voice- hearing him speak like they knew one another as well as she thought they did- made her irritated. She was so busy being mad at him that she briefly forgot that he would know what she was thinking as well. He had lived in Mizuho with her for quite some time after all, not to mention with the _other_ Chosen over the years. Being the Cerberus for a long time, she was sure he was as well versed in the villages customs as she was. "There was someone else here that did it. I think it was another half-elf."

" _Another_ half-elf?" she asked. "Why would half-elves kill each other.. unless.." She thought about his allegiance with the Pope. All of a sudden the charm he had given her felt rather heavy in her pocket. She took it out and glared at it. The Pope. He _had_ to have been involved. It was all too suspicious for him _not_ to be involved. She levelled her gaze on Yuan, wondering if now was a good time to attack him on his involvement with Cruxis. Instead, she held her tongue, more important matters coming to mind. "Kuchinawa deserves a proper burial."

If Yuan had any complaints, he didn't voice them. Sheelos turned to Lloyd, who was looking down at Kuchinawa. "Alright. Anywhere in particular that he might like to be buried?"

Without meaning to, Sheelos found herself sharing a look with Yuan and shaking her head at the same time as him. "No," the bluette said for her. Lloyd looked confused.

"A traditional Mizuhoan burial," she added, unable to make herself go into the details. Turning in all directions briefly, she gave up on her initial idea to head to the village herself. While wandering around looking for her friend, she'd definitely managed to get herself lost. Summoning was a very bad idea in her condition, and she didn't have any way of making a light source using only the clothes on her back.

She looked back to see Yuan and Lloyd sharing a glance but decided to ignore it and grab Yuan by the arm. "Make like a torch and come with me." She trod over a fallen tree stump and a dip in the ground that she was sure she would have fallen victim to and exited the area, thanking Lloyd for staying with Kuchinawa until they returned on the way.

She made a point of giving Yuan the silent treatment while they made their way back to the old beaten path through the forest that led to Mizuho. The half-elf picked up on it right away of course, and proceeded to brood with his arms crossed for quite a time.

"Well come on, tell me what I've done," Yuan murmured eventually, giving in before she herself cracked under the pressure.

She smiled to herself, making sure he didn't see it. "What you've done? Why don't you guess?"

"I'm not in the mood to play this game with you," he snapped. "And I reject the idea of 'making like a torch.'"

She laughed and gave him her best version of a relaxed expression. "Oh come on, I was just messing with you. It'd be funny if your wings attracted moths though."

Yuan huffed in response and turned his attention down the road. They were nearing the exit of the forest and only a short distance from Mizuho now. She felt oddly satisfied, giving him a taste of his own medicine for once. She wouldn't keep it a secret forever, but for now she had more important fish to fry.

The moment the familiar shadows of her village came into vision, a thought struck her and pinned her to her spot. Yuan strode up beside her and she realised he had dissolved his wings.

"What?" he asked, probably seeing her expression and mistaking it for something else. " _You're_ the Chosen, remember? All sorts of hell would break loose if I strolled in there looking like that."

"No.." she said softly. "It's just…" She couldn't tell him that he was in fact her Salvatorian, but it didn't feel right to lead him in to an ambush either. "They know you're a half-elf," she blurted out despite her better judgement. From playing the Game of Questions so many times, she knew all too well that this conversation could easily lead into her having to tell him what had happened with Kuchinawa.

To her surprise, Yuan didn't seem phased. He shrugged and continued on toward the village.

"Did you hear me?" she asked, feeling more panicked the closer they got. The outline of the houses slowly grew in detail. "Everyone in Mizuho probably knows your secret by now. They're probably going to arrest you on sight!" She grabbed his arm to get him to stop. "You can't come in with me. Just wait out-"

"-There's no need for that," Yuan replied quietly. "The Chief and Vice-Chief knew of my lineage long ago, as well as their fathers and their forefathers before them."

"Huh?" she could only ask, dumbfounded.

Yuan kept going, albeit at a slower pace now. "Don't you wonder how I was able to avoid being captured after centuries of being the Cerberus in Mizuho?"

It was a strange thing for him to ask- and a question she'd never really clearly considered. Yuan being the Cerberus was as normal as pineapple in curry. It had always just been the way things were. "Not until now," she commented truthfully. In the back of her mind, she already had her answer. If he was in cahoots with the Pope, and the Pope was a member of Cruxis as well, then it would have been easy for him to tamper with the samples given, just like Kuchinawa had. She decided to humour him and let him go on though.

"Do you know what the word _Cerberus_ means?" he asked.

She plucked the answer from her brain relatively easily. "Something about protecting? You protect the Chosen, and that's why you're the Cerberus."

Yuan chuckled a bit, making her feel stupid even though she'd given the correct answer. "It's true that I am protecting the Chosen, but that isn't the reason why I have diplomatic immunity within Mizuho."

Something scared her about his tone. It was pretty surprising considering how rarely he ever scared her despite the variety of choice glares he'd given her over the years. Suddenly on the verge of knowing something important, her first instinct was to flee. She ignored the impulse and stayed silent, hoping it would stir Yuan to continue to explain.

Yuan craned his head back to look her over. "I'm also protecting Mizuho's summoner lineage," he explained. "They are hoping that one day I will be a Salvatorian match to one of their own, since I am also a summoner. Albeit, not a very good one."


	83. Short distance apples

"Make sure you keen an eye on that strange activity in the hyperdrive chamber," he commanded into the mouthpiece, resting half his face on a clenched fist and watching through the one-way window as his men scurried about in the reactor room below. Some worked their spanners on the various nuts and bolts that decorated it, while others sifted through the notes and yelled out various check-lists. It was the last routine of the night- a tiring process and pointless as long as they lacked their key component- the Angelus Project.

"O-of course Lord Forcystus," the nervous half-elf on the other end replied, his voice crackling every now and then over the intercom system. "According to the notes, it is nothing to be concerned about, Sir." The line crackled for a few seconds longer and then went completely blank.

Forcystus scowled and rolled his eyes before spinning around on his chair to face the door. Just as he was about to get up and retire for the evening, the intercom for the hallway outside his room came to life, its tone so polite that it made him cringe every time.

"Yes?" he answered, knitting his brows. "It's late. The Age of Half-elves can't be a success if we're all sleep deprived. Go to bed if it's not urgent."

"Shall I have one of your Desians make me a bed and give me a cup of warm milk to help me sleep?"

Forcystus steadied himself on his spinning chair after hearing her voice. She hadn't been in contact for a few days, but it was most definitely _her_. Clearing his throat and straightening his overcoat, he pressed the green unlock button next to the intercom. The door whooshed open to reveal the woman on the other side. She smiled and bowed her head slightly as she stepped inside. "I see you haven't changed Lord Forcystus. Ever the fan of beauty sleep."

Forcystus rolled his eyes and tapped the bionic lens on his right eye. "Without rest, we can not recharge. I'm sure you didn't come here to chastise me however."

"No," the woman replied, taking her glasses off and giving them a quick wipe down as though she thought they were even remotely dirty. "I came to report to you on the situation as it is."

"And you couldn't just use the normal method of contact?" he asked, shying away from her suspiciously as she approached. He eyeballed the table pushed up against the right wall of the room. Usually they spoke via a hidden communications network between Sylvarant and Tethe'alla. The device, no bigger than a small dagger, sat atop a pile of unfinished paperwork on the ranch prisoners that he was yet to assign to his lackeys. He'd always found it a curious thing- knowing that he would not have given the second most powerful piece of technology in Sylvarant and probably Tethe'alla a second glance if he were a common thug or a rogue prisoner. It was genius.

"I'm afraid not," the green haired woman said, keeping a respectful distance. Somehow, he still felt unsettled. It was no mistake that those of her bloodline were destined for great, if terrible, things. She was coming to the Iselia ranch, very _very_ far away from the place she (albeit unwillingly) called home. She either had good news, or very bad news.

Forcystus forced himself to remain patient and exhaled. The woman continued. "As you know, Lord Gabriel asked me very recently for my council on retrieving the Angelus Project from its holder, a young half-elf boy. I regret to inform you that he preferred to keep his arm, rather than have it cauterised."

" _Cauterised_?" Forcystus stared at the woman. "You may now be a traitor to Lord Yggdrasil and your father, but you're certainly as psychotic as him at times, Commander Katherine."

She looked innocent enough on the outside, but the inside was a very different story. He supposed that was why he had always personally found her rather attractive. The half-elves he had saved from their fates over the years were easy books to read, to those who had the chance. The darkness and bitterness toward the human-born and the W.S.P was practically written all over their faces- making a need for their helmets two-fold. Not this woman though. The darkness in her heart was fuelled by her passion for their ultimate goal. Were they in warring times, he would have trusted her resourcefulness with his life.

"We are _all_ traitors," the Commander corrected, smiling grimly at his jest. "But don't compare me to that barbaric human. We both know that while I am his blood by birth, my allegiance has always been with my lineage. I am now completely convinced that my father is planning something adverse against the Age of Half-elves."

Forcystus wasn't the least bit surprised. He'd suspected it for quite a time of the human, but with him being Yggdrasil's right-hand man and always being accompanied by his Papal Knights, he'd had very little chance to interrogate him personally. "Did he confide in you what his plan was?"

The Commander bowed her head apologetically. "No. Unfortunately I had to leave Welgaia before I could get any information. There _is_ someone who might know though. He was the reason the subjects for the Angelus Project escaped without the need for me to cause a scene." She held her head. "Or maybe I should say _they_ were?" It was barely a mutter.

"Speak up woman," Forcytus demanded, irritated. "This world is already a confusing mess, without you adding to it. You will tell me everything you know."

There was a brief point of silence while Kate appeared to be calculating something. Grasping her hands behind her back and pacing past him to the desk to where the Sylvarant-to-Tethe'alla communication system sat, she glanced over it until she found a little brown book. "I am sure you are no doubt aware by now that our lead scientist has taken a serious turn for the worst."

"How could I not be? We all watched her gradual decline into this… bizarre state." He pictured the silver haired elven woman, working her fingers to the bone every day for their cause. Not many things or people scared him, but he was willing to concede that she was one such person. Despite his better judgement since she had been a full-blooded elf, he had rescued her from a watery death only a couple of decades ago and put her to work. She had only seemed too happy to comply. Soon enough, he had discovered that her wonderfully bright mind was being wasted as a brute Desian when he one day found her sketching out complicated mathematical equations when she thought nobody was watching- in the book the commander was now leafing through gently.

Without a shred of doubt, she was the most passionate person for the cause that he had ever met; himself, Katherine and Lord Yggdrasil all falling short of her. She never said much personally to him outside of reciting her findings and future hypothesis' to him, but he of course had been compelled to ask her what drove her to want to see the mana cannon project completed.

" _My daughter,"_ she had responded the first time. _"We will unite one day again and live in peace."_

He'd asked her more than once over the years for the drive behind her undying passion, hoping to get a little more information. The response had stayed exactly the same for almost a decade though, until suddenly he had been thrown off-guard by something slightly different.

" _I'm doing this for Raine and Genis,"_ she had responded. " _My children are everything to me. I do this so that one day we will unite and live peacefully."_

Up until that point, there had been no reference to a name, let alone _names,_ but the woman had offered him no further explanation.

"On face value, she appears to have simply lost her mind," Katherine continued to describe. "But I have reason to believe that she may just be more… sensitive, to certain ways the world appears to work."

"You are talking about these dual-souls that appear to exist around the world," he deduced. "The ones Yggdrasil believe are the cause for the rift between the elves, humans and half-elves."

"Essentially," Commander Katherine confirmed. "We both worked extremely closely with Professor Sage over the years. We both know the names of her beloved children- the ones she was doing all of this for." She gestured to the control room through the one-way window. "What if I were to tell you that I met one of them?"

"One of the Sage children?" Forcystus found his curiosity piqued. He had to play it down though, for the sake of his own ranking. "Continue."

"I met Genis Sage. He is without a doubt Professor Sage's son. He is the one who currently possesses the Angelus Project."

For some reason, he found that pill a little difficult to swallow. "How is that possible? The A012 Angelus project was developed on a woman named Annalicia and then transferred to her younger sister. How did it end up on one of the Sage children?"

"That is where the idea of these dual souls comes into play," Katherine concluded, bringing in her point finally. "When I spoke with Genis, I also spoke with a young girl named Presea. She is another victim of Angelus Project research. She looks like Gesea, the younger sister of the siblings. _Genis_ also has some of her features."

Forcystus found himself pacing in thought, knowing where she was going with this. If this was true, than Lord Yggdrasil's idea that it was the cause of all the unrest in the world certainly had merit. He briefly wondered if there was shame in disbanding their idea and rejoining Cruxis' goals, since technically nobody knew of their traitorous thoughts. He relinquished that idea quickly. Humans would forever associate half-elves with Desians, even if they were to finally understand them. They were in too deep. They had no choice left but to flee back to where they belonged.

"My point is simple, Lord Forcystus," Katherine said. "As you are no doubt aware, there has been a terror attack on Palmacosta. Do you know who did it?"

"My sources tell me it was Lord Kraine," he replied. "Though I have yet to get a concrete answer as to why Cruxis have changed their tactics."

"Your sources are incorrect," Katherine said without an ounce of tact. "Slightly. I spoke with the townsfolk and they all said the same thing. An angel with blue wings and of medium build, with auburn hair and deep brown and red eyes was seen causing a raucous."

Forcystus frowned in confusion. "That sounds about right."

The Commander grimaced at him like she felt sorry for him. He had to try not to roll his eyes. She obviously had more intel than that if she was bothering to say it. "Go on, tell me otherwise," he said, slightly deflated and retreating back to his comfortable chair. He gestured for her to pull up a seat and join him, but she remained standing.

"Lord Kraine's eyes are not deep brown, nor any kind of red," she elaborated. "They are without a doubt a very striking blue."

"I suppose I have not really had as much of a chance as you to gaze into the man's eyes," he muttered, feeling a little better about his own intel being wrong.

"Yes, well," Katherine stuttered, clearing her throat, "my hypothesis is that Lord Kraine is no longer and that he is in fact, Lord Kratos."

"Lord Kratos.." Forcystus couldn't help but know the name. It had been one of the only whispers of the deeper workings of Cruxis and the four Seraphim that he had been privy to. "Lord Yggdrasil has mentioned Kratos in the same breath as his wish to make humans understand half-elves and live 'happily ever after'. Many times in fact."

"I have reason to believe that Lord Kraine found out something about my father while he was in Welgaia, something that threatened him, and that is why he has somehow been split from the other souls that encumbered this body. It would be prudent to speak with him."

"That seems to be the most resolute option," he agreed. "What do the Renegades know?"

"I made contact with Botta before using the transfer system to come to Sylvarant," the Commander explained. "He has been given the instructions to lay low by their leader until further notice. It seems as though the Renegades may have an angle on something they are not willing to share with us currently."

"We can not wait for their answers indefinitely," he replied. Though he knew he probably owed it to her, he stayed the rest of his thoughts. He'd long suspected Pronyma of being the leader of the Renegades. She disappeared from communications for months at a time and always liked to lick the boots of the seraphim whenever the chance presented itself to her. There didn't seem to be any other reason the leader wouldn't want to speak with him personally. "If we do not mobilise soon, Gabriel or Yggdrasil will get the Angelus Project first and force our hands into either submission or warfare."

"Correct," Katherine agreed.

With her earlier air of confidence gone, Forcystus knew he was venturing into unfamiliar territory for her. She was not a soldier, so he could forgive her for being nervous at the prospect. "I trust you will ensure the Exirian army is ready?"

"Of course," she said. He sensed she wanted to say something else, so he waited. When the moment passed, she brushed away the awkward silence and eye contact with a bow of her head to him. "That is all I have presently, Lord Forcystus. I will show myself out."

With that, Katherine turned her back and trotted out, pressing the button to open and close the doors behind herself as she did.

xxx

Kate clutched her shaking hands tightly as she looked down the hallway of the Desian base. Forcystus was a wise man, as was expected of a half-elf hero. She had no doubt that he would have gotten the truth from her lips had she stayed any longer. Knowing her nerves were getting the better of her and that Forcystus was big on hearing the thoughts of his subordinates, she closed her eyes and touched her chest. A slight warmth buzzed where her exsphere sat. Glancing up at one of the many mirrors that decorated the base and seeing no reflection, she felt satisfied and a bit more relaxed as she headed toward the exit.

She hadn't spoken with Forcystus over the communicator because it hadn't been possible to go to back to Sybak to do it. Her father had spies and undercover Papal Knights everywhere in that city. Even _with_ having the luxury of using her enhanced exsphere to bend dimensional light around herself to become essentially invisible, she couldn't walk through walls or people.

What she needed was a new plan. Everything was in disarray. Their albeit small resistance group of half-elves would have been no match against their opposition, so Forcystus and Virginia had come up with the idea of gaining the favour of the half-elves in Exire. They had mostly been weak and defeated people with nothing to do but hide in fear of being captured and tortured or enslaved, but they had changed that the day they had promised salvation in taking back Derris Kharlan, their true home. From that day on, the floating city of Exire had become a base of secret military action. All until recently anyway.

Upon returning to Exire, Genis and Presea in tow, she had noted the different air about it almost immediately. No routine training sessions about; very few people were wandering out of their homes. She hadn't even been able to properly question Virginia yet on her current condition without fear of ruining her cover since the eccentric doctor had been spending far too much time with her, even after Genis and Presea had left.

Before leaving to report to Forcystus on her own rheaird, one she had borrowed from the Renegades in exchange for cooperation between their two parties despite the possibility of mismatched goals in the future, she had tried another experiment on the people in Exire. Standing in the small shopping mall where the half-elves bought the majority of their goods on a daily basis, she had called a command for all to attention. She'd gotten everyone's attention, sure, but not exactly in the way she'd expected or hoped. The majority of them ignored her after a moment and went back to their business, while others gave her blank looks. Talking to Kratos was an important course of action, but without the Exirian army, she had nothing.

Nothing _yet,_ anyway.

She could still scarcely believe it was true, but she knew in her heart that the young half-elf and his sweet pink haired friend weren't lying to her. They'd spoken about it so casually, as though it were common knowledge, that she'd had to take a few pages out of her fathers book to mask her true surprise at learning such an important detail.

She couldn't allow Mithos or their father to take the lead in the race to complete their opposing goals. She was going to have to take matters into her own hands. Telling Forcystus about the new Exire would be a last resort, if they couldn't win through less violent means. If she couldn't get Genis to give her his Angelus Project, and wasn't able to take it by force, she was going to have to go after Lloyd, the holder of a _second_ Angelus project. The only problem was _finding_ him- or at least it would have been if her father hadn't made it so incredibly easy for her. His various phials of poison and antidotes hadn't been the only things she had made off with from his hidden lab before leaving Welgaia.

Once she was clear of the Desian base and standing in the woods just outside of Iselia, she rummaged through her small handbag until she found a bright red charm in the shape of a bird. It looked just like a typical souvenir for good luck, with one twist to it. By pressing a hidden button, she could listen to the person on the other end of the line through a small speaker, provided that they weren't too far away. When she got nothing but static upon pressing and resting it against her ear, she climbed aboard her rheaird and set out toward the Trietian Renegade base.

xxx

Genis felt his eyes getting heavy as he scouted the land below for any signs of their party. The sandy landscape seemed to blur into one after a while and he found himself getting distracted in his thoughts. Every now and again he would hear a sound from Presea when she mentioned she thought she had seen something, only to be met with disappointment. When his friend called out for him to stop in a more urgent tone, he shook his head and looked up in time to slam on the brakes. The clouds around them cleared, and both parties let out equal gasps of surprise.

"Kate?!" he asked at the same time as Presea, who leaned over his right shoulder and tilted her head. He could remember seeing her at Exire recently, even though it felt like one of the many odd disconnected memories he'd been experiencing since leaving. What surprised him more than seeing her was the identical magitechnological bird that she sported.

"Fancy seeing the two of you up here," the half-elf scientist said with a little laugh.

"I didn't realise you had a rheaird," Presea said. "How did you get one?"

It was a good question. Genis bobbed his head. As far as he knew, only the Renegades owned them. If she had gotten one from somewhere else, it may have been a good indication on where Lloyd might have been. There was only one problem with that theory though- to the tune of _how did Kate leave Exire to begin with._

Kate recoiled at Presea's question. For a few seconds they all just floated in mid-air, the sound of their rheairds and the coo of the wind filling the silence. "Exire have quite a few of them," Kate explained after a bit. "Any progress on finding Lloyd?" she asked quickly after.

"Actually..." Genis started, then thought better of lying, shook his head and sighed. "Not at all.."

There was another silence. Kate turned away from them, and for a second Genis thought she was going to take off. Turning back to them, she smiled. "You're in luck. I actually have a lead on where he might be."

"Really?" Genis blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected her to be looking but he didn't want to look a gift horse in the mouth so stayed quiet. Behind him, Presea hummed in thought but didn't say anything either.

Kate nodded and waved a hand for them to follow her. As she set off and Genis put his foot to the pedal of the rheaird again to follow, he felt Presea lean closer again. "Genis," she whispered, "let's be careful."

"Right." He had to admit, it did seem a little too good to be true. Suddenly he found himself having to slam on the brakes again when Kate stopped moving. At first he thought it was just cloud cover, but then he saw steam coming from the back of her rheaird. "Uh oh..." he mouthed before Kate let out a scream as her rheaird started to fall down toward the land below.

"She's going to crash!" Presea yelled. "Genis, I'll take care of our rheaird!"

"Right," he agreed, standing and summoning his wings. It only dawned on him as he flapped down, took Kate's outstretched hand, and saw the surprise written all over her face, that his wings felt as unnatural as the Angelus Project on his hand. Surprised as he found himself struggling to remember how he had gotten them, he almost let Kate go. Luckily it seemed Presea was adept at flying their rheaird and positioned it below them before, they too, might have made a crash landing.


	84. Web of deceit

Ultimately, learning Yuan was a summoner wasn't _that_ surprising, Sheelos found. Yuan gave her a long look when she refused to react appropriately and all she could do was laugh at him.

"What?" She shrugged. "So you're a summoner? You're a half-elf, so the likelihood was going to be at least double _my_ chances."

Yuan mulled that perspective over and eventually bowed his head. "I suppose so. I just figured you would be angry at me for not telling you the truth behind the survival of the Cerberus."

Sheelos studied him for a few more moments- his blue hair, his wise green eyes. He hadn't aged at all since the day she had met him, and somehow she hadn't really questioned it. When he raised a brow and pulled a loose strand of his hair back into his ponytail, she quickly darted her eyes away to the greenery that surrounded them, her cheeks on fire.

"Is that why they call you Lord Yuan?" she asked, aware that she was asking Yuan a question but needing an escape, quick.

"Who?" He went for the quick and dirty reply. He wanted to play, but he wanted to corner her while doing so.

As though her want to ignore talking about the W.S.P and their role gave her extra strength, Sheelos found herself all of a sudden with many questions to ask back.

"Have you had pacts with the summon spirits before?" She didn't think it was completely out of the question. He'd been alive for a long time after all.

"What reasons do you have to think that?" he challenged. Obviously he didn't think them calling him a lord and doing things out of the blue in his name was anything concrete- not that he knew about that last bit, Sheelos reminded herself.

"Why do they seem to know you on a personal level?" she tried.

"Have you asked them?" he questioned back.

"Why do they refuse to say what they know about you?" She waited for his inevitable rebuttal, firing herself up for another round of question ammunition while she moved through some overgrown bushes that lined the path leading to Mizuho. They were getting close. She recognised a different, somewhat relaxing, scent in the air.

To her surprise, Yuan fell quiet. So quiet that she actually started to feel nervous about having asked. Only a second earlier had she been thinking that she was making it too easy for him. Thinking about it, she realised Yuan would have been asking a question that she had already answered, if his response had been along the lines of asking what they had been refusing to answer. She wondered whether she would win and what she might learn from her victory.

"Which ones are making it so obvious they know something?" Yuan asked after a sigh. He shot her a weary look that sent her nerves going again.

Trying to keep her mind clear, she went on. "Did it involve a pact with one of the spirits I currently have one with?"

"Didn't I tell you that I was a horrible summoner?"

She mulled over his new question. It seemed to mean that he hadn't had pacts with Volt and the like. Treading carefully, she re-worded her earlier question. "Does that mean that you have made pacts with spirits that I _haven't?"_

"Why would that mean that your spirits know something?" He stopped with her at the gate of Mizuho, a curious blue brow raised at her.

Sheelos thought hard. She knew the answer to that. It was just a case of wording it correctly. It had to have something to do with the heirachy of summon spirits. She wondered if she should just go in for the kill and ask about every summon spirit. Of course, she knew Yuan wouldn't let her get away with that. He would stop her before she even got close to guessing the truth by distracting her away with another well formed question. A part of her wondered whether this is what he did at night when he didn't sleep. She could almost picture him feverishly questioning himself on everything so that he could have an open-ended response to everything until the right question was asked.

This, like her last game of questions with him, seemed a bit different. He wasn't necessarily dodging the truth any more. It was more like he wanted her to figure it out for some reason.

"Why are the two of you having a heated debate at the gate of the village at this time of the night?" an easily recognisable voice asked right as she opened her mouth to try to respond back.

"Orochi?" she gaped, blinking at the sight of Kuchinawa's older brother as he emerged from a post in the ground that he had been standing on. She'd been so focused on her mental battle with Yuan that she hadn't even registered him standing there. A part of her wondered just how much he had heard. "What are you doing outside of your hut?" she asked. It was especially odd given the curfew. She'd always hated that thing and snuck out on several occasions to go to her favourite clearing and look at the starry sky above.

"That is none of your concern," Orochi replied. "Do you want me to take you to Vice-Chief Tiga?"

Something was wrong. Sheelos wondered why he was being so cold toward her. As she was wondering what to say, Yuan took over with the correct priority. "Actually, we were looking for you. Coincidence is a curious thing."

Sheelos wondered whether Yuan had gotten the same vibe as her. He seemed to be doing his own special brand of digging for answers.

"It's about Kuchinawa," Sheelos whispered. "He's..." Saying 'dead' didn't feel right. "Gone from this world," she said instead, dusting the harsh truth with a little sugar.

At first, Orochi didn't really respond. It was only when she went to ask him if he was okay that he seemed to realise that he'd been quiet for a bit too long. "I see," he offered. "And you wish to do a rite ritual from Mizuho for him?"

"Well, yeah. Isn't that the _rite_ thing to do?"

Orochi didn't answer right away again and Sheelos found herself studying his face. Unlike Kuchinawa's, she could see the majority of it. There wasn't even a slight hint of a smile at the terrible pun. So bad that she thought even Yuan might be cringing on the inside. Apparently her attempt at easing the fragile mood the situation called for had failed miserably. She began wondering about something else.

According to Kuchinawa, he had swapped his blood with the 'only other half-elf in the village', Yuan. That had to mean that he believed Orochi was not a half-elf. If that was the case, she had to assume that their mother, unhappy with her Salvatorian after giving birth to Orochi, had found a half-elf or an elf to comfort her. The thought gave her shivers. The very situation was one she knew all to well. Had things turned out differently for her mother, she was sure she might have had a half-sibling floating around somewhere.

Mizuho was a place situated away from the tradition of the W.S.P, so it seemed possible that some of its people might understand the concept of loving another for pleasure rather than just responsibility to the world population. She thought of the people in Luin. It was a town well known in Sylvarant for its anti-w.s.p behaviour. That was essentially why it seemed to be the place of much misfortune. From arsen to murder, it definitely wasn't the safest place to live. It was possible there were more people in the world willing to treat what the half-elves and elves could feel as something other than ludicrous.

"We should go," Yuan said. "Before anyone else in the village see us." Of course, Sheelos knew he meant 'see me.' The people of Mizuho loved him. Perhaps not to the same proportion as the women of Meltokio- only wanting to be tested as the Chosen's Salvatorian so that they could marry into politics and be protected for the rest of their lives- but still they all seemed rather enamoured by him. A part of her hated that she had fallen in with that crowd, but another more self-centered part of herself wanted to think that she was different to the rest of them. Orochi left first upon Yuan's suggestion. Sheelos gave chase in order to make sure he went in the right direction. She hoped he had a torch. Yuan wouldn't go into seraph mode with him around.

Their path through the labyrinth forest lit by a more normal means thanks to Orochi oddly having a lantern on his person, it felt like the woods around them stretched out for longer. Listening for the sound of the river, Sheelos walked alongside the blue-clad ninja, watching as he took large leaves and vines from various areas as they went, wondering whether she should try to comfort him. He seemed to be putting on an indifferent face, but she was sure he was hurting. Even if Kuchinawa had been away from Mizuho for a while, working for the Pope, Orochi had always been close to him. She wondered whether Kuchinawa had told him of his feelings toward her and the hatred he seemed to have been harbouring after the death of their parents. She wondered whether Orochi had secretly felt the same way and simply pretended to forgive her for what had happened all those years ago in Volt's temple.

When they reached the clearing by the river where they had left Lloyd with the body of Kuchinawa, she heard Lloyd talking.

"You don't have to worry so much. We both know that this is what has to be done. Revenge is a bittersweet entity. Wouldn't you agree, Noshy?"

Noishe had somehow found them. She breathed a sigh of relief, knowing how glad Lloyd must have felt to have his pet back. Forget Corrine- _Noishe_ was a heat-seeking missile, always homing in on Lloyd no matter where he ended up.

Though she might have wanted to stay hidden and listen for longer, Orochi and Yuan ruined that for her. She secretly rolled her eyes and put on her smile just for Lloyd. If he was working with Yuan, he might slip up and say something he didn't mean to again as long as she didn't give him cause for alert. A part of her relished in the idea of Lloyd giving away Yuan's plans when the half-elf was always so meticulous otherwise. She puzzled over what might have possessed him to pick Lloyd as a confidant over her, and felt a bloom of jealousy.

Orochi set down the leaves and vines he had collected and looked down at his brother. His elven face now covered by his usual garb. For the first time since they had broken the news to him, Sheelos saw Orochi display an emotion other than indifference. He knelt down to his brother and rested a hand on his forehead.

"We found him only a short time ago," Lloyd said, wanting to contribute somehow, and probably wanting to make it clear that they'd had nothing to do with his death. As Orochi regarded Lloyd's statement, Sheelos couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking. Did he blame them? Was that why he had seemed so strange toward her back in the village? She wondered whether he had formed an opinion all on his own and jumped to conclusions, just like she had, since he hadn't asked them yet about how his brother had died. She wanted to ask, but the question died in her throat when Orochi started to mutter something in a different language. Though she recognised the tongue, it sounded like gibberish to her.

"I wish we could say for certain," Yuan remarked, looking down at Orochi. It seemed he could understand it. "Whether he suffered," he added after a minute, glancing at her. She bobbed her head in understanding, curious to the fact that it seemed to have been elven language.

"May the old Gods watch over your spirit and your betrayal be forgiven in lieu of the truth," he whispered. Sheelos wanted to ask him to elaborate but stopped herself, instead helping him to wrap Kuchinawa's now quite stiff body in a collection of leaves and the rope-like vines that hung throughout the forest. She tied a knot with a bow on one end while saying a silent prayer. Orochi did the same at the other, kissing his brothers forehead before placing a final leaf on to his face through the gaps in the vines. Glancing at one another as they placed their hands under his wrapped body, they bobbed their heads and lifted Kuchinawa in order to carry him to the mouth of the river. Lloyd and Yuan followed a few paces behind them respectfully.

xxx

"Stop fidgeting, Mithos," Martuan snapped at her brother for the tenth time in the last hour. He hadn't been able to sit still since Sheelos had left their little clearing, running after her little boyfriend. She felt like she was just about at her wits end with him. It was hard enough going along with his idea about converting a whole society of people into their true selves using the Angelus Project, without having to put up with his constant child-like tendencies.

Colette giggled beside her, but stopped when she accidentally looked at her crossly. She smiled apologetically and asked her to explain why she thought it was funny.

"It's just..." Colette tilted her head and smiled a bit as she watched Mithos still pacing back and forth, glancing toward the forest every so often. "Mithos is very similar to Lloyd. I'm glad that they decided to be friends."

Martuan hummed in response. It retrospect, it seemed actually rather strange how easily they had seemed to forgive each other. Mithos had done so many things to Lloyd and his friends. She hadn't expected Lloyd to be so understanding of Mithos' ideals. Perhaps it really was destiny that the boy was going to try to put right what Mithos had allowed to sprout beyond his control so many moons ago. She didn't say any of her thoughts aloud of course. Mithos would likely have taken offense to it in some way, or tried to justify the way he had planned to do things initially. She shivered when she thought about the fact that he had killed so many and allowed the W.S.P to shape the world in order to get an appropriate vessel for her.

"I also think Lloyd has very good instincts," Colette added. Martuan was coloured surprised. The girl actually seemed to have another meaning behind her sweet words for a change. "So if Mithos is similar to Lloyd in that way, maybe we should listen to him?"

Mithos stopped his frustrating back and forth's and looked in their direction, a hopeful glint in his eyes as he waited for her verdict on the matter. Martuan closed her eyes and tried to sense anything hostile. She wasn't particularly great at it, but even she could sense that there was nothing to worry about other than the standard monster. The Chosen of Tethe'alla was strong enough to handle them on her own. She had grown up in a village surrounded by the very forest, after all. She hoped Sheelos had been able to find her half-elf friend though. The ninja was many things, but he had also been quite brave. She commended him for that.

"Please sis?" Mithos asked. He sounded closer. She squinted her eyes open and sighed with defeat upon seeing not one, but two sets of blue eyes staring at her with hope. Mithos had come in closer for extra effect. "Let's pack our bags and go to find the Chosen," she added for emphasis that they would not be getting sidetracked. "Hurry up."

Despite being resolute to the children (technically one very old child), she couldn't help the smile on her lips when Colette and Mithos yelled happily and high-fived each other at the success. Even if it did seem like there was no cause for alarm, they needed Sheelos. She was their ticket to success. Plus, she _had_ sensed one strange thing right before opening her eyes. She wasn't close enough to pinpoint exactly what it was, but it hadn't been there before. For curiosities sake, if nothing else, they would go.

xxx

They stopped at the same time when the river of the forest gained a little more traction and funnelled outward toward the sea. Placing Kuchinawa in the water gently, they said another prayer together before letting him go. Unruly tears streamed down Sheelos' face as she watched her old friend drift out to the ocean, never to be seen again. She wished she hadn't dreaded seeing him again after their meeting at the Otherworldly Gate. She wished she had found him before the unthinkable had happened. It seemed surreal to believe that less than two hours ago, he had confessed his feelings for her. Orochi turned to her, a forlorn expression on his face. She was surprised when he opened his arms. Though it seemed like an odd gesture, she was thankful for it and stepped into his embrace.

"And may my brothers wishes be paid in full, with Mizuho prosperous for generations to come," he whispered into her ear.

"Wait.. what?" Sheelos immediately attempted to pull away, stopping abruptly and gasping when she felt something cold and metallic against the side of her neck. It could have only been a dagger, hidden on Orochi's person.

"Don't worry, this is just a precaution," he muttered. "Just do as I say and we won't have to do this the hard way."

"Don't tell me you.." Lloyd started, then trailed off. Sheelos watched his face contort into rage.

Yuan summoned his butterfly blade but held it to his side for the time being. "You took your own brothers life," he remarked. "How despicable!"

Sheelos felt her stomach do a flip-flop at the accusation. She carefully watched Orochi and started to feel sick when he didn't deny it. "That goes for the two of you as well," he commented instead, bobbing his head at Yuan and Lloyd. "We can avoid bloodshed if we cooperate."

Lloyd drew one of his twin swords, the one on his right, and point it at them. "I could say the same to you. Let the summoner go. Now."

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Orochi replied. "To do so would make his sacrifice for nought."

"But..." Sheelos' head spun. "Why Orochi?"

Orochi didn't look at her, instead facing the two boys and the growling Noishe. Sheelos was sure that the only reason he hadn't attacked yet was because Lloyd hadn't.

"This Worldwide Survival Project has always seemed ludicrous to the people of Mizuho, yet we have obeyed the wishes of the Church nonetheless. Only one person stood in the way of the Cerberus fulfilling his duty. My brother."

Sheelos felt her cheeks flush. All of a sudden she knew what this was about. This was because Mizuho somehow had found out that Kuchinawa had switched the blood samples and named himself as the Chosen's Salvatorian. If some of them already knew of Yuan's background, then it seemed fair to assume that they'd guessed the blood had actually come from their Cerberus.

"Fulfilling my..." Yuan trailed off, then his eyes began to widen as he stared at her. Sheelos felt sure steam was going to come out of her ears at any moment. She considered kneeing Orochi in the stomach, but the knife was so close that any sudden movements would surely end up in some severed important arteries.

"But why did you kill him?" Sheelos cried. "If you knew the Cerberus was my Salvatorian, then surely you didn't need to kill Kuchinawa to prove that!" The whole situation practically reeked of a set-up. Considering it involved the W.S.P, Sheelos willingly placed the blame on the Pope and felt a little bit better.

"And that's where you're wrong," Orochi replied, his body stiffening up against her a bit. "But I don't have time to tell you everything right now. You will come to Mizuho. All of you." He looked at Lloyd. "We will take Lloyd as our prisoner until our needs are met."

"Like hell you will!" Lloyd sounded like he had reached the end of his patience tether. "You need the Chosen. You won't slit her throat. What a poor bluff on your part!"

Running toward them with his slim blade ready to strike, Noishe at his side while Yuan for some reason had whirled around in the other direction, Sheelos watched her potential saviours trip and fall flat to the ground. Noishe howled in disdain, while Lloyd cursed in a way she had never heard before while he tried to fumble around with what had tripped him. Sheelos didn't need to wonder for very long. Looped around Noishe's back legs and bundling up his fur were two almost invisible wires, like the ones used with fishing rods.

"There's more of them," Yuan said, a snarl in his voice. "This was the plan from the beginning. We fell right into their trap."

It seemed even an ancient angel of Cruxis was able to be surprised by a ninja ambush sometimes.

"Try to get up and fight again, and you may lose a limb or two," Orochi said, moving away. Sheelos took a startled breath and helplessly watched him pinch Lloyd's weapons from him. It was impossible to see the threads, but she was sure they surrounded her as well. If she took a step without permission, she would likely get strung up like a puppet.

"Alright," she groaned, rolling her eyes for emphasis. "Let's go and see Chief Tiga for a proper explanation."

"Good." Orochi clicked his fingers. It was some kind of signal, but she didn't really know what for. Yuan apparently did, or at least had an inkling, because he moved to help a very irate looking Lloyd and a shocked Noishe off of the ground before standing by her side. She couldn't bring herself to look at him. She hoped there was a way out of this mess.

No. There had to be.

Becoming the Cerberus' salvatorian might have once been something she had secretly desired, out of all the possible outcomes for herself if she failed in disappearing from the Chosen life, but now all she saw when she looked at him was a liar and a traitor. A part of her even had to wonder if this had all been a part of his plan. She still remembered Kuchinawa's last written words to her.

**The Pope reports to the Cerberus. The Cerberus is working with him.  
**

The charm that he had asked her to destroy weighed her down more heavily when she thought of that letter. The Pope was likely eavesdropping on this entire charade. She had initially wanted to throw it away immediately- embarrassed by all the things an almost perfect stranger might have heard her say to herself over the time she had it. She had stopped herself though, realising that, if used correctly, it could also lead her to him. More importantly, it could lead her to the truth.


	85. A time for consideration

**Chapter 85**

**A time for consideration  
**

* * *

"Well, this was a little unexpected," Lloyd said, glancing at Sheelos and then at Yuan from his spot down on the floor next to a repeatedly sighing Noishe. A wide grin spread across his features especially when he looked at Yuan.

Sheelos let out a heavy sigh of her own after Noishe and crossed and uncrossed her arms while she paced back and forth. All that kept going back and forth in her head was "We have to get out of here" and "there's no way they dumped us in a house in Mizuho and left us without first thoroughly setting the place up with traps."

They weren't in a cell, but they might as well have been. A cast of her eyes around the dimly lit room for the fifth time since entering blindfolded along with her companions did nothing. The traps were well hidden, as was expected of a village of ninja's, and she couldn't make out a single one. She wondered why their captors hadn't brought them to Vice-Chief Tiga right away for only a second or two longer until Orochi stepped in the front door as though it was the easiest thing in the world. "I'm glad that you have enough sense as to try not to escape."

"What are you going to do? Kill us?" Sheelos raised a brow. "We've already been through that darling Orochi. You don't need to pretend."

Orochi didn't even hint at a smile or even annoyance at her jest to him, like he usually did when she flirted with men. He cleared his throat and glanced from her to Yuan. "The room is ready. The two of you will be prepared at once in ceremonial clothes, made Salvatorians, and then taken there to consummate your joining of bloodlines."

"C—ceremonial clothes?" Sheelos gasped, her cheeks becoming hotter than the entire cast of models in the Meltokio mens magazine. "Consummate?! Wait.. you expect this to happen NOW?" She crossed her arms indignantly. "Yuan's an attractive guy but even I—"

"I'm afraid I agree with the Chosen," Yuan replied, a nervous stutter Sheelos seldom heard in his voice. She didn't look at him out of fear that her resolve to be annoyed at him and brand him as a liar would waiver. It wasn't a great thought to have about someone who had seemed to be her friend all her life, but it was the only thing she found herself able to cling to in order to have the strength to fight the church and their want for a new Chosen and Mizuho's want for there to be a new summoner child in the village. A blindfold went on and she found herself being escorted once again out of the room. Behind her she could hear Lloyd and Noishe complaining.

Sheelos found herself completely at the mercy of her captors and former fellow villagers as she felt them change her clothes. Just by the lacy feel of the fabric when she rubbed it between her fingers, she knew that she was wearing traditional salvatorian clothes. She wondered what Yuan was wearing and if he was going to look equally as ridiculous as her. She hoped he did for her own sake. Her hair was somehow pinned up, which felt weird and unnatural now that she had gotten used to the constant itch behind her ears and the flyaway strands that always got in her eyes.

The idea of beating her captors up and escaping crossed her thoughts several times over the course of events as they trickled on, especially when she felt a tad of separation anxiety when her summon spirit gems were taken from her, along with her weapons. Orochi had been right though- she knew better than to try to escape. Mizuho rarely kept prisoners, in fact she couldn't recall there ever having been one before, let alone four including Noishe, but she had felt firsthand how much a tripped trap in the Vice-Chief's office hurt. They were going to have to escape without violence because, unless they knew the locations of trips and traps, they were doomed. Cooperation for a while was key. If she didn't struggle, they would hopefully think she was accepting of being kidnapped by her village and made to jump Yuan, and she would be able to take advantage of that.

After being dressed and led outside again, it seemed to take a fairly lengthy amount of time for her to get to the next location, especially considering that Mizuho was a relatively small place. When at last she and Yuan, who had been walking beside her the whole time in silent contempt, had their blindfolds removed, she realised why.

They weren't in Mizuho anymore, but instead a clearing within the labyrinth forest. She had never seen it before, but that didn't surprise her. Even she knew better than to wander the place. The only thing she could tell about her location was that they were probably closer to Ozette than to the ocean and the clearing she had been camping alongside Martuan, Colette and Mithos in. A brief thought about whether they had decided that she had been gone too long and decided to look for them sprung to mind.

She surveyed their new location. It was a quaint little villa- something that had very obviously been maintained. Judging by how Yuan had told her earlier that some people in Mizuho had known he was a half-elf and a summoner, they had been planning on this for a while. She caught Yuan glancing at her, looking at her ridiculously frilly white dress, when she tried to look him over as well. Instead of a black suit, he had been given one of a mahogany colour. The undershirt was not white either, but a brown-gold colour. It contrasted ridiculously with his hair and she almost laughed at him. She settled instead for being glad that they looked as overdressed as each other.

As they stepped up to the villa, it opened on its own from the inside as though the opener had seen them coming. They were ushered inside and into a much grander interior than she had expected. A silky white carpet with gold trimmings stretched out from the door and to a man wearing a plain black suit at the end. Sheelos, on any other day, might have been happy that the Salvatorian ceremony was silly in both its meaning and its looks, but now that she was the centrepiece of one, she felt only irritated.

With Orochi and another ninja with his face far more covered for Sheelos to know who he was without him speaking behind them, Sheelos made her way down the aisle to the plainly suited man, Yuan at her side. A deep scowl was set into his features and, when she dared to look at him as they grew closer to their doom, she saw that the crease in his brows was only increasing.

By the time they were standing side by side with the minister from the Church, Yuan was in full-blown ring-twisting mode. He was whirling it around the finger on his left hand which it sat on with such a troubled expression that it was impossible to not notice. Sheelos assumed he must have been thinking of that Martel woman he had loved. Sheelos quickly looked away from him and into the ministers sunken blue eyes.

"You will have to remove that quite soon," the minister said, nodding at Yuan.

"No," the bluenette replied, very vehemently.

The minister continued on regardless. "The Chosen, Sheelos Wilderbayashi, and the Cerberus, Yuan Ka-Fai have come here to be joined as Salvatorians. This ceremony constitutes a semi-binding contract in which the two of you have to one another until you have fulfilled your duty in the name of the Worldwide Survival Project."

He waited for them to say something, but when neither of them did, he just continued on as though they had. Sheelos wondered whether he would have gotten away with something like that if they had been taken to the church in Meltokio for the ceremony or if they hadn't been the Chosen and the Cerberus. It was a veritable match made in the heavens as far as Mizuho was concerned, obviously.

The minister babbled a few other things in relation to the importance of the W.S.P, but Sheelos barely listened. Instead she took in the rest of the villa around them. On one side of the room sat a wooden table with a white tablecloth. On it were various breakfast-y items. Some other decorations of Mizuhoan origins sat on a cabinet next to a door. Sheelos didn't dare glance to the other side of the room behind her. She had seen enough of it on the way up the aisle. Just the red rose petals sprawled over the bedsheets made her shiver. The image of a gleaming smile with a gold tooth as its owner advanced on her, an intent full of lust and belief in the W.S.P, came immediately to mind. All of a sudden, she dearly wished to punch the minister in the gut and run away. Not quite as violently as she had with Novariel, but she would have definitely made it hurt.

"Do you agree to take The Cerberus, Yuan Ka-Fai, as your Salvatorian?"

Sheelos snapped her attention back at hearing those words. "Do I have a choice?" she asked in all seriousness.

Orochi clenched his fist. "You will agree, Chosen."

She ignored him and demanded the answer come from the minister. His forehead showed how much he was sweating under her scrutiny as he stuttered.

"I-in the event of the Chosen being a part of this ceremony, if he or she does not agree of her own volition, it falls to the witness to agree on his or her behalf. Th-this is the only time a witness is permitted to s-stand in." He was probably stuttering because Sheelos was glaring at him. She took great delight in making him uncomfortable despite what he had read.

"The witness agrees to their binding as Salvatorians," Orochi spoke. Sheelos gulped and looked at Yuan. He glared as well at the minister.

"No," he responded coldly, to the question put to him after the minister had asked. Even though she had essentially said the same thing, Sheelos felt oddly rejected.

"What?!" Orochi shrieked. "Cerberus, what is the meaning of this?"

"The meaning in my actions is none of your concern," Yuan replied. "I also reject to the witness agreeing on my behalf."

"The witness has already agreed that the Chosen will be given to you," the minister replied, grimacing. "I'm afraid asking the same of you is just a courtesy at this stage."

Sheelos shared a glance with the half-elf over the short moment the minister took to reach into one of his suit pockets and produce a small felt case, which upon him opening, she saw had two brass rings inside. He looked at Yuan. "Please remove the ring from your Salvatorian finger."

"No," Yuan replied, as hard as he had the first time. Sheelos watched Orochi spring forward. Yuan turned a stony glare at him. "Don't even try."

Even Orochi hesitated for a second. When he still did as was asked by the minister and stepped in to try to take it from Yuan by force, Sheelos wasn't surprised at all when it ended with the ninja on the ground clutching his stomach. She couldn't help the grin on her lips. The door within the villa that she had thought maybe led to the bathroom burst open abruptly. Eight or ten ninjas spilled into the room. She realised there must have been some kind of secret passage that led in from the outside. That meant that there weren't any traps down that hallway, or at least that there wasn't as much likelihood that the traps would temporarily paralyse them if they made to attempt leaving through there.

She reached for Yuan at the same time he reached for her and exchanged an understanding smile with him before they sprung into action. The objective was simple- get the hells out of there and try not to kill anyone. Yuan didn't summon his sword. Sustaining a few blows on their arms and legs but not with enough force to send them to their knees, it seemed obvious that the clan was under orders to restrain themselves and to mostly restrain them. So, in what seemed to be only a few seconds, Sheelos found herself pushing through the door on the other side of the room, still with Yuan holding her left hand and slipping inside. They quickly turned back, slammed it shut and locked it.

Taking a deep breath and letting go of one another, they set about their next task. It would not take long for the door to come down and for them to be trapped. While Sheelos patted the walls and listened for a hollow sound, the surreal-ness of it all sunk in. When the door they had locked behind them started to sound like it was weakening under the strength of ninja kicks, she started to feel a bit more frantic. Just when she thought they were going to be caught, she heard a very distinct hollowness in one of the walls to the far end and off around the corner of the corridor they had entered. She knew knocking would do no good. She took as many steps back as she could without hitting the wall behind her and charged at it with all her strength. It barely creaked under her weight and sent her gasping for breath, winding herself instead.

"Yuan!" she called breathlessly. He emerged from around the corner a second later and looked at her.

"They'll be on us in a second," he muttered. He was right. As soon as the sentence had been completed, the cracking sound of wood breaking and falling to the floor could be heard.

"No!" She turned back to the wall and made to back step and try again. A hand grabbed her arm. She turned her head to see Yuan's face close to hers. "Say nothing of this to anyone. It will be the end of us all if you do." Before she could ask what, he briefly let her go. Then, of all things, he twisted the Salvatorian ring on his finger. She couldn't believe her eyes.

"My mana is their mana," he said in a frantic whisper. He grasped her again. "Close your eyes."

"But-" She stopped, forced to close her eyes when the room around her faded away into nothing and a light brighter than the sun encased them. A strange weightless feeling came over her. It reminded her of going from Tethe'alla to Sylvarant through the Otherworldly Gate. She thought she was about to faint when it abruptly went away.

"Well, you might as well know everything now," Yuan said, a deep and heavy sigh following. She felt him let go of her and opened her eyes. The sight around her was difficult for her to comprehend. There were no longer any walls surrounding them, no ninjas advancing around them, and there was definitely no sign of the Labyrinth forest. She stood in her ceremonial attire, next to an equally gaudy looking Yuan, in what appeared to be a quite desolate wasteland.

She blinked. Immediately she wondered whether he had somehow transported them to Sylvarant, possibly somewhere near Triet. As she looked around though, she saw no sand. Just red, cracked looking earth. Small brown shoots of limp dead grass shot out of it in places, and the occasional plant sprawled across the ground like a dying soldier. There wasn't an inch of green anywhere.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"We have to hurry," Yuan said, not answering her. "Stay here too long and-"

"I won't be going anywhere until you, handsome, explain yourself!" she exclaimed, standing her ground. "What was all that stuff you were saying before about mana? Where in all the hells are we?"

Yuan rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Do you really think you can handle the truth?" He didn't really sound like he was chastising her though. He seemed more concerned than anything as he shifted his gaze from her to somewhere off in the distance. There was nearly nothing ahead of them, but Sheelos could make out some kind of tall shape. The heat that was rising from the earth made it difficult to see it clearly from where she stood.

"Of course I can!" she still protested. "You don't really expect me to not ask questions when we go from being in the middle of an enormous forest to being in a wasteland I don't even recognise, do you?"

Yuan just smiled. It was a fake smile; one she was more than used to wearing. "I can see through that, you know." Her voice quivered as she said it. "You've been up to something for a long time. The Summon Spirits all seem to know something about you that they're not saying. Everything that happens always seems to come back to you somehow, and it's not just because I can't stop thinking about y-"

Her heart pounded loudly in her chest and ears when she realised she'd gone on for a little too long. She blinked at Yuan and he blinked back for a few seconds. She glanced away first, her face feeling like one of the walls in Efreet's lair. "M-my point is," she said breathily, clinging to what composure she still had, "something is going on with the world and you're always, _always_ right in the middle of all its problems. Don't bother trying to deny it." She thought about it, but decided she didn't want to mention the letter from Kuchinawa just yet. She dared to look at him, telling herself that her feelings were old news to him.

Yuan crossed his arms across his chest, seeming as unfettered as she'd expected. "Well, you're right. But I think that much is obvious."

The simple words out of his mouth to the tune of him admitting to it had her stunned beyond words. Her previous nervousness vanished. He started walking, and although she didn't even know where she was going, she had a feeling he was going to tell her more now.

"It's only natural that it seems that way, since I _am_ the one who's set everything that's happening right at this very moment into motion. At least, I've been trying to. Interruptions to the main goal seem to be a natural formation within your group however." His tone was cool and harsh- the same scary tone he'd addressed Mithos with several times. Yuan rarely intimidated her despite some of the looks he'd dished out over the years, but she thought maybe this was as close as he had come to it in a very long time.

Still, she tried her best to keep her own cool and gave him a doubtful smile. "C'mon, you can't be serious. Everything?" She'd tried to fathom just what an old angel half-elf like him could have meant when he'd said words like 'everything' and 'forever' in the past, but found it too impossible to imagine. Now was no exception.

Yuan didn't answer for a bit and they walked across the craggy wasteland in silence. Eventually the shape she had seen became more visible. When they neared close, she forgot all about prodding him to answer more. Her mouth fell agape. Dead ahead of them stood the weathered but still very distinctive mahogany coloured copper gate that usually signified the entrance to Mizuho. The only problem was that there didn't seem to be a Mizuho, or any kind of village for that matter, beyond it. She went numb and once again looked at her half-elf companion for answers.

He looked forlornly at the sight of nothing past the gate as well. "What if I told you that this journey was not only to break the mana links, but to put something else back together again?"

"The world?" she wondered, feeling a bit silly for saying it.

"Well yes," he replied, grimacing. "But that isn't all."

Sheelos wondered what could be more important than that. She let him go on. He looked like he was hesitating though. "Yuan," she said seriously. "The truth."

"I meant it when I said you can not tell anyone of this," he mentioned again. She bobbed her head in understanding and tried not to feel nervous. He started off ahead slowly into the non-existent village of Mizuho. "We are striving to stop the future from happening, and we are doing it by knitting the very fabric of time together."


	86. Time and time again

The crunching of leaves underfoot had been all that could be heard for a time as Martuan travelled with Mithos and Colette through the dense, frustrating and astounding forest. They had taken to walking quietly, aside from casual chit-chat every now and again, because she had become too lost in her earlier train of thought to notice the inherent awkwardness between Mithos and Colette. Her thoughts, while mildly concerned for Sheelos' well-being, mostly surrounded the need to study the facts revolving around Mithos' end-goal. He now wanted to fire the mana cannon at the Great Seed. The same as her, but for different reasons.

Upon learning she was the leader of the Renegades, Mithos had also somehow found out about the research she had been conducting on the cannon by initially convincing Rodyle and Forcystus that the order to rebuild the ancient magi-technology had come directly from the hand of Yggdrasil. While Rodyle had gone rogue and begun to follow Gabriel's orders to take control of the Angelus Project for his own means, Forcystus had his own plans as well. They were plans which- once made known to her through her Renegade spies that had infiltrated the Iselia ranch- had caused her to secretly propose a joining of their causes.

The plans of the Renegades and the plans of Forcystus' rebels indeed differed in some regards, particularly with respect to what should be done with the half-elf population and the problems that encapsulated them. Forcystus wished for them to live out their lives on Derris Kharlan, and while Martuan could see why he would consider that to be the only option, she had unfortunately been taken in by Mithos' idea that half-elves deserved to live in Aselia as well, despite being descendants of elves that originally had come from an alien planet. While she had very obviously disagreed with Methods' method of trying to force the humans to understand half-elves, even she had needed to despairingly admit that there didn't seem to be a better way. _That_ truth was what had caused Forcystus to find his way into becoming a traitor to Cruxis, she was sure.

Despite their differences, their two factions aligned in that they both wished to destroy the Tower of Salvation with the mana cannon in order to stand up against Yggdrasil and force him to end the ridiculous cycle of Chosen sacrifice and the forever back and forth decline in Sylvarant or Tethe'alla depending on which sides turn it was to try to offer up a vessel. As far as the Renegades were concerned, destroying the belief system created around the Chosen and the church was the first step to acceptance of other ways of thinking. Once the primary force of resistance against the half-elves was abolished, the W.S.P may very well follow without the repercussion of mass human extinction. That repercussion had been the predominant reason Martuan had indeed gone along with Mithos' plans for so long. Only by finally waking up to the suffering created by the Chosen system and how half-elves were continually worsening in the eyes of the humans had she realised something needed to be changed.

All in all, although her plans were to use the mana cannon to destroy the Tower and revive the Great Seed, Forcystus' goal had also been to destroy the tower and save the half-elves. As long as the rebels did not attempt to get in the way of the Renegades, their goals were mutual and they had no reason to fight one another.

She'd thought that for a long time, up until Mithos had declared in no minced words that he did not wish for the Age of Lifeless Beings that she had consistently feared. He also now needed the mana cannon, and intended to revive the Great Tree- the same as her. He intended to use the exspheres already created by those who had suffered in order to split the worlds population. The issue was the authenticity of the idea, considering who it had come from.

Martuan clenched her fists against her sides just thinking of _that_ human. Yet, much despite herself, she found she _had_ to find out whether it was possible. The only way for her to do that would be to go to the Iselia ranch and speak with Forcystus and possibly the brains behind the reactor that powered the cannon. It required the Angelus Project- of that she had no doubt- since it was only the Angelus project that possessed the unique ability to absorb an infinite amount of energy. That was something that was sorely needed with old and powerful magi-technology like the cannon. What she didn't know was whether the properties the exsphere had displayed- AKA the ability to create a new body for a split soul only by using an exuberant amount of mana- was actually possible on a large scale. The idea that hitting the Great Seed with the power of the exsphere and the mana cannon together could somehow cause the Great Tree to infect the rest of the world with the same effect seemed ludicrous at best.

That was as far as her train of thought had gone before something that demanded far more mental capacity was presented to her. The first vision hit her so hard that she had gasped and startled Mithos and Colette. It had been a vision of Lloyd as though he were right in front of her, his arms crossed and his pouting face turned away in what looked like defiance. It was an interesting study, to see such a Mithos-like expression on the swordsman. What was more- Lloyd seemed to be standing in a forest.

She'd played her gasp off as though she had almost stepped into a patch of slippery mud and went on walking, until they reached a babbling river somewhere in the middle section of the forest. At hearing the sounds around her, another image flashed into her mind, one even more intriguing but far more threatening than the last. The image consisted of a ninja dressed in blue, crouched down and leaning his head toward a figure that appeared to be wrapped in foliage and vines from the forest.

She paused and watched the flowing water at her feet while Colette and Mithos explored for a route that would take them to the other side more easily. The imagery in her mind changed quickly again, this time to show the crying face of Sheelos as she bowed her head and bit her lip. That image faded quickly, to be replaced by a scene which showed a reflection in the river as the Chosen and the blue ninja lowered the wrapped figure to it. The face in the reflection looked solemn and calculating. At seeing that, Martuan felt quite sure that Yuan had been where she stood, with the blue ninja, Sheelos, Lloyd and perhaps even Noishe, quite recently.

Of course, she'd known it right away. It wasn't the first time she had seemed to be seeing certain imagery that Yuan also saw. She wasn't entirely surprised at the frequency of the visions either, considering the proximity she also held to _that girl_ currently- the girl who stayed with the dwarf- the one Yuan had been quite evasive about the whole time she had questioned him about her. It had happened regularly before, when she had visited Altessa's hovel, built into the Tethe'allan hillside, in order to help Kraine through his illness.

Knowing Yuan and Lloyd were around for Sheelos to run into might have settled her nerves at wondering whether Mithos' gut _was_ on the money, if the visions had stopped there. Unfortunately they hadn't, and that was in fact why they now hastened toward Mizuho. She'd seen several other visions along the way- all that allured to one thing. Sheelos, Lloyd, Noishe, and perhaps even Yuan, were in trouble.

The last two she had received before finding they stopped suddenly were by far the two most concerning of all. In one, Sheelos stood facing Yuan, dressed in a laced white dress and with her hair pinned up against her head so that it made her face look far younger. The usual man-eating grin she reserved for most situations was gone and replaced by a wide-eyed concern as she clasped her hands across her chest. She didn't seem comfortable at all in her own skin, or with her present company- Yuan and a man holding a thick tome, who looked like he belonged to the church.

The last image was Sheelos again, this time closing her eyes while a bright light completely surrounded her and made her white dress sink into the background so that she looked like she only had a head, neck and arms. Grasping at her shoulders, Martuan recognised Yuan's hands. She'd seen that ring on his left hand many times in the visions, to the point where it was unmistakeable. Yuan seemed to have been wearing something different to his usual attire too.

When not only the visions, but the feeling of his presence in the area vanished, Martuan found herself leading the charge toward the village of ninja's. Mithos had been right. Something was amiss.

xxx

Genis felt weary of flying by the time they were near the Tower of Salvation in Tethe'alla. His short legs ached from being in one position for too long. He didn't want to fly another mile, but he also didn't want to complain. Presea had been her normal quiet self the whole time as well, which made him feel that it was even more important to not whine like a child at his discomfort. She was always so strong and patient. He wished he could be more like her.

Her countenance reminded him of someone else- a strong but wise silent type- but he found it really difficult to place. He'd felt that odd feeling more than once since leaving Exire with Presea, but didn't want to bother her with the confusion going on in his head. The fact that he had wings like an angel of Cruxis bothered him perhaps the most- especially since he had instinctively known how to use them- but whenever he thought he had summoned up enough courage to ask Presea why she hadn't been surprised to see them like Kate had been, he ended up stuttering under his breath, embarrassed. A part of him was glad Presea hadn't pushed him to tell her what was wrong when he did that, but he secretly wished she were more persistent in getting the information out of him, like Raine, just so he had a way to break the ice.

Since he'd been to Exire, it had been impossible to ignore the idea of finding Raine despite knowing that they were currently in pursuit of Mithos. It had been hard to focus on their apparent goal when he found the reason for finding Mithos, and why they should be looking for him around Sylvarant or Tethe'alla especially, slipping further and further away. Something was obviously wrong. Kate had known they were looking for him. A part of him hoped they would find Raine and Lloyd, along with the others, so that he might be able to get a better grip on his mysterious situation. If anyone could, Raine would be the one to relieve him of his hopelessness, even if it her 'help' usually meant a light slap across the back of the head and some strong but well-meant words.

Kate, seeming to be a bit troubled on their directions all of a sudden, hovered their rheaird in the air above the hilly landmass that stretched out around the tower. Then, as though the goddess herself had heard his thoughts and troubled to answer them, Genis found himself with enough time to sense a familiar signature of mana flowing through the area around them. Despite how looking down at the ground made him feel ill, he did it anyway and saw something that almost made him fall. Seated around a glowing but dwindling fire was a woman wearing bright orange robes, her hair the same silver as his own.

"Raine..." he whispered first, scarcely believing it. Then, scanning her again, he felt more sure that he wasn't seeing things. "Raine!" he called excitedly, startling his companions at the suddenness. The wind was a little too rough from where they were for Raine to hear him, but she looked up and squinted to the sky anyway.

"Kate-" Genis started to her frantically. Kate didn't need to hear him ask the full question to know what he wanted though, and with a nod of the head, she was lowering their flying machine to the ground.

Raine rose to her feet as they grew closer. Embarrassing as it was, Genis couldn't help the tears in his eyes when she recognised him and smiled gladly. For some reason it felt like it had been an eternity since he had seen her. He practically flew off of the rheaird once it was stationed on the ground and didn't stop until Raine had her arms outstretched around him. "Genis.." she whispered, stroking his head as she knelt down to be at his eye level. He saw a wet mist in her eyes as well. "There are a great many things I am uncertain of right now."

"Me too," he replied, trying to catch his breath before he started to sob.

"But," his sister continued, "I was sure of our connection. No matter what, I knew who you were and that we would always find a way to look after each other."

"That's so corny, Sis," he replied, choking between a sob and a little chuckle this time. "But me too," he added into her ear.

Raine stayed there, hugging him warmly for several more moments, until Genis heard some footsteps and looked up from her. Regal stood there, but he looked different. No chains bound his hands together. He found that quite strange. "Genis, are you alright?" he looked up from him. "And what about Presea?" His eyes turned from concern to surprise when he saw Kate.

Xxx

As if seeing a barren wasteland in place of the labyrinth forest that had been as much her home as Mizuho over the years wasn't enough, Sheelos now had to endure another of Yuan's puzzles. He'd told her that he meant to 'knit the very fabric of time together' and 'save the future', but he still hadn't really answered the question she had asked since they'd escaped the clutches of her fellow villagers who sought to use her like they had always seen her- a tool to better the village.

At least... she didn't think he had answered her question.

She crossed her arms behind her head and looked at him again. He'd left her side and was hunting around the barren wasteland that stood in place of Mizuho, looking kind of frantic. Occasionally he'd spring an eye back to her to make sure she hadn't wandered, but mostly it seemed like he was off in his own mind. He paused mid-step suddenly, probably sensing that she wanted to talk. He didn't look at her, still partially pre-occupied, but she knew he was listening.

"You told me you're trying to stop the future from happening, but how does that relate to where we are right now?" She gestured to the area. "I won't accept you dodging my questions any more. You said it yourself. You might as well tell me everything."

Yuan was quiet for a while, then breathed heavily and tapped his foot while he gave her an annoyed look. "Once again, you jumped to conclusions. I simply didn't tell you right away because I had more important things to tend to. Getting us _back_ for one. We can't stay here indefinitely, just so you know."

"We're on a time limit?" Sheelos didn't want to ask what might happen if Yuan couldn't get them 'back', but the question sprung to mind regardless, followed by all kinds of dramatic endings to the pretty eventful evening the two of them had endured. "Why?" she ended up asking in order to satiate her curiosity.

"We will die here, very soon, if we don't get back," Yuan answered. "Just look around you. Does it look very sustainable to you?"

"I guess not," she concluded. She'd noticed it right away- how the air around her felt unlike that of Tethe'alla or Sylvarant. It was almost like they were on a completely different planet. But if they were, why was the gate to Mizuho still standing there? She turned her head to look at it, to make sure she had really seen it. It stood in all its copper splendour. The more she looked at it though, the more she started to think there was something creepy about it. She turned back to Yuan. "There's no way this is Tethe'alla," she said.

"You," Yuan muttered, "have no idea how much I wish that were true."

Sheelos stammered for something to say to what he was getting at. It _was_ Tethe'alla?

"H-how?" she whispered. "How can it be Tethe'alla? Why is it like this?"

"That's... a complex question," Yuan answered. "Let's start with something a little bit simpler. What you're seeing is Tethe'alla, without a doubt. More than four thousand years into the future of Tethe'alla, to be more accurate."

"The.." Sheelos blinked. "The future? We're standing in our future?" She had to laugh a bit at the absurdity of what the half-elf was telling her, but when she saw how serious he was, she decided it was better to stop before he got annoyed and decided not to tell her anymore.

"No," Yuan replied. "Not _ours._ It's my future, unless I can change it. Perhaps the saddest thing of all is that this is an improvement on how it was when I left the first time."

He wasn't making sense. Sheelos couldn't help but look at him in somewhat puzzled amazement. "Are you saying you have a different future to me?" It seemed like that was what he was saying.

Instead of answering, Yuan urged her to come closer. She did so curiously and tried to stay calm when he rested his arms on her shoulders. "I counted the steps and turns we made once we entered the village and left Lloyd and Noishe. We'll have to be quick. If we get cornered, I can't risk them seeing us vanish into thin air. Don't bother trying to change, just grab your clothes and get back to me. Are we clear?"

Sheelos laughed up at him even as she felt him twisting the ring on his finger and heard him muttering a similar string of words about mana as the first time he had done it. "You mean you don't want to wander around looking like a pair of Salvatorians forever, my darling Cerberus?"

When the light around her grew brighter, she closed her eyes. She re-opened them the second she felt normal again and immediately noticed the change in the air around her. Yuan quickly stepped away from her and whirled around, scanning the very small room that surrounded them for their belongings.

Sheelos saw hers and darted for them. Although they were currently alone in the hut, she could hear a commotion going on outdoors. Adrenaline kicked in as she gathered her things up and twisted on her heel to run back to her partner in crime. It kind of brought back some old memories, trying to get away with him without being seen by anyone.

As the bluenette ran back to her, he was twisting the ring on his finger and saying the words about mana again. Sheelos closed her eyes pre-emptively and thought she heard the sound of the front door being barrelled open with great force before all the noise faded and she felt the strange, dull feeling of the world that was supposedly _Yuan's_ future around her again.

When Yuan let go of her, she blinked one eye open, then the other, and glanced downward at the clothes in her hands. Somehow, she had half-expected them to have turned into dust. They hadn't of course. She cackled with delight and suddenly started to think of all the fun things they might be able to do. "Who needs stealth when you can just disappear!" Her mind boggled. "How long have you been able to do this for?" She gave him a sly look. "Is this how you _really_ got in and out of Meltokio?" He'd never once stunk like the sewers after _supposedly_ getting in and out of there on his own and coming back to Mizuho.

Yuan chuckled a bit, seeming distracted again as he started up ahead. "For as long as I've been in your timeline, and no, I would never use it for something so trivial. To do so would be rather... detrimental."

"My timeline?" Sheelos questioned amidst hurrying to stroll by his side. The adrenaline was probably affecting her, but it felt like the distance which had been growing between the two of them was lessening. Yuan was being honest with her for what felt like the first time in months. "What do you mean by that?"

Yuan stopped. She stood beside him, knowing that it hadn't been because she had asked an important question. He'd already made a pit stop for their clothes. She knew what he was doing this time. "How will we get Lloyd and Noishe out of there?" she asked. "Nobody can know about this, right?"

"Well yes, technically you are forbidden to tell anyone," Yuan agreed. "But that doesn't mean that there are not others that already know."

"You mean..." Suddenly, Sheelos thought about how weird Lloyd had been acting lately. Maybe- just maybe- it had been because he'd found out about Yuan's strange secret.

She had the urge to read through the letter from Kuchinawa again. Maybe it actually _wasn't_ what it looked like. She started to feel hopeful at that thought. Yuan had told her that he'd been controlling a lot of things that had been happening after all. She kept her mouth shut for the time being and watched him curiously instead. She wondered what Lloyd's reaction would be when they went back and then transported them back to their location. She pictured them all holding hands and someone having to hold Noishe's paw since it seemed physical contact was necessary for the 'jump' back and forth.

"Their mana is my mana."

Sheelos, confused as to why he hadn't pre-warned her, dropped her clothes at her feet and reached out to Yuan. When nothing happened and she instead saw a pair of glowing white figures appearing as if out of nowhere, she froze on the spot and stared in amazement. When the glow faded and colour came to them, they stared at her from seated positions on the ground, then at Yuan in disbelief.

"What the..." Lloyd gasped, looking around with a wide-eyed expression as he stood. Noishe followed suit, but instead he just yawned and continued to look at Yuan with what could only be described as a disdainful expression.

Sheelos grinned and raced for the swordsman, unable to contain her curiosity and happiness that maybe he would be his normal self again now that he knew she knew. "My dashing darling!" she exclaimed. She embraced him around the shoulders and squeezed hard. "I had no idea that you were in on this as well! How much do you know? Yuan's still got to explain some things but I think I'm starting to get the gist."

It was a mild lie- she wasn't getting it much at all yet.

Lloyd looked a bit relieved, but then his expression hardened and he looked away from her to up ahead where Yuan had begun to walk off, Noishe closing the gap between him and the two of them, turning back to them every so often. "Yuan," he called.

The half-elf waved his attempt at starting a conversation away and kept on going. "You know very well that we do not have time to stand around having this conversation," he called back. "We'll tell her about it once we get back to the beta line."

Lloyd shrugged Sheelos off of him and she watched as he looked at the exsphere on his hand. "That's just it... I don't know why, but.." He glanced at her with an unsure expression, then back out at Yuan. "I'm myself again."

Yuan stopped rushing ahead and turned to face them as they caught up. Sheelos thought she saw him actually turn a shade of white as he looked Lloyd over. She looked on at the red-clad swordsman too, confused. "You're yourself?" she laughed. "Of course you are. Who else would you be?" She wondered why what Lloyd had said had such an effect on Yuan.

"That's what I would usually think," Lloyd responded. "But Yuan knew it all along. He knew Mithos took my body and pretended to be me!" He gripped the swords at his waist. "Up until now, Mithos was going to keep controlling my body until he was able to kill the Pope, Gabriel, _his father."_

"Wait, what?" Sheelos jeered, unsure what part of that to tackle first. "What do you mean?" She pictured the moment Lloyd and Mithos had come face to face not too long ago and agreed to join forces. "Mithos is with Martuan and Colette at the moment, probably trying to rescue us." She wanted to be sure he was just confused, but she wasn't. "He can't have possessed you," she pointed out.

"He did," Lloyd rebutted, still looking straight at Yuan. "Because there's two of him! There are also two Kratos' and-"

"Lloyd," Yuan warned, placing a hand on his hip. "Be silent if you know what is good for you."

Lloyd didn't want to stay silent. He had an excited gleam in his eyes as he lifted his hand a little and smiled broadly. "There's two of my mum. There's also two, kinda, of Yuan." His eyes trailed to one side as though he were recalling something. "Mithos never liked thinking about it, but liked to tease Yuan about it."

"Two?" Sheelos raised her brows at Lloyd, then at Yuan. Something about that last bit rung true to her. She'd felt that feeling so many times, whenever she had come face to face with a certain lady Renegade. She started to feel a little light headed.

Yuan's shoulders fell and he rolled his eyes, probably frustrated that he hadn't been able to shut the swordsman up. "I hadn't expected you to be such a blabbermouth Lloyd, considering how tight-lipped your father is." The end of his sentence was more of a frustrated mutter.

"I think I get it from mum," Lloyd said, his face lighting up and looking proud. "I got to meet her. Well, sort of. She said she's my mother from another time. We had lots of time to talk about _that._ " He gave Yuan a huge grin. "It was all really strange. Time inside my exsphere kind of flew, especially when she told me about all the adventures you had with Noishe back then."

Noishe made a little noise of complaint. Yuan huffed with a similar noise to the fluffball. "I should have just kept that exsphere of yours and gotten you a regular Cruxis crystal. None of this would have happened if I had." He slapped a hand to his forehead. "But unfortunately that is true in more than one sense." He turned away, the tails of his gaudy suit fluttering with the movement. "That is quite enough. We must leave." Without giving them a chance to complain, he dashed off across the land until he was just outside the gate leading into 'Mizuho'. Sheelos clutched her regular clothes tightly under one arm and bounded after him, Lloyd at her side. By the time they reached him, he was already twisting the ring and muttering sweet nothings about mana. Sheelos touched Yuan with one hand and Lloyd with the other, all the while hoping Noishe knew what to do.

"Your hair looks cool like that," was the last thing Sheelos heard from Lloyd before the world left her and she rejoined the mana-filled air of Tethe'alla. They weren't out of trouble completely yet though and, almost wordlessly, high-tailed it away from the entrance of Mizuho and into the depths of the labyrinth forest.

Sheelos let out a laugh once they had time to catch their breaths. "I'm really in too deep now, aren't I!" She nudged into Yuan, but he averted his gaze from hers and slightly doubled over. "Yuan?" she asked suddenly. He didn't answer. Her smile faded abruptly when she saw his eyes roll backward into his head and his body fall face first into the muddy forest floor.


	87. No time like the present

She wasn't _his_ Anna. Kratos knew that now, but talking to her still seemed to have the same effect. Like the Anna he had once loved, this Anna also had a way of bringing the truth out of him. Sometimes her magic came in the form of coaxing him to tell her that he had tried to secretly feed Noishe the food she had cooked and discreetly attempted to hide tomatoes within. Other times, it came in the form of bringing out truths that he himself wasn't aware of.

" _Well, there are two of you, aren't there?"_

That had been all that was needed for a ball to start rolling from a cobwebbed corner of his mind. She was right. It was an undeniable fact. He had seen it with his very own eyes. The other Kratos, 'Kraine Kratos' as Anna liked to call him, looked exactly the same as him. There was no discernible difference between them. For all intents and purposes, they were the same person- at least on the outside. Personality-wise, he didn't feel like he could comment, but considering that Raine and Regal were _almost_ exactly like he remembered them, he figured their Kratos would be the same.

He grunted with disdain, thinking of how he had been tricked into eating the meal prepared by the president. Regal had once been on par with the Great Wonderchef. He'd even won a duel with him. Instead, this Regal's cooking tasted more like Raine's- saturated with too many ideas and the equivalent to mixing every colour of paint together until it was sloppy brown-black mess. It seemed that despite all the similarities, there were definitely still some small differences.

In any case, Anna's statement had made him think about Mithos, his relationship to Gabriel, and why, if Mithos wished to kill Gabriel, he had allowed him to become a member of Cruxis. That in turn had caused him to realise a stark contradiction. The Mithos that wanted to kill Gabriel was not the same as the Mithos who cared for the man. _That_ Mithos, the one he had spoken with, the one taking control of Lloyd's body, was the old Mithos. Really, it explained everything. Kratos hadn't been able to help but laugh for the first time in possibly a century at how simple it all seemed after that epiphany, much to Anna's delight.

The Mithos he had spoken with was different to the Mithos he had seen in Palmacosta. That Mithos now knew Gabriel was responsible for the death of his sister, despite the fact that Kratos was quite sure he had not heard it from Yuan. The half-elf was many things, but there was simply no way that he would have ever gone back on a promise to his beloved on her death bed.

The reason why _this_ Mithos was different to _that_ Lloyd-Mithos was simple. Gabriel had not killed Martel in this world. There was a woman who looked both like Martel and Yuan following the younger side of Lloyd's group around. It didn't take a genius to know what had happened, based on some of the others he had already seen in the world. Somehow, Martel's death had been avoided and Gabriel had remained a trusted ally of Mithos. It still obviously had not been enough to completely change the course of events regarding the formation of Cruxis, but perhaps that was what Yuan had expected anyway, since everything came down to suggest proof that he clearly wished to **save Mithos** and **kill Gabriel.**

The path was clear. Gabriel was to be a substitute. All Kratos needed to do was ensure Gabriel's betrayal was known to Mithos. He needed to force him to take action in his plans. A vision from the life of that other Kratos had also suggested the Eternal Ring was already made and waiting for its rightful heir to claim it. That, combined with another that showed the very same ring on (a rather different looking) Gabriel's finger, told him something much more confusing but interesting regardless. The reason for the group to fight him was clear. They were still trying to break the mana links. Unlike how Lloyd had needed to fight his own father last time to release Origins seal, he now needed to fight Gabriel. Then, with the power of the eternal sword, he would do what he had done the last time, all the while Mithos lived. It was just as poetic a plan as he would have expected to come from the warped brain of Yuan.

_Why_ it was so important for Gabriel to take Mithos' place in history was still up for speculation, but for the time being, Kratos knew what he needed to do. He might have left very soon after those realisations if, quite true to the form of Lloyd's party, plans hadn't changed.

Upon returning back into the sight of Regal and Raine's campfire well into the early hours of the morning, he found them awake and with three others sitting with them. All three he recognised easily, though one seemed to be the odd one out.

Regal noticed him approaching first and gestured to an empty space next to him. He seated himself quietly, feeling the eyes of Genis, Presea and Kate on him as he did. Genis stared at him for a second and then held his head as though looking at him gave him a headache. Kate seemed a tad unsure, while Presea maintained an intense expression.

"This is Kratos," Regal introduced, sounding like he wanted to add more. As far as Kratos knew, Regal still remembered when they had been as one person, but Raine did not.

"And he is one of the other pieces to the puzzle," Presea added after him. "He was once a part of Kraine, wasn't he?" She gazed at Genis and Raine apologetically. Genis frantically shook his head and gave her a flattered smile. Presea turned back to Kratos. "It's strange. A part of me remembers Kraine, and yet..."

"It is the same for I," Regal replied. "I feel as though it was a dream because I look at Raine, Kratos and Genis and feel as though they have always been as they are."

Kate was remaining silent, her eyes in her lap as she fiddled with a small red device in her hands. Occasionally she moved it to her ear, but shook her head and did nothing. When she did it once more and the parties discussion had come to a temporary halt, Kratos heard a short gasp. She frowned and then looked at Genis and Presea. "Looks like we were in the right place. It sounds like Lloyd and the others are in the Labyrinth forest, near Mizuho."

It appeared she was listening to some sort of communicating device. Everyone watched her listening to it and saw her face morph further and further into despair. "It.. it sounds like something is really wrong."

Everyone shot up from their seats and, just like that, Kratos found himself tagging along with the group, justifying it by reminding himself (and Anna) that he had originally planned to leave for Derris Kharlan just before sunrise. To his surprise, Anna laughed at that.

"What is it?" he whispered to her under his breath, trying to remain straight faced outwardly. It was rather easy.

" _Oh nothing,"_ she teased at first. _"_ _Just admiring the similarities between a father and son."_

Surprisingly, her comment spurred another idea in his brain. Just like him, Yuan hadn't known Gabriel's identity as Mithos' father, so it had been impossible for him to have thought to use it as a trump card in his grand scheme. Reminded of a very similar circumstance all of a sudden, he couldn't help but gravitate toward the forming idea. He hastened to the front of the group, thinking carefully on what he must do to help it come into fruition as he did.

xxx

Yuan had always seemed indestructible to her. No matter what they had gone through so far, he had always pulled out of it, still with his smirking face and know-it-all attitude intact enough to always beat her at the game of questions. Sheelos hadn't expected any different of their newest escapade. Sure, the blue-haired half-elf might have apparently taken her to a future that wasn't hers by using a ring on his finger, but he was still Yuan- the knight in shining armour in her life. He was supposed to be impervious to damage.

So when he didn't stir when she shook him after he had fallen to the ground, she naturally couldn't stay calm. It was only when Lloyd yelled at her to be quiet unless she wanted to be captured again that she saw sense and started to relax and think clearly. Hesitating just a bit, she put a finger to his neck to check his pulse. At first she couldn't feel anything, but then a lively thud against her skin.

"He's alive," she said, breathing a sigh of relief and moving back so that Lloyd could do something. "He's just not waking up."

The swordsman came closer and wrapped an arm around each of Yuan's. With a few grunts and a bit of effort, he pulled him up and slumped him against a nearby tree. Despite the way the Cerberus had fallen and the smears of mud on his forehead and nose, when he sat like that, he looked like he was in a peaceful slumber. Sheelos watched him for longer than she probably should have, given the situation.

Lloyd groaned in frustration eventually and put hand on his hip. "Well this is infuriating. We can't just leave him here, but _we_ can't stay here either. Your village will try to track us in the woods in no time."

Sheelos had stopped listening after she'd heard 'infuriating' come from his mouth. Lloyd tilted his head at her. "Do you have any ideas?"

She blinked and crossed her arms while she thought. "Well maybe we can get Noishe to carry him until we get back to the rheairds." A new problem came up in her head. She, Mithos, Colette and Martuan had only had two of the flying metal birds. With the addition of Yuan, Lloyd and Noishe, things would be getting quite squishy- especially if Yuan remained unconscious. "But we should go get your rheaird first," she finished after that thought.

Lloyd flinched at that for some reason. "O-our rheaird?"

Sheelos frowned at him. "Yeah?" Then it hit her and she felt like slapping her face. "Don't tell me you crashed it again."

"Well-"

Still clutching her old clothes, Sheelos could feel the summon spirit gems. "If it's out of energy again, I can just use Volt."

"It's.. not _that."_ Lloyd was acting weird and not giving her eye contact. The idea that they had actually crashed the rheaird beyond repair seemed unlikely, especially with Yuan probably being at the helm. He'd taken to rheaird flying like a duck to a pond. Behind her, Sheelos heard Noishe whine loudly. Lloyd looked past her to him. "I know, I know. It's not up to me to tell her. Not that it'd hurt I guess."

Noishe whined again, this time in a slightly different manner. Sheelos glanced from boy to dog several times. "You can understand Noishe?" she curiously prodded. "And tell me what?" He was obviously still keeping some of Yuan's secrets.

"Sure," Lloyd said with an awkward laugh. "Noishe understands us, so why shouldn't it be the other way around?" He scratched his arm and glanced away absently after that, well aware he hadn't answered her other question.

"Well, if we can't use your rheaird, what're we going to do?" Sheelos pouted and looked at Yuan again. He looked so innocent when he was unconscious. Looking at him with his eyes closed made her feel like he was deceiving her without doing a single thing. "We-"

"Ssshhh!" Lloyd hushed her quickly, slapping a hand to her mouth and trying to focus his eyes to somewhere off into the forest a bit more.

Sheelos listened carefully and found she could hear some very soft footsteps. They didn't sound heavy, but that didn't mean anything good. Her heart racing, she looked at Lloyd. "They're coming!" she hissed.

Noishe gave a short yap and before Sheelos or Lloyd could dive for him, he galloped off into the darkness. The footsteps, though still light, grew closer. Sheelos started to think about the ones she had heard before Kuchinawa had inevitably met his end at the hand of his brother and a knot very quickly began to tie itself in her stomach. Lloyd very quietly started to draw one of his swords from its sheath. Sheelos didn't dare to fumble through her folded clothes for her weapons. She didn't need them anyway. Long before she'd learned to fight with seals, she'd learned the basics of martial arts.

Then, she noticed the footsteps quickened. As they grew even closer, she started to notice a lighter, softer footstep aside from the heavier one. Whoever was coming for them, there were at least two. She didn't have time to overthink who it could be, because two fair haired blondes came into the proximity, eyes widening as they saw her, just as hers were to see them.

"S-Sheelos!" Colette exclaimed, staring. Sheelos felt her cheeks going red under her worried gaze, especially given the fact that neither she nor Yuan had gotten changed out of their salvatorian clothes. Colette had her arms around her a second later. "I was so worried. Martuan looked like she knew something was wrong but she wouldn't tell us...!" Her voice croaked with concern at the end. Sheelos closed her own eyes and petted her on the back until she moved away and looked in the direction of Yuan.

Mithos had already gone to check on him. As he stood next to Lloyd, Sheelos couldn't help but think about what he had said when they had been to a future of Tethe'alla. There were _two_ of Mithos. It was a curious thought that someone as short as the blond brat had been possessing the body of Lloyd. What was scarier though, was that none of them had been any wiser. Any of the weird traits Lloyd had suddenly started to show could have easily been written off for one reason or another.

Colette petted her shoulder and gave her a grim smile, though her eyes fixed on Lloyd. He hadn't said a word of hello to her- apparently too fixated on what could be done with Yuan.

"This is bad," Mithos said, touching Yuan on the shoulder. His aura glowed a light purple colour while he focused intently on the bluenette. "His mana levels are almost completely unreadable."

"What?" Sheelos blinked. "What does that mean?" She had a feeling she already knew what it meant though.

"It means he'll probably die soon," the blond replied, untactfully. "What in the world happened to him?" He looked at Lloyd, but when he didn't get a response from him, he turned his eyes on Sheelos.

"Is there any way to help him?" Colette asked, the panic in her voice only a minor reflection of the discord Sheelos felt in her own heart at the truth. She had barely registered that Mithos had asked her for an explanation. Yuan couldn't _die._ That seemed impossible. She couldn't believe it.

"I can probably give him a little of my mana," Mithos responded to Colette once he realised he wasn't going to get the truth out of anyone any time soon. "But I can't give him anywhere near enough to stabilise him. My mana is not compatible enough with his to do that. Not only that, but he needs a _lot_ of it. His mana levels are pretty much scraping the bottom of the barrel right now." There was still a hint of the underlying question in his tone, but he didn't venture to ask this time.

"We have to at least try to help," Lloyd reasoned. "We could try the doctor in Flanoir, or-"

"That won't do anything," Mithos cut him off. "The best thing we can do is make it a quick demise."

"Mithos!" Colette exclaimed. Sheelos had to almost do a double take when she watched Mithos actually _flinch._ There was no question of the similarities between her and Martuan at that moment. Colette didn't look cross as she looked the leader of Cruxis over though. She continued. "Lloyd is right. We have to do everything possible. Just because it looks like he is probably going to..." she trailed off, looking solemn, but then picked up again. "Just because it looks _that way,_ doesn't mean it _has_ to be that way. We have to try everything we can to save him."

Colette's desires clear, Mithos was left to pout and nod his head in understanding. Sheelos slumped against the same tree as Yuan, realising that they were back to square one. "Maybe I should just take him to Flanoir," she eventually suggested. Deep down though, she knew it was a fruitless task. Going to find the doctor in Flanoir was less than desirable for her personally, and since _Mithos_ of all people had explained that a doctor would not be able to help, she knew it would be a pointless way to raise her anxiety levels.

"That will not be advised," said a female voice from somewhere off in the trees.

Sheelos, as well as everyone else, turned their heads in the direction it was coming from. She squinted into the darkness while she listened to footsteps approaching. Eventually she saw a head of green plaited hair, a slim figure and an extremely short dress come into view. She'd only seen her once, but she was easily recognisable as the girl from Altessa's house. The only thing more surprising than seeing her in the middle of the labyrinth forest was seeing the unconscious green haired woman she carried almost effortlessly in her arms.

There was a gasp from Colette. "She looks like-"

"Tabatha, is there anything you can do?" Lloyd asked quickly, interrupting Colette.

Tabatha gave him a look, then bobbed her head. "Yes, but not here. The treatment will require time. As Mizuho wish to capture the Chosen and the Cerberus again, the woods are not safe. We must visit Master Altessa's home. Please young ones, do follow me." She turned back around, her long hair flicking through the breeze as she did, and made to leave from the same direction she had entered.

* * *

**A short time later..**

* * *

Altessa opened the door to his house upon Tabatha's knocking. He looked at her first, then at the green haired woman in her arms, then at Yuan, who Colette had offered to carry all on her own, using some super strength.

"Well come on in then," Altessa remarked, stepping out of the way. "An old dwarf like me should stop being surprised when things of this nature happen." His bushy grey eyebrows furrowed into a deeper frown when he looked at Yuan as Colette passed through the threshold with him. "Especially where that half-elf is involved."

" **I apologise Master Altessa,"** Tabatha replied in a mechanical tone.

Sheelos stared at her. All through their time travelling back to Altessa's, she had wondered just what was bothering her about the doll-like woman. She clapped her hands together in glee when she arrived at the conclusion she was after. "You're weren't talking all machine-like earlier! What's the deal?"

Tabatha didn't respond right away. She placed the green haired woman down on a bed in the next room and turned to her with an almost lifeless stare that gave her chills. "Please refrain from speaking of such things so loudly until I am certain we are not being overheard."

Sheelos thought suddenly of the tracking device she still carried with her. Dropping the clothes under her arms to the floor, she searched through them until she found the tracker.

"Please place it in the next room," Tabatha instructed. Perplexed as to how she even knew what it was, or how she knew she had it for that matter, Sheelos did as she was asked, venturing past Colette as she did. She was stationed next to the unconscious woman with the extremely long green hair, watching over her with a queer expression that looked a cross between confused and worried. Lloyd stood beside her, looking with the same concern as Colette. She wondered where Martuan had gotten to in all of this. It seemed like maybe she had told them to look in one direction in the forest while she tracked through the other.

Refraining from being too rough on them, despite the fact that she thought they should be more concerned about Yuan's deathbed condition, Sheelos put the tracking device down on a low desk in the living room and went back to Tabatha. Mithos currently stood opposite the doll-girl, looking her up and down. "How can you help them?" he asked her.

"It will be a complex process," Tabatha replied. "I must ask that you all leave the room."

"Oh really?" Colette asked, perplexed but with her feet obeying and turning toward the exit.

Mithos chuckled darkly at the suggestion put to him. "You expect me to leave my sister here alone with you and Yuan?"

At his words, Sheelos felt her mouth drop, and saw out of the corner of her eye as Lloyd and Colette's did the same.

"What?" Mithos asked innocently, tilting his head. "You think I couldn't recognise my own sister? She looks a little different than before, but I used to have Origin's power. The only thing he didn't let me see was her _other_ soul."

"If you know all that, then I can't believe that you would stay quiet for so long about it," Tabatha replied, leaving no guesses to the accuracy of Mithos' words. Sheelos did a double take from the green haired woman and to Mithos. She didn't have the same blue hair as Martuan, but she certainly did have a sort of resemblance. Her face seemed a little more rounded than Martuan's though, and her body a bit less muscular.

"What would the point be in trying? She no doubt still has her second soul within her," Mithos replied. "It is just weak at the moment." He looked at Yuan. "I had suspected it for a while, but.. it didn't make sense. It still doesn't."

Sheelos had an inkling she knew what he was talking about. She dared to glance at Lloyd and caught him looking at her as well.

"If my sisters condition is a direct result of Yuan's, you must do all you can to save him," Mithos implored, his hands balling into fists as he said that. Sheelos thought he may have wanted to say something about facing the wrath of Cruxis, but was glad he held his tongue.

Tabatha closed her eyes for a few moments before bobbing her head once. "Very well. Please leave the room and rest in the living area."

She paused and waited for them to leave. Sheelos, sure that she wouldn't start doing anything with them in the room, made her exit first. On the way out, her eyes caught on something outside the window next to the bed Yuan was rested on.

A light knock came from the front door as she left and entered the living area. Curious, and seeing Altessa very slowly making his way to the door, she decided to open it instead. Unlatching the multiple locks, she put all her strength into pulling it open. Something wet touched her leg once she got it a short way open. Looking down, she saw a fluffy green and white head nudging into her. The door pushed open far quicker as the beast pushed his weight against it in order to get inside, and by the time he had gotten through, the door was wide open, revealing several faces she didn't know, particularly the face of a pink haired girl, a blue haired man, and a silver haired woman who looked strikingly like the young boy by her side.

"Genis?" she asked, blinking. He was a sight for sore eyes. The last time she had seen him had been during the time Novariel had taken him hostage.

"May we come inside?" the silver haired woman asked. "We have come a long way."

Past her, Sheelos saw two other rather familiar faces. One of them belonged to Kratos, Lloyd's father, and the other belonged to Kate, the one who had saved them from being captured by the institute a long time back in Sybak.

She paused and eyeballed Kate as she sauntered past her. Just when she was about to follow her and ask how she had ended up travelling with the group, she noticed Kratos hadn't yet come inside. The gorgeous mercenary watched her until she started to stutter and feel the need to speak herself. "Coming in?" she queried. "It's cold outside."

Kratos shook his head. "Actually, would you mind stepping outside for a moment? There is something I wish to discuss with you."

xxx

The night was still. For the first time in what felt like forever, Mithos found himself rather drowsy. It was an uncomfortable feeling, the idea of slipping away from the world and into dreams, but he couldn't really help it. He decided to at least attempt to embrace it, despite being reduced to lying on an uncomfortable blanket on the floor. In the midst of his half-sleep, he thought he heard a creak on the floorboards. He quickly discounted it as one of the others turning over and licked his lips before turning over himself. Another creak closest to him sounded. Fluttering his eyes open, he saw a shadow looming over him for just a second until he felt something cold against his throat. As his eyes adjusted, he saw the face and silhouette of one of his oldest and most trusted companions.

"Kratos?" He tried to move his limbs but found they would not budge. "My body... I can't move!"

Kratos withdrew the blade a little, seeming to know that he couldn't do a thing except stare at him and comment with bewilderment. "Good," he whispered. He put the sword away. "It seems the drug worked well. Yours should not last too much longer. I saw to it that you were given a much smaller dose." He grasped his arm and pulled him up until he was standing, then lifted him up into his arms. "Do you want to meet your father?"

"My.." he frowned at the enigma before him. "What are you talking about? I have no father." At least he thought he had no father that would be alive _now._ Kratos seemed serious as he looked him over questioningly.

"Come," Kratos replied, paying no heed to his confusion and carrying him to the front door. "We will meet with him together and see what he has to say."


	88. A spectacular performance

Kratos took in his surroundings- the halls of Welgaia. He hadn't had much time to take it all in, nor had he any reason to as far as he had been concerned when Yuan had instructed him to leave immediately. What did strike him, given the fact that the entire world below seemed to be different, was that Welgaia itself seemed exactly the same. It was an interesting parallel to the life of the seraphs that had spent an eternity and more within its halls. It wasn't truly just Welgaia that had remained the same though. It seemed Sylvarant and Tethe'alla were almost identical in design to the world he remembered too, save for the fact that some of the despicable human ranches destroyed by Lloyd's group appeared to still be operational now. _Appeared_ being a very important word, considering he had noticed quite a sheer lack of life in them upon a couple of brief visits.

Kvar's ranch had still gone up in smoke, just like the first time. It appeared _Kraine_ harboured the same hatred for him as he did and had avenged his wife accordingly. Trying not to dwell on the fact that Anna had still lost her life to the Angelus project, he pressed forward, glancing down at Mithos as he did. The leader of Cruxis he knew would have never let him get away with kidnapping him, much less telling him what to do. The Mithos who had been possessing the body of Lloyd was exactly like the Mithos he remembered, whereas the Mithos he had kidnapped was different- calmer- and far more subdued in his cruel ways. The Yggdrasil he knew would have beat him senseless as soon as he was given the opportunity for the things he had done.

A brief moment of doubt came over him. Was taking a page out of Yuan's book really the right thing to do? He remembered quite well how Lloyd had been.. less than accepting.. of learning the identity of his paternal father. Then again, though they were similar in many ways, Lloyd and Mithos were still very different individuals. While both were as resolute in their goals as the other, Lloyd was able to see the impact of his choices. Whether this was purely a difference in circumstance and longevity in life, he didn't know, but it was what it was regardless.

Mithos saw his brief doubtful gaze on him and finally spoke for the first time since he'd been taken from Altessa's home. "Hey, Kratos?"

"What is it?" he answered, preparing himself.

"Not that I can really remember you being Kraine thanks to Origin's curse, but what happened to cause you to split?"

Kratos paused, knowing the answer but surprised it hadn't been a different question altogether. "A story for another time perhaps. But don't you wonder why we are up in Derris Kharlan?"

The blond boy shrugged. "I figured you wanted to bring Gabriel along as well since.. y'know..." He shuffled his feet awkwardly. "I've always... looked up to him."

Kratos was too slow to hide his surprise. He hadn't realised just how closely this Mithos had bonded to the man. He'd expected it to be much the same as he had been with Kraine or Martuan, but it appeared to be something a little more than that. "You.. care deeply for him?" he asked delicately.

The small amount of redness on Mithos' featured turned into a full-blown blush at that. "He... he's like a big brother. I-I mean..." He shook his head frantically and gained a little composure. "For a human, I really like him. You as well of course."

"But Gabriel is different?"

Mithos bobbed his head. "Gabriel has never attempted to betray me."

For a second, Kratos saw a remnant of the old Mithos. Cold and bitter and unforgiving of those who betrayed his trust. Then, to his surprise, Mithos let out a coy laugh. "Don't worry about it. My sister turned out to be the leader of the Renegades after all."

"And you were not mad at all about that?" The image of that night at Altessa's came to mind, as did the cruel way he had laughed while kicking an already downed Yuan repeatedly in the ribs. He couldn't imagine him doing that to the woman who was, at least partly, his sister.

Mithos shrugged, "Maybe at first I was, but I've been watching her actions for a while through our snitch and I eventually realised that our goals align."

"Hmm," he commented as a reply, stopping down the middle of one of the long hallways and admitting defeat in his mind. He knew the halls of Welgaia well, but he could hardly say he knew the habits of its inhabitants- especially those he hadn't personally spent a millennia or four with. "Would you happen to know where Gabriel likes to reside?"

Mithos' face lit up. "So you _were_ looking for him. You might have been one of three personalities before, Kratos, but you don't ever seem to be original."

He wasn't sure whether to take that as an insult, so he said nothing and hummed and gestured to get Mithos to show him the way. He did obligingly, down a hallway and into another one, then on the right. He placed his hand on an identity scanner and the door that he had stopped before whooshed open.

Despite the fact that there was a screen hooked up to a camera that showed them standing in the hallway in front of the door, they received a very surprised look from the man Kratos remembered as Gabriel. Short brown and curly hair, green tunic. He hardly seemed like the type to ever be suspected as fathering the Hero Mithos. Apparently Mithos had never suspected it either. Eight thousand years had passed. Now the opportunity to learn about the man who had very easily influenced the course of the history he knew, came. Kratos was more that a little incredulous with the situation he had pulled not only himself, but Mithos too, into.

"Lord Yggdrasil!" exclaimed a surprised voice. Pronyma poked her head out from the adjoining room and stared at the two of them standing there. She then looked over at Gabriel and let out a relieved sigh before entering and approaching them. Without even looking at Kratos, she smiled dotingly down at Mithos. "Oh, I am glad to see you back here. I was getting worried." Kratos had the impression she might have hugged Mithos and pinched his cheeks if she hadn't known better. Mithos tolerated her at best and had no use for the fashion in which she babied him. He kept her around as a Grand Cardinal purely for her loyalty.

"We came to speak with Gabriel," Mithos said, walking past her to Gabriel. The other human grimaced and raised his eyebrows as he looked from him to Kratos. Mithos waved Pronyma away with his hand. "Don't you have better things to do with your time?"

Pronyma paused, taking in his coldness toward her. "What would you suggest I do?" she queried in her always over-polite voice to him. Kratos remembered Yuan joking quite a bit at her expense when it came to obeying 'Lord Yggdrasil'. He'd never liked the Grand Cardinals.

"Good question Pronyma," Mithos laughed, then side-glanced at Gabriel. "Just what do you usually command she does?"

Gabriel gave him an incredulous look. "Pronyma? Oh, she usually brings me a really perfectly brewed coffee. If you weren't a child, I'd offer you some."

Normally, insolence like that- especially calling Yggdrasil a child- resulted in serious repercussions. Some Seraphinalia had been calling him a child amongst themselves once and had paid the price with their lives. Instead of choking him to death, Mithos glared at Gabriel while a smirk touched his lips like he was trying not to smile.

Gabriel carried on like he hadn't just danced with the devil. "I was considering sending her to the Remote Island Ranch however. After some thought, I believe that is the place Rodyle would have picked to build the mana cannon in secret. There's a good chance the Renegades have already infiltrated it."

"Good, then we can figure out how he would have used the Angelus Project with it." Mithos stuttered for a second, then added "not that I don't trust my sister to tell me. I-I just don't actually think she knows about that kind of thing."

"In any case," Gabriel said then, looking up at Pronyma, "you heard what Lord Yggdrasil said. Leave us in peace."

Pronyma's eyes widened as though she hadn't been listening at all. She probably hadn't, Kratos supposed. It was sort of mesmerising- at least for him- to see Mithos so at ease around someone who was not his sister. "Y-yes, Lord Gabriel." There was a tune of a whine in her voice, but she obeyed without question, turned around and left.

"So," Gabriel said with a yawn, "to what do I owe this pleasure? How has the progress been?" He casually took a seat at the office chair behind himself and crossed his legs.

"You haven't been listening?" Mithos looked surprised for a moment and so did Gabriel. The boy waited for an explanation, but not for too long. When Gabriel remained quiet, he continued on with an indifferent shrug of the shoulders. "My sister agreed to work with me. We will use our abominations of ranches to put things right in the world and free everyone from Origins curse. We will need to heavily increase the intake of people. I think it is time to enforce a second child as an act of the W.S.P."

Kratos hadn't heard much about the W.S.P yet, but it appeared to be closely linked to the strange phenomena that plagued the world. _Origin's curse_ as Mithos put it. He might have thought it strange that Mithos was going about business as per normal, but Mithos was cynical and obviously thought himself in no danger. He was right for the most part. The questionable one was Gabriel.

"I will immediately put the decree to the Church of Martel and descend upon Sylvarant's most famous clergy to tell them of the instruction from the heavens," Gabriel agreed with a roll of his eyes. "It is necessary since Remiel was as useless as I expected."

Mithos threw his head back at that and laughed. "The fool actually believed he could be a member of Cruxis. That was his first mistake."

"Yes," Gabriel said, then briefly glanced at Kratos. "It seems I didn't even need to send word to you of the results to our experiment."

Those words were troubling. Kratos stiffened a little but didn't move. Mithos shook his head in response, grinning in the same way as Gabriel. "Kratos apparently felt the need to hide how it happened from me, possibly to protect you from my wrath."

Judging by their words, it seemed the troubled feeling forming in the pit of his stomach had been correct. Mithos and Gabriel had planned something.

"Oh Krattie, is it really true?!" Gabriel exclaimed in false endearment.

"I take it you already discussed the matter together?" he answered, irritated.

"Why do you think I captured both you and Lloyd back at the forest of Origin?" Mithos asked. "I wanted to find out two things. One- why Lloyd's mana signature so closely resembles mine at times. On that I am _still_ unsure. Two- you were wearing two exspheres, something quite phenomenal really. Results have not been good for those in the ranches fitted with two. It speeds up the process of mana going out of control in the body normally. You are different, as is your son and the woman you took as your wife. I wanted to know if, by putting you under emotional strain, you would split into the sum of your parts, so to speak."

Though this was new information, the visions Kratos had received and knowledge he had been given by both Kraine-Kratos and Yuan gave him enough to be able to put a natural response together. "Your theory was incorrect," he stated dryly.

"Not incorrect," Gabriel muttered back, "it just needed a little time _._ "

"Time, as in time for you to inject me with something that sped up the process?"

"Inject?" Mithos asked, blinking.

So that was it. Kratos finally had the satisfaction of exposing the lies of Gabriel. This seemed to be the first of many. "Or didn't you tell Mithos about that?" he asked.

Gabriel looked convincingly perplexed and shrugged his shoulders when Mithos gave him the signature 'explain' look. "What could I possibly inject him with that would help that process? Believe me, if there was a way, I would have found it by now." He looked serious. "Besides, there is no way he is recalling fact. Having split with his other souls, he should not remember very clearly his life as Kraine. You yourself have the same problem."

"Yes, it is quite annoying," Mithos grumbled. "Oddly, I still remember a little. It's as though the curse is trying really hard to make me forget."

"I assure you, I remember everything quite clearly," Kratos rebutted, putting the pressure back on Gabriel. "That is why I have taken the liberty to bring Mithos here, too." It was now or never. Kratos steeled himself for what might be to come. "I have come to expose the lies you have continually told your son."

After the words had left his mouth, the room was deathly quiet. Mithos laughed under his breath after a time. "Kratos, don't say such strange things."

Gabriel took a loud breath after his son had broken the ice. "I think perhaps the split may have been a bit much for him. He has no idea what he is talking about."

"Y-yeah," Mithos added. "I-I mean, there's no way that's true, right?"

"Of course not," Gabriel said. "There's no way I would bring myself to-" He stopped suddenly before he finished the sentence, but it was too late. Mithos had understood where he had been going with that.

"What's wrong with that?" Mithos questioned. "Without humans and elves, half-elves would not exist."

"A cursed existence, some might say," Gabriel replied. "I only meant to say that I wouldn't want to contribute to the problem."

Mithos flinched back at his words. "W-what are you saying? We aren't a _problem!_ We have a right to live." He abruptly pointed a finger, the bracelets on his hand jingling a bit as he did, and pressed it against Gabriel's chest. "Choose your words more carefully if you meant something different."

While Mithos was infuriated and Gabriel was stunned, Kratos took it to his advantage and moved around the two to where the computer monitoring system sat. He turned back to them both, now behind Gabriel. Mithos withdrew his hand from Gabriel when he noticed finally. Without hesitation, and truthfully hoping that his vision was not skewed, Kratos scrunched a bundle of Gabriel's hair in his hands and squeezed. Gabriel squirmed as soon as he felt it, but it was too little too late. Resolving himself, Kratos pulled the head of brown hair upward. Upon removal of the wig, messy blond locks immediately fell at Gabriel's shoulders and in front of his face. It seemed as though he had put the faux hair on quite hastily- possibly because of their unannounced visit. There was no sign of a wig cap or pins holding his hair in place.

Mithos shrunk back a bit and almost hit a low cupboard. "What's going on? Why were you wearing a-"

"-It is as I said," Kratos replied instead of letting Gabriel answer, dropping the wig in his hands to the floor. He glanced over the human still sitting in the chair. "This charade is over Gabriel. It's time to tell Mithos just what exactly you are planning for the future of half-elves."

Mithos stared at him and shook his head frantically. "N-no. It's not true, right? "

"Hmph," Gabriel responded indignantly, wiping hair away from his eyes then sighing and standing from his chair. As he did, he allowed his hair to fall into place properly by his hips.

Mithos eyeballed his father up and down in the same way Kratos remembered Lloyd had when he had finally been able to tell him everything that night in Flanoir. Unlike Lloyd, who'd had time to digest the information by that point, Mithos was still stricken with shock at their undeniable similarities. Gabriel looked like the 'man' Mithos paraded as at times when he thought an older looking leader of Cruxis was more befitting. There were small differences, as per normal in family traits, but the resemblance was there, and an uncanny one at that.

"Please," Gabriel said, rolling his eyes. "Looking similar does not mean that we are related. Your sister looks nothing like you."

"That is because of Yuan," Mithos replied quietly. "Somehow, he shares a soul with her _and_ has a body of his own. It probably has something to do with how he knows so much about Cruxis' operations and what he told you to do that night he met you." He nervously smiled up at Gabriel. "You and I are the same. We don't have a second soul to worry about skewing our appearance."

"Just listen to yourself!" Gabriel hissed, dashing away Mithos' smile immediately. "You're being fooled by him. He's trying to turn you against me."

Mithos looked down at his feet and shuffled a bit. "Why would telling me something like that turn me against you?" His skin flushed red. "I-I'd welcome the idea. You've always felt like family anyway."

Gabriel's eyes furrowed with confusion, as did Kratos'. This was not going the same way as it had with Lloyd at all. He needed to gain some footing and quickly. Gabriel, taking advantage of the situation that presented itself, let out a sigh and smiled as he approached the confused angel. "No matter how old you get, you're still a child."

"H-hey!" Mithos responded half-heartedly, meeting Gabriel's eyes finally.

"Especially in my eyes," Gabriel added.

It might have been a touching moment- seeing the realisation of the truth dawn on the son, and the relieved smile of a father who had lived in secret finally able to show his true self- if the son had not been Mithos and the father had not been Gabriel. All Kratos felt was anguish as he watched his plan at exposing Gabriel and causing Mithos to mistrust him fall into pieces.

"W-why didn't you tell me?" the younger Yggdrasil scrambled in question to his elder. "Why keep it hidden?"

Gabriel turned away. Kratos found himself even angrier when the man shot him a winning grimace. "I have done many bad things, but all have been to ease your suffering as a half-elf."

At those words, Kratos saw the true meaning of Yuan's words. He almost cursed. Finally he understood why the retched half-elf had seemed so nonplussed to change his plans after hearing about Gabriel from Kraine-Kratos. It hadn't been a oversight on his part at all. Though Yuan had undoubtedly been just as surprised at the information as himself, it actually changed nothing of his initial instructions. By still telling him to work with Gabriel, he had basically forced him to think about the options as to how he could skip to the part where the human would pay dearly for what he had done. Yuan had known he wouldn't be able to work alongside the man who had killed Martel, and he'd played right into his hands, performing admirably at that. _That_ had been why he had truly asked him to swap places with Kraine-Kratos. He had the urge to leave Derris Kharlan right away and strangle Yuan until he breathed his last breath at that.

"But what about the experiment?" Mithos whispered. "You were a part of it too. What happened to get us separated? Surely they would have found it more interesting to experiment on us side by side." Tears started to down his face and he wiped them away. "All this time, you were right there and I never noticed. I never thought about you or my mother. After I got Origin, I only thought of my sister."

"That is a conversation for when this is all over," Gabriel replied. "It's a pretty long story and I would wish for us to not have an audience when we discuss it." He gestured to Kratos and gave him a plain look before turning back to his son. "Your wishes and mine truly do align. We both wish for Martel to come back and for the suffering of half-elves to be gone for good. To do that however, we must eliminate all that oppose us as Cruxis and seize further control over the worlds below."

He cast his gaze over to Kratos and Mithos followed it. Swallowing thickly, Kratos closed his eyes and knelt in submission to them. Gabriel had won the battle, but he would ensure he won the war. He swore it on the spirit of the Great Tree.


	89. An end to a long night

The times when Sheelos had found herself feeling guilty about her actions were far and few between. She'd done a lot of things, but most of the time she'd been able to justify them with logical (if sometimes selfish) reasoning. One of the pinnacle moments of guilt for her revolved around the incident with Volt and her village. She had been responsible for the terrible things that had happened, guilty of ripping Kuchinawa and Orochi's parents away from them when they were both still at such tender ages.

So when she found she couldn't sleep despite being relatively comfortable while she was lying on Altessa's living room floor, atop a pile of pillows Colette had arranged for her, she knew it had to be because she was feeling guilty for her most recent betrayal of her friends trust. She sighed heavily and squeezed her eyes shut once again. The fruits of her labour had already come to pass. There was nothing that she could do about it. She had her own job to do. She needed to get the rest of the summon spirits. The sun was already beginning to rise and she was going to have a busy day. Getting no sleep was no good for her complexion.

Her complexion didn't seem to matter to her brain though. It continued to tick along with thoughts about the mysterious circumstances that surrounded the group. She thought of Genis and Raine and the black rings they had both displayed under their eyelids by the time the 'meal' she had served up to them had run its course. She might have been happy with the thought that she was giving them a little bit of a helping hand in their rest, had she not known the desperation for answers felt by each and every one of them in the room that night after Colette had first said that she felt she remembered Raine and Regal, as well as Presea, despite never having met any of them prior to their knock on the old Altessa's door. She particularly seemed to recall Raine as someone who had been her teacher at Iselia and a supportive, almost motherly figure, despite her scary tendencies when it came to looking at ruins. To her description of Raine on their journey, Sheelos had felt she also remembered some things she was saying, but at the same time she still couldn't help but to remember the cool cucumber that had been Kraine.

The poor girl had looked so confused when she'd looked at Regal and voiced that although she thought she should know more, she recalled him being a kind duke and president. Interestingly, Kratos, Raine and Genis also remembered things just as Colette did, while the others, like her, also remembered the professor-angel that had actually gone on the journey until the Tower of Salvation. Nobody accused anybody else of being wrong or right, but it did cause enough confusion to serve as a diversion.

With her back to the group as she prepared their food, Sheelos had carefully mixed in the ingredient that had caused them to sleep like the dead for the night, though that particular flower was a little more potent than the one she had used to drug her friends into la-la land previously. As soon as the group had taken three or four spoons of their food, the yawns had begun. They all retired to different corners of the room to sleep quickly after finishing their meals. The only one who _hadn't_ was of course the man she'd been lured out into the night to have a conversation with just a little earlier.

" _You know, do you not?" Kratos asked cryptically, and for a second Sheelos felt like she was talking to Yuan. He spoke in a pretty similar way when he was serious._

" _Know what?" she questioned back. "How about you start with an explanation of yourself rather than a question for me?" She tapped the outer wall of Altessa's house with her fist. "Preferably inside where it's warm." He didn't look like he wanted to budge, so she struggled for a comfortable rebound. "Not that the sight of you doesn't warm a girl like me up a little though. You must have all the Meltokio nobles scrambling for your attention!"_

Though they came easily, those words had felt quite hollow to her, especially now. There was no doubt the man was gorgeous, and normally she enjoyed the reactions of those she 'flirted' with. It made a dull life more interesting and, according to Kuchinawa, made it easier to hide something she hadn't really understood in her younger years before she'd known what it meant for someone to be a half-elf. Kratos hadn't reacted at all to her comment though, save for a sigh and another cryptic sentence.

" _I suppose your flirtatious attitude was inevitable," he said grumpily, rolling his eyes upward to the stars above for a second. "Nevertheless, do you know about Yuan?"_

At first she thought she should play the clueless card, but when Kratos had glared at her with eyes that showed such scrutiny, she'd actually feared what he might do if he was able to discern that she was lying through her teeth and decided to just nod in response.

" _Then you must assist me in doing something to help his cause."_

His cause?

That had been one thing the Cerberus hadn't exactly explained to her, other than the fact that he might have been attempting to change something about the future. Or _his_ future, to be more precise. Still, she hadn't expected that Kratos had been in on it. Asking him to reveal more about this cause of Yuan's would have probably seemed strange to him since he'd somehow assumed Yuan had told her, so she had opted to go along with it for the time being.

" _What are you planning to do?" she asked, stalking him when he wandered a little farther from the house._

" _I intend to trap Gabriel," Kratos responded. "By using his son."_

 _Gabriel_ as in _the pope_. His _son_ as in Mithos. Sheelos hadn't even had time to think over the huge amount of information Lloyd had spilled to her before everything had happened and Yuan had collapsed. It was like the world didn't want her to understand. Even now in retrospect, the thought made her groan and turn her face flat onto the pillow behind her head. Nope, she definitely wasn't getting sleep now.

" _It is fool proof," Kratos continued to explain when she asked him just how he planned to do that. "With Gabriel mistrusted by Mithos, he will be cornered and forced to show his true hand."_

" _His true hand?" Sheelos asked. "You think Gabriel is betraying Mithos? I mean, he's the Pope, but I always figured Mithos knew what he was doing with the Papal knights and such."_

_Kratos rested one hand on his hip. The other one stroked his chin while he looked in thought. "I.. am a little unclear on those circumstances, but I have been tasked in ensuring Mithos does not become our enemy."_

_Sheelos saw where he was going with it now and smirked. It seemed a very Yuan-esque plan. She had no doubt that he was responsible for hatching the idea. At least, the beginning of the idea. A part of it didn't seem quite as well thought out though, and she went to voice it when Kratos spoke first._

" _There will be no reason for Mithos to get in the way of our cause, knowing he has been manipulated by his very own father."_

" _But what if Mithos likes Gabriel as his father?" she questioned, still able to voice her earlier opinion when she saw that Kratos' words only cemented her worries into place. "Then you will have shown your hand and Cruxis might not like what they see." She didn't have any real basis for it except that Gabriel was one of Cruxis and one of Mithos' oldest friends._

_Kratos didn't seem phased by her counter-argument. "The only one truly deserving of death in this situation is Gabriel."_

Did Yuan think that as well? Was killing the Pope really his goal? What had Gabriel done that Mithos hadn't?

Sheelos shifted onto her back, accidentally creating an uncomfortable gap between the pillows underneath her when she did, and reached into her clothes which she had very gladly put back on as soon as she'd had a chance. She found the letter from Kuchinawa and opened it as quietly as she could. Reading the line about Yuan working with the Pope using the dim light from the rising sun outside the window near the front door, she wondered whether it was all just a farce. Perhaps Yuan was working as a double agent like she had been for a while, trying to find the winning side in all the madness. Or perhaps he wished for Cruxis to fall and he saw Gabriel as the biggest obstacle. She had to admit, it was a pretty grand position- the Pope of Tethe'alla _and_ one of Cruxis' four seraphim. She remembered all the times she had seen the Pope give sermons in Meltokio. She'd never liked him and the way he preached about the Worldwide Survival Project, but had never suspected that he was secretly a seraph of Cruxis.

There was a little shift of movement from over near Kate's position on the floor. Sheelos made herself rigid while closing her eyes to the point where she could still see through her eyelashes. The green haired science lady stood from her spot and looked around at the sleepy inhabitants of the room. Even Altessa had needed to give up his bed for the evening. He'd chosen to use the low wooden table in the kitchen area as his makeshift bed.

Kate tiptoed past them to the sleeping form of Lloyd, stopping to stare at the empty makeshift beds where Kratos and Mithos had been sleeping previously. Lying as still as she could and turning her head very slowly, Sheelos continued to watch the scientist's strange movements. Kate leaned down and gingerly picked Lloyd's exsphered hand up as though she knew he wouldn't respond. Then, with her free hand, she went in to try to take his exsphere from its key crest. Sheelos almost jumped up to stop her, but halted when the hand Kate had been gently holding suddenly flexed. In a flash it was at her throat.

Lloyd rose up from his position on the floor while Kate tried to peel his fingers from her. "I should have guessed you would be after the Angelus Project," he whispered in a voice that sent shivers down Sheelos' spine. It was Lloyd's voice, but not his tone. "Who are you working for?"

Kate strained to say anything. "P-pl—ee," she choked, still trying her best to get out of the iron choke hold.

"You will tell me," Lloyd said coldly, squeezing a little harder and making Kate gasp. Her eyes began to roll up into her head. "Won't you?" he finished.

"Y-y.." was all Kate could manage. It seemed to be enough for Lloyd though. Without the least bit of gentleness or kindness, he dropped Kate to the floor and stared at her while she coughed and spluttered for air. Normally the whole room would have awoken at such a racket, but still everyone slept soundly, drugged by the serum created from the specific flowers Kratos had picked from the forest.

Kate looked at Lloyd, surprise written on her face. "You're just like all the other humans. To think that I thought you were different."

"I am not the one who tried to steal," Lloyd replied back, raising a brow. "Don't be such a hypocrite."

Kate stood up after wobbling a little on her feet. "Oh my, how you have me cornered and caught red-handed. I suppose I have little choice in revealing all my secrets."

To Sheelos, it sounded slightly sarcastic. Apparently to Lloyd though, it sounded genuine. She carefully turned her head to watch as Kate made for the front door and undid the latches. "Let's go for a little walk shall we?"

Lloyd chuckled and bowed his head. "I suppose a little fresh air couldn't hurt." He followed her out.

As soon as the front door closed with a thunk, Sheelos scrambled to the front window to watch them. To her surprise, they hadn't gone far. Kate turned to face Lloyd a short way out of the house. To even _more_ her surprise, Kate gave Lloyd a victorious grin for a only second before turning completely invisible.

Lloyd appeared caught off guard too. He startled and looked left to right, clenching his hands into fists and letting out a frustrated yelp so loud that Sheelos could hear it through the almost sound-proof walls. Just as Lloyd looked ready to go on a Kate-hunt, Sheelos decided. There was no way _he_ was Lloyd. Lloyd didn't have a cruel bone in his body. This person was different. Relentless. Bitter. Scary.

Lloyd-Mithos turned back toward the door and the window so suddenly that she didn't have a chance to react before he saw her peeking out at him. Half expecting him to come charging in the front door, she thought about locking him out, but then she saw him give her a slight smile and wave her to come outside.

Knowing she was crazy, she did as he'd requested and found herself standing side by side with him in less than a minute. He didn't say anything at first, instead just gazed up at the sunrise. It prettily hit the tops of the trees and hills that dotted the area, making their greenery turn golden brown.

"Everyone should still soundly be asleep for another hour or two at least," he said eventually, side-glancing at her with a grimace.

"Damn," she cursed. "Did you know I was awake the whole time?"

The brunett bobbed his head and stretched a little. "Let's just say that the same trick in the same place won't work twice on _me_. It barely even worked once."

"Twice?" Sheelos asked, then shook her head. "This has happened before?" All of a sudden, something clicked in her brain. Yuan being two steps ahead all the time made sense if she was right. It wasn't that he'd seen the future. He'd _experienced_ it first hand.

xxx

" _Come back to me, my loyal pact maker."_

A voice filled Yuan's mind for a moment. A sweet, soothing voice. It was important somehow, he thought. When he rattled his mind as to why, nothing came. Darkness surrounded him.

" _Remember what you are fighting for."_

"M..Martel..." he found himself saying. "Always and only for..."

" _No, not just for her. For everyone,"_ insisted the woman invading his mind. _"_ _Come now, you know she would not like this to all have been for her sake alone."_

"That's why I created the Renegades," he replied. "To end her suffering."

" _Exactly. I know she would not wish for you to suffer for so long either. Not for her sake, just like all those other people did and do, even now."_

Yuan found himself unable to respond, caught up in a mental image of Martel's face, smiling back brightly into his after he had asked for her to be his forever. He smiled and wished to relish in the memory for as long as he could.

" _And how long has it been since she was finally set free? How long since she became a part of me?"_

A part of _her?_ Yuan frowned hard, trying to place the voice.

" _That's right. Think, how long has it been since we made our pact under the image of the future Great Tree Yggdrasil that day?"_

"I.. I can't remember."

" _Yes, you can. Think. What happened?"_

The image of Martel faded from his minds eye, replaced by the walls of a castle and a large open door that led up some steps. Through it, he'd observed the fight. A clash of colourful people surrounding two swordsmen vying for the upper hand in the middle could be seen. Red versus white, clash for clash, they fought with the same vigour and want to protect what they had worked for. Then the final stab came, suddenly and born from a dodge and a thrust with the right hand sword.

"Mithos lost.. against them," he said, remembering how strangely sad he had felt at seeing it. The boy had done so much for the sake of Martel. Not just him, but Kratos and himself as well. Because of them, the world had become so twisted that the Hero Mithos' death actually meant the world would know peace- the very thing they had all wanted to begin with. It might have been a nice thought, to think MIthos would finally be at rest alongside his beloved sister, but it wasn't. Something bothered him. He tried to figure out what it was.

" _Yes, you know what happened after that,"_ the voice said. _"_ _Mithos signed the warrant for the world then and there, though nobody knew it at the time."_

Yuan squinted and thought back. Mithos' last words as himself echoed through his mind.

" _Farewell my shadow, you who stand at the end of the path I chose not to follow. I wanted my own world, so I don't regret my choice. I would make the same choice over and over again. I will continue to choose this path."_

After that, Lloyd had done the deed of destroying his Cruxis crystal. _That_ had been the real mistake. Of course, like Mana had mentioned just before, nobody knew it at the time. He had wished it so many times since it all happened, for them to have only realised what had happened in those fleeting moments.

" _Yes.."_ Mana said softly, her voice like a gentle caress to his cheek. _"_ _From that moment onward, Lloyd and Mithos became one in the eyes of the Eternal Sword."_

She was right, sadly.

Lloyd, victorious over the leader of Cruxis, found the two swords forged by his two fathers merging into one to become the new eternal sword, the symbol of his pact with Origin. With it, he was free to do what he wished with Origin's power.

Unfortunately, whether it had been intentional or not, the act of combining the worlds, Mithos' last words, and his soul trapped inside Lloyd's Angelus Project had caused some problems. Some very big problems. Yuan squirmed and shut out the thoughts. He had been entrusted to look after the world Kratos had left behind for his duties and had allowed it to fall into chaos again, right under his nose.

" _Is it coming back to you? Why you must continue in this world despite the enormous strain it takes on your body?"_ Mana asked _._

"Until we have put right our mistakes, none of us deserve to die," Yuan replied. The darkness clouding his mind faded and he sat upright, opening his eyes to gaze straight at 'Tabatha' as he did.

"Mana.." he whispered, knitting his brows after that. Last thing he remembered, he'd just come back from the other time with Sheelos and Lloyd. Glancing down at himself, he saw the gaudy salvatorian clothes were still on him. "Ugh. No wonder I felt so hot. It's worse than chain mail."

"No, my master, that would be because you were unconscious," Mana said, smiling at him slightly sarcastically. "Though Martel does recall you saying that you would not wear a suit to even your own wedding."

"Does she?" Yuan asked, laughing a bit before looking at her pointedly. "Mana, I thought I already told you to stop calling me Master a _long_ time ago. I get enough of that from the women in Meltokio. Besides, it's weird when you look like a younger version of Martel." He looked away from her quickly, out of the window next to his bed. It looked like the sun was starting to rise.

"So _she_ is a summon spirit called Mana..." came a voice that surprised him so much that he almost startled off of the side of his bed. In a bed adjacent to his, he saw _her_ sitting up, blue hair and all. She gave him a conniving grin. "Well Mr Secrets, I hadn't expected a time unconscious in your presence to be so well spent. How curious."

Yuan immediately looked back at Mana. "What's going on!? Why is _she_ here? Why didn't you stop me from talking?" His right hand immediately flung to the ring on his left, but he stopped and sighed. "Right. Can't do that neat little trick any more."

"Nor should you if you could," Mana said crossly, folding her arms. "You very nearly died because of what you did back there with my power as it was!" She turned away and looked at Martuan. "This whole thing has been very rough on you as well. Our link makes things very difficult at times. Please accept my apologies." She bowed politely at the woman.

"I'll accept an explanation first," Martuan commented, "as well as your apologies."

Mana opened her mouth but Yuan spoke first. "There's no need for her to know. It would only complicate things."

" _You_ only complicate things," Martuan retorted.

"Besides which," Mana interjected, looking from Martuan to Yuan. "I'm afraid keeping this a secret from her is only detrimental to our cause. While I was connected with your mana, I was also connected with hers. It was necessary. As such, you have shared a significant portion of your memories with her. Without warning her of the perils using them for her own gain could cause, she could do quite a lot of damage."

Yuan's breath caught in his throat at such a horrible turn of events. Martuan reached her legs over the side of her bed, tested her strength once or twice before getting up and walking over. "Well then, it looks like the time has come to rip off the mask and reveal your secret identity, Yuan Ka-fai."

"And if I refuse?" Yuan queried, lip curling up into a smirk without his consent.

"You won't," Martuan replied simply. "Not as long as I'm at least _partly_ Martel, right?"


	90. Puns, protection and Protozoans

"So you were awake the whole time?" Sheelos asked curiously, eyes wandering to examine 'Lloyd'. There was no question in her mind as to who he _really_ was. There was no way Lloyd could act so differently. What she really wanted to ask was whether she had heard right and come to the correct conclusion about Yuan.

"Of course," Lloyd-Mithos said, side-glancing at her. "And before you ask, you're barking up the wrong tree if you want information about the _other_ time."

She couldn't help but feel a bit deflated at that. "So this has happened before as well." Her deflation ended as soon as it had begun. Whether Mithos had meant to or not, he had basically confirmed her suspicion.

"More or less," Lloyd-Mithos agreed. "There are some unforeseen circumstances happening currently though. Not only that, but Yuan definitely was not quite as involved in your groups... wellbeing.. last time." He laughed a little under his breath. "Though, I guess you could say he always wished to kill the Chosen and stop the regeneration."

The dream that she'd had, the one which contained a red haired man in her reflection and a Yuan wearing a Renegade outfit all of a sudden came to mind. "When he was a Renegade..." she whispered to herself before she had time to decide whether this version of Mithos was friend or foe.

Lloyd-Mithos looked suitably surprised at her words. "Y-you mean you're starting to remember things?" He shifted from foot to foot and tapped a finger against the side of his face. "I wonder why? You haven't split like the others- oh!" He thrusted his hands together as though the thought had just hit him. "It's because of the summon spirits, probably."

"You're being such a tease, my scarily adorable darling," Sheelos muttered, slinking behind him to go to his other side when he turned away and tapped his foot while thinking silently to himself about something. "Are you sure you don't just want to tell me everything? Isn't that why you waved me to come out here to begin with?"

"And why would I want to do that?" the Cruxis seraph in the red-clad swordsman's body asked, raising a brow. "Do not misunderstand me, I'm not silenced out of loyalty to Yuan. I'm doing it out of loyalty to the world and..." He sighed and tapped his forehead. "My sister."

"Martuan?" she asked. "Or Martel?"

Lloyd-Mithos sighed. "I can't risk her safety. Not when I am so close to having her back."

Sheelos found herself with even more questions than before. "But why?" She prodded his shoulder for a few seconds before he cast a glare on her that could have rivalled Kraine, Yuan and Martuan all at once. She did her best to ignore it, but drew her hands away anyway. "Why would telling me about what is really going on impact _that_?"

Lloyd-Mithos gave an annoyed grunt about her being too smart for her own good. "Even as we speak, the timeline is trying to correct itself to head toward the natural course of events written into the very code of its being. That's why. _That_ is the true curse of this world caused by the power of Origin put into the… wrong hands."

He looked suddenly forlorn, an _almost_ Lloyd-like expression on his face for once. Sheelos didn't like it, but she was glad that he wasn't trying to fool her. "The curse of Origin," she repeated absently as she thought back to what the other Mithos has said to Genis. "Is that what Yuan is trying to correct in that place I went to with him?" She shivered at the thought of that being any kind of future. A place devoid of any life or mana was just unnatural at best. "How do we stop that from happening?"

"That gaudy heroism is _exactly_ why I can't tell you," Lloyd-Mithos argued. "Trying to stop things from happening only makes it harder to change them." His eyelids fluttered and he made a frustrated sound. "What a fool. He should never have shown you that place." He cast a glance down at the exsphere on his hand. "And _you._ You shouldn't have blurted out all that stuff to her."

Sheelos zoned out of the swordsman's kind of insane utters to himself when she absently looked at the window behind her and into the bedroom where Tabatha, Yuan and Martuan were currently. She'd expected to see two sleeping figures being healed by Tabatha in a super secret way, but that was far from the reality.

Martuan, now with her blue hair back, leaned over Yuan with a devilish grin on her face and a gleam in her eyes. Yuan, though she couldn't see his face from the angle he was sitting at, looked rigid. His silky hair had fallen out of its ponytail and now just sat loosely clumped over his shoulders and down his back. The grin on Martuan's face faded when she proceeded to reach downward and bring his left hand into hers. She fiddled with the strange ring on his finger while her mouth moved. Sheelos tried hard to lip read what she was saying, but it was no use.

Yuan, who had appeared rigid and uncomfortable at first, slackened his shoulders at her touch and moved to grasp her hand. The lady Renegade flinched in surprise but didn't pull out of his grip. Instead, she nodded in reply to whatever Yuan had said to her. She sat beside him on the bed he had previously been unconscious on, her back mostly to the window now, and let go of his hand. Tabatha, who had been passively been watching their conversation, moved a bit further into view. Sheelos gasped and quickly jumped away from view when the robotic girl locked eyes with her.

She turned back to Lloyd-Mithos to see that he was shaking slightly. She looked up to his face and saw him grinning. He was _laughing._ "What's so funny!?" she asked innocently, crossing her arms. "Aren't you curious about what they're talking about?"

He gave her a look and she couldn't help but pout. "Right. You probably already know. You're in on it all as well, aren't you." She groaned. "If you're not going to tell me about the other world, can you at least tell me why you called me out here, oh great leader of Cruxis?" After a moment she added "sorta."

"I want to know whether you will become a liability in the future," Lloyd-Mithos explained without really explaining anything. Sheelos was starting to see why the world might have ended up in the mess it had with such vague-talking seraphs at the helm when it came to important matters. She held her tongue- just- and waited for him to elaborate.

"If you continue as the groups summoner, you will lose your memory of all of this eventually," he said quietly and in the even tone that had always frightened her about Mithos. "It is inevitable."

"You mean I'll be like the others?" Sheelos mulled that thought over. That was pretty much why she had sided with the Renegades. The promise of 'splitting' was an appealing thought, especially when she imagined the members of the Church scrambling to find a new 'Chosen' to spearhead as Tethe'alla's saviour. "That can't be all that ba-"

"You have no idea why you even required protection from Yuan, do you?" Mithos asked. He watched her for a few moments. All Sheelos could do was look at him with confusion as she tried to work out what he was talking about. Yuan had been the Cerberus to protect her as the Chosen and because he was protecting the lineage of Mizuho. There didn't seem like there _should_ have been more to it. She felt her ears getting awfully hot as she thought about the fact that he was also her salvatorian. He was still in that suit as well. She almost wanted to look back into the window to see what was going on now. The only thing that stopped her was fear of being caught by Tabatha again.

She babbled her thoughts to Lloyd-Mithos and watched as he took on a stance that basically said he didn't give a crap about what she _thought_ she knew. "Yuan gave you some truths without giving you them all," the seraph glowered. "He's annoyingly good at that."

Despite being annoyed at the way he was shrugging off what she was saying and piling on the mystery in steaming hot heaps, Sheelos couldn't help but be a little fascinated by how a personality could shine through even the physical presence of someone else. "You should take up theatre some time," she commented, grinning as she imagined the blond haired Mithos she knew dressed in a colourful knights costume, a giant feather cap adorning his head. "You're a pretty good actor to be able to fool everyone into thinking you're Lloyd."

"Heh," Lloyd-Mithos chuckled, "it's pretty easy. Lloyd is such a simpleton. Besides, as much as I dislike admitting it, I am, or at least I _was,_ more like him than you realise. I'm simply... playing the part of a much younger and naïve version of myself."

"So you _were_ a nice person once?" she joked for a second before a thought struck her. "A bit more like the Mithos from this world?"

"You've noticed then? I suppose that could be accurate in a sense. Things are different for this other version of me, that's for sure."

"Because of something Yuan did, no doubt," Sheelos muttered. "He's been around for a while."

Lloyd-Mithos gave an absent nod for a second before all of a sudden he was unfurling blue wings from his back. He lifted one leg to take flight. Not done with him yet, Sheelos pulled him back and sent him off balance and flailing. "Hooooold on! Was there really another reason other than me being the Chosen that Yuan was protecting me?"

Lloyd-Mithos shrieked and flapped his mana-filled feathers in her face to try and regain his balance. "Fine!" he exclaimed indignantly once he placed both feet on the ground again. He huffed and crossed his arms. "I suppose it would be pretty hypocritical of me to not tell you at least that." With a serious expression, he went on. "Continuing down this road will result in the two sides of you splitting, in one way or another. However, due to certain... circumstances... there is also a high chance it will result in your death. I want to be sure that until the Great Seed has been revived and the new tree sapling created, you will not die."

Sheelos took his words in quietly. "You mean you know I wanted the Angelus Project for myself?" She stomped her foot angrily. "Damn. Just how predictable am I to you guys? Am I really just repeating what has already happened?"

Lloyd-Mithos cackled, "No, not by any stretch of the imagination. For one, you would have probably taken a far different path already, had it not been for Yuan. You were right when you mentioned he was protecting you. He isn't protecting you as the Chosen from others though."

"He isn't?"

Lloyd-Mithos shook his head. "No. He is protecting you from yourself and the destiny that threatens to destroy you."

With those final words, Lloyd-Mithos parted from her and flew off into the distance. Sheelos might have been concerned for Kate's wellbeing had she not had enough of her own problems to mull over. Shivering a bit from the cold, she turned and headed back into Altessa's home.

She expected everyone to be sleeping soundly and that she might be able to creep up to the door that separated the bedroom from the lounge to try and listen in to the conversation between Yuan and Martuan. That was not the case.

Colette sat at the kitchen table, clutching herself and looking like she was shivering. Sheelos, sensing something was wrong, stepped past the rest of the sleeping occupants in the room and rushed over to stand by her side. Colette didn't even seem to register her for a second, but eventually she looked up and gave her a soft smile. "Oh.. Sheelos. Are you okay?"

"Don't give me that," Sheelos replied. "Something's wrong, isn't it?" She noticed Colette squeeze her arm at that exact moment. "Are you hurt?" Without hesitation, she darted her hand to Colette's sleeve and pulled it up.

What she saw wasn't exactly what she had expected at all. She'd expected to see some bruising- maybe a flesh wound- not the strange blue and purple bumps that decorated her arm as far up as she had dared to hastily push the sleeve. She wasn't _shocked_ per se' though. Colette had been acting strangely for a while, like something was bothering her. Even after she had told them all of her strange disconnected memories, she still had seemed like there was something else she'd been keeping from them. Clearly this was it.

Sheelos shot Colette an _explain_ look and the girl just looked down sadly. "It's horrible.. isn't it?"

"What?" Sheelos said the first words that came to mind.

Colette elaborated. "It's horrible. It's disgusting! It's..."

"Well, it's definitely not attractive, but that's besides the point," Sheelos pointed out. "Colette, we need to see someone about this!"

Colette didn't seem like she was listening. She shook her head. "Lloyd... Lloyd? Where is he?"

If she was after Lloyd, she was definitely out of luck. Sheelos didn't have the heart to say otherwise. Colette rested her head in her hands. "Th-this has happened before as well. I'm becoming a giant exsphere!"

"Wh-what?" Sheelos stared at the bumps on her arm again. "Why didn't you tell us about this sooner!?" She stood abruptly, knowing what she had to do. Stomping over to the bedroom door, she pushed it open without care and walked in- straight into Yuan. It appeared he'd been about to exit.

"You have to do something," she demanded despite the multitude of other things she wished they could talk about and the smell- a light, flowery scent- wafting from him. "Colette is sick. You've got to fix her."

Yuan harrumphed at her lack of tact and pushed past her to go and see what she was talking about for himself. "I see." He walked away and back to her, standing in the doorway and very well aware of the stares of both Tabatha and Martuan on her back. "I feared this might happen."

"So you knew?" Sheelos whispered. "Did this happen befo-" She was stopped when Yuan pushed a finger to her lips. He gripped her by the shoulder and pushed her further into the bedroom again until he could close the door. "It was a concern. Nevertheless, I'm afraid there is nothing we can do for her. The ingredients necessary to make a stronger key crest are impossible to find. We have other priorities."

"Colette _is_ our priority!" Sheelos hissed. "Lloyd will never forgive you if you don't help her!"

"It's a good thing that I don't require forgiveness then," the half-elf replied coldly. "I'm afraid that out of Lloyd and Colette, Colette was the more expendable one in these circumstances."

She didn't know exactly what he meant by that, but she didn't care either. "I'll never forgive you either," she muttered, feeling tears sting her eyes. "Come on. She's been suffering all alone for ages. We've got to-"

"I'll go," called a voice from behind the closed door. Sheelos recognised it as Lloyd's, though she knew it wasn't. He was putting on a little more of the innocent charm this time. She pulled the door open ajar and to greeted at him. He still had his enormous seraph wings out. They were tucked away against his back. "I'll try to find the ingredients," he added, then glanced at the exsphere on his hand. "I don't require forgiveness either, but I think we all know that Colette deserves to live. The suffering has to end. I'm tired of it. _So_ tired."

The Mithos tone came back the more he spoke. Sheelos watched the face of recognition appear on Yuan. He opened his mouth, probably to voice his discovery, but stalled it and instead just nodded. "Alright. You have two days. Then we will continue our mission and you _will_ comply."

Lloyd-Mithos raised a brow at him. "Giving the orders now huh? You have some nerve."

Yuan didn't even flinch. Instead, he turned his eyes from Lloyd-Mithos back to Sheelos. "We will be going to get the summon spirits that are left in Tethe'alla today. Once the group awakens, we will depart."

xxx

Of course, everyone waking up to discover three of their party members missing in action and a fourth leaving without a first-hand explanation was not without its troubles. Sheelos did her best with the hand of fate that she had both been given and caused for herself, explaining to everyone and especially under the scrutinising eyes of the Cerberus that Kate had left after remembering some kind of science emergency and that Kratos and Mithos had gone ahead of them and would catch up with them at a later point.

Yuan's questioning gaze gradually transformed from one of curiosity and scrutiny to one of searing anger by the time she'd explained everything, despite knowing already that 'Lloyd' had gone off on his own to find things for Colette. Sheelos was quite sure that, had he not known about it, that particular fact would have been the push that threw him off the deep end. His hands slowly clenched into fists until finally he burst forth with a cry of frustration, turned around abruptly, and left with his still untied hair billowing out in the movement behind him like a shiny blue cape.

The awkward air in the room could have been sliced with a knife, especially while Martuan looked back and forth between Sheelos and the door that clunked shut behind Yuan a moment later. Eventually after a little bit of hesitation, she leaned against the door frame between the bedroom and the living quarters and opted to stay with them. Probably out of pure nosiness.

"Uh," Sheelos gulped when she saw everyone looking back at her. "D-don't worry about him. He's just mad because he didn't get a say in it for once. You guys know how he is."

"Actually, we don't," Raine replied. "At least, I don't feel as though I do. Not as intimately as you're indicating anyway." She pulled out a little notebook and sifted through it. "Though it would appear Kraine certainly seemed to know him." She perused the pages carefully, eyes widening at some bits and brows lowering as she read over others.

"Yes, it would seem so," Regal tacked on to the end of her statement when it was clear they had lost the silver haired woman to her musings. "It is the opposite for me, once again."

Sheelos couldn't believe any of them could forget Yuan. He'd been with them from the beginning. She decided to just add it to the list of things to ask her Cerberus when the time came and scramble on with the business end of things. "Anyway, Colette is in no condition to go anywhere." She looked at Colette for a brief moment but couldn't stand seeing the sadness printed on her face. "Tabatha has said that she can stay here for the time being, but we probably shouldn't _all_ go in one group to get the last two summon spirits."

"Agreed," Presea noted. Sheelos looked at the pinkette curiously. She seemed like Gesea in some ways but... not... as well. Looking at Genis, she almost gave herself a headache. It seemed much harder to contemplate him having been a part of the girl she had met at the same time as Lloyd back when their adventure had only barely begun. It was weird how different it felt. Presea turned her head to her when she probably felt the stare. "It is much more beneficial to split our group into two, forgive the pun."

She said it in such a way that at first nobody got the joke. Genis was the first to break out into snickers before Sheelos joined him with a cackle of her own. Wiping a tear from her eye after a moment, she thought to herself that Lloyd would have found it funny as well, had he been present or even in his own body for that matter. She sorely missed the boy and his optimistic way of looking at things. Judging by the way Colette was at present, she missed him as well.

There was little doubt that Lloyd would have been able to make Colette feel better in a much more suitable way than she had opted to. He wouldn't have only offered to go and find a cure for her condition like Mithos had. He would have reassured her that she was going to be okay and, unlike Sheelos, who had gone for a different approach on hearing Colette say that her condition was disgusting, would have probably pointed out that it didn't change who she was. He would have given her that cheesy smile of his and said "Colette is still Colette no matter what," or something like that.

"I suppose that makes the most sense," Raine agreed after a thoughtful silence in which Sheelos realised too late that they had been expecting her to say something. The grin she'd been sporting at the thought of Lloyd's optimism disappeared abruptly. "Even if the party that doesn't contain Sheelos can clear out the contraptions and puzzles in the lair, then we will be ahead. The question is, who goes with whom?" Raine finished.

Sheelos realised when everyone looked at her questioningly that she was apparently going to be the one making the call. She shot up from her spot, panicked. "W-wait, can't someone else decide? How am I meant to know who would be the best in which situation? Besides, that's totally not what I was getting at!" She pointed behind herself at the door to outside. "Without our cool Colette, there are seven of us and only two rheairds. I'm sure Mithos and Kratos took one. There's no way we can divide up the group and be able to all go to different places." She was forced to think about how 'Lloyd' had been reluctant to tell her where the rheaird he and Yuan had used to get to the labyrinth forest outside Mizuho had gone.

Noishe, who had only shortly before been seated comfortably in the corner, gave a little whine and walked past them, his head bobbing down like he was sad as he headed for the door. He stopped and scratched at it for a second, then waited for someone to let him out. As though it wasn't even a second thought, Martuan was there and obeying his wishes. She turned back to them after. "It would make sense for those of us who do not risk capture from the Papal knights to go to the Temple of Darkness. We will have to cross the Grand Tethe'alla bridge by foot to get there, but it doesn't explicitly require air travel." Her features reddened and she stammered as the attention that had previously been on Sheelos got directed at her from every corner of the room suddenly. "I-I've been there before remember? Just hurry up and make a decision." She quickly retreated outside like a mirror image of Noishe, minus patiently waiting for someone to let her out.

xxx

After more contemplation than Sheelos sensed Yuan was happy with, she breathed a sigh of relief and stood back to examine her work. Two groups huddled together outside of Altessa's house. She'd opted, completely easily, for Martuan to lead the group she'd picked for the Temple of Darkness. The lady Renegade herself, Raine, Genis and Regal would be attending to that one. Together they were a good mix of fighting and magic. Herself, Yuan and Presea would lead the charge into the most dreaded place. The Temple of Ice. Celcius' lair. She found herself shivering just thinking about it.

"I suppose this is goodbye for now then," Martuan concluded as she gave Noishe a pet on the head for a second and then dug through her belongings to ensure she still had the miniscule blue candle. Confirming its presence, she straightened up and glanced over all of them, lingering for a second longer on Yuan, before turning on her heel and starting ahead toward the forest area close to Ozette.

It was Raine, Regal and Genis' turn to leave them now. While Genis said a serious of stuttering goodbyes to Presea, Raine approached her and Yuan. "Once we are done, we will make camp outside the temple and wait for your arrival." She looked down particularly at Presea. "Please stay safe, Presea."

Presea uncomfortably glanced away, giving a little nod as she did. "I will. There's no need for concern."

"Good," Regal also commented. "Because if any harm came to you.. I think I'd..." He looked at Yuan with a calm face but a fierceness in his eyes. He didn't finish his sentence though and turned to leave at the same time as the half-elf siblings, but not before smiling and bowing his head of curly blue hair at them respectfully. He truly was a gentleman.

With the larger group disappearing through the trees of the Gaoracchia forest a short time after, Sheelos began to notice how quiet the journey ahead might be. She and Yuan couldn't exactly talk about anything with Presea tagging along. She wished it had been a plausible split to have only her and Yuan go to Flanoir and have Presea join the other group without arousing suspicion.

"I guess that just leaves the three of us," she mentioned, getting sick of the quiet already, "and Noishe."

Noishe yapped and wagged his tail at being noticed. "But Noishe is a scaredy dog and wouldn't come into the temple anyway," she added just to tease. The fluffball made a huffing sound and went back to lying on the ground with his head rested on his paws, his furry face contorted into what looked like a frown if Sheelos studied it for long enough.

"I have no intention of being the third wheel," Presea came out with all of a sudden. Sheelos' attention quickly wavered from Noishe to the pinkette, sure she hadn't heard correctly. She was looking square at Yuan. He looked back at her, fiddling with the clasp of his cape awkwardly. Presea tilted her head from one side to the other, observing both of them as she did. "The two of you clearly have some things to discuss. I would just be in the way. You are both powerful enough to handle this without me."

"This is not a trip for leisure!" Yuan spluttered, gaining some momentum finally to counter whatever bizarre thing the girl was thinking. "We need as many hands on deck as we can get!"

Sheelos bobbed her head automatically in agreement even though a part of her thought she should have thanked the universe for listening.

Presea didn't look like she really believed Yuan. "The two of you were wed as salvatorians, were you not?"

The cold morning air suddenly felt like it got a million degrees hotter. Sheelos resisted the urge to fan her face and silently begged the Cerberus to say something. Instead she found him begging _her_ with his eyes to do the same thing. In turn, they both became a gabbling and stuttering duo at Presea's blunt observation.

The short pink haired girl smiled and turned away from them. "I will be of more use here. Colette needs a friend. Altessa and Tabatha are almost strangers to her. I will stay here with her for the time being." Then, with her mind made up and like a secret match-maker, the girl disappeared inside Altessa's house. Sheelos heard her greet Colette on the way in.

And then there were two, standing in stunned silence next to one another at what had just occurred. Sheelos couldn't help but laugh at the situation after a moment. "It'll be just like old times," she joked through nervous snickers, raising her eyes and meeting the Cerberus' own side-glance.

He turned his back to her. "Well then, let's be on our way." He studied the rheaird a short distance away for a few moments while Sheelos contemplated how to describe the swell of thoughts going around her head. There was no way he was getting away with being his usual aloof and secretive self this time.

"Are you.. really going to act like nothing happened?" she whispered under her breath, knowing he would hear it. As she said it, tears suddenly came to her eyes. "You almost _died_!" Hoping he wouldn't turn around, she took a few steps toward him, embraced him around his middle and rested her head against his back. "It was because of what you did to save me from Mizuho.. wasn't it?"

Yuan didn't move right away, but when he did, it was in the strange gentle way that she had never quite gotten used to from him. She felt his hand on top of her head a second later. "To be fair, it wasn't just you that I was saving. It was an undesirable situation for both of us."

"But-" Sheelos shook her head. "We're.. y'know, a match. They're going to pursue us forever now. What if they try to attack Martuan and everyone because of us?"

"That woman won't let that happen," Yuan said with a joking voice. "We don't need to worry about them."

"And you _know_ that for sure?" she asked, crossing her arms. "Of course you do. You've seen the future."

"Not this future," he pointed out whimsically, taking his hand away and mimicking her stance. "And no, I wasn't planning on acting like nothing happened. I hope you don't either." His tone all of a sudden became sharp. "If you expect the truth from me, I also expect to hear it from you."

"Spoken just like a good salvatorian," she retorted, grimacing. "You knew I was lying?" She rolled her eyes. "Of course you did."

"That isn't all I knew," Yuan added, ignoring her off-beat joke. "Kratos and Mithos went back to Cruxis, didn't they." It was a statement, not a question. Very un-Yuan.

Sheelos neglected to answer right away, trying to think up her excuses for lying about it on the spot. Yuan paced back and forth. "Origin's pull on this place is stronger than I expected. We should really leave as soon as we can before too much more changes. Especially when it comes to _you._ " He grabbed her arm and started to pull her away, whistling for Noishe to follow as he did. The beast obeyed without question and padded behind them.

"W-wait!" she argued, skid-walking as he pulled her along. "Origin's pull? Is that another part of Origin's curse? Llo—Mithos told me a bit about how things are aligning with that other time."

Yuan stopped in his tracks. "He shouldn't have told you that."

"Well I'm glad he did," she defended. "Someone has to tell me what the hell is going on. You certainly didn't in all the years I knew you!" In her mind, she replaced the end of her sentence with 'thought I knew you'. Nowadays with all the secrets she had finally uncovered about him, she had doubts that the Yuan he had portrayed to her was even the real him.

"We've been over this," he snarled through clenched teeth as he turned back to face her. "Telling is dangerous. It has enormous ramifications and could potentially irreparably change all I have worked toward!"

"Well _not_ telling is dangerous too!" She met his glare with one of her own. It was about time he got a good chewing out. "Especially if you knew that there was a chance I'd die just from being the summoner and taking Mithos' summon spirits!"

Yuan's anger faded a bit. A mild concern flickered in his serious eyes. "That's what he told you?"

"Is it true?" she asked quietly, being careful to not take her eyes off of him. "Is that really why you're the Cerberus? To stop me from dying somehow?"

"I'm glad that you don't want to die any more, regardless," the Cerberus responded without really answering anything. "That is more important than you realise."

She held her head, confused. "If that's the case.. then.. then why did you encourage me to get the spirits?!" She thought back to the way he'd been with Colette just a little earlier. He'd basically said that she was expendable in comparison to Lloyd. "Is this all a game to you, Yuan?" She stared him down even though she was sure he wasn't the least bit intimidated. "Are you just trying to get everything to fit neatly together even if you cause others to suffer in the process?!"

"Would you rather a future like mine?!" he yelled back. She blinked, stunned for a second. He went on. "It isn't because you're the summoner that you'll die. It's because you're not _just_ a summoner. You're a Chosen." He looked so furious all of a sudden that Sheelos stepped back to stand next to Noishe. Yuan continued. "You're a self-deprecating, insolent, ill mannered Chosen who got so sick of his life of riches that he began to hate it and everything else in his world. You didn't have an ounce of loyalty and only helped people to better your own situation. People abused your power and because of that, you never trusted anyone on their word alone."

When Yuan had finished, he looked at her while the cogs in her mind worked frantically to understand what he was going on about. "Wait, are you talking about me? I'm all woman, if you hadn't noticed!"

_Unless..._

Sheelos thought back to her dream. Now seemed like a perfect time to bring it up. She opened her mouth.

"You wanted an explanation, and you got it," Yuan edged in before she got the chance. He looked down from her and at Noishe. "Feel like coming to give us a hand with that ice woman?"

"Woof!" he barked, deafening Sheelos in one ear.

"Well come on then," Yuan replied, raising a brow. Noishe whined for a second, then glowed brightly.

Sheelos watched through squints as the white light took another, slightly larger shape. Once the glow vanished and standing in Noishe's place was the flying 'Protozoan' she had seen earlier in Palmacosta, things started to click. Yuan had another sidekick.


	91. The arrogance of destiny

Presea sat next to Colette, curious and yet feeling weary of the strange phenomenon that seemed to be plaguing the group. When she looked at Colette, she remembered some distinctly different memories to when she looked at Lloyd. Yet when she thought of herself, she understood why that was. She had once been a part of Gesea, only.. it didn't seem that Genis remembered. Something different had happened to him, and also to Raine and Colette it seemed. The scariest part was that she found herself both unsure and sure at the same time at the sting of events that had taken place over the previous few months. Had she only met Genis a short time ago? Was this thing she was remembering, a time when they had been as one, some kind of spell that had been placed upon her?

It didn't seem likely that it was a side effect caused by the injection Gabriel had given to her when they had been up in Derris Kharlan any more. Not since Regal seemed the same as her, while Raine seemed more like Genis. When she looked at Raine and Genis, she felt uneasy as well. Her mind told her that they were undoubtedly siblings, but she was quite sure that she did not fit into the equation with them.

"Are you alright Presea?" Colette asked, moving a hand across the table that they were seated at and placing it over hers for a second. Presea looked into Colette's clear blue eyes and asked why she was asking such things. She had said nothing to her to warrant such concern.

"You look so worried," Colette explained as she squeezed her hand against hers. "I don't think it's about me, is it?" Presea felt a little ashamed as she shook her head. Colette actually looked happy at that though. "Do you think Lloyd will be okay?" she asked her then.

_Lloyd._

Presea wasn't sure what exactly to say right away. Lloyd was another troubling piece to the puzzle. The events that had occurred up until recently had indicated that she was in fact a blood relative to him, but now she didn't actually know whether that was true. She hadn't seen Annalicia for a long time and had no idea what had happened to her. Last she remembered, she had spoken to her sister through Kraine and gotten the details about what had happened in the past.

If Kraine was no longer Kraine, and Raine was solely related to Genis, then where did Annalicia fit into the equation? Not to mention, Colette and Lloyd had also been one person once, despite the fact that the memory of that to her seemed all but gone when she looked at the girl across from her. If Colloyd had split, did that mean that they were not both related to Kratos or Kraine? Things only got more confusing the more she thought about adding Raine or Regal into the equation.

"I'm a bit unsure," she responded eventually to Colette, knowing she had to say something at least. "What to think about Lloyd at present, I mean."

Colette surprised her again when her eyes widened and she bobbed her head enthusiastically. "You too? You think he's been acting strange as well, right?"

"Strange?" she queried, hoping that Colette wouldn't be too disappointed to know that whatever she had been thinking, she had been thinking it alone.

"Yeah," Colette replied. "He's different to what I remember with these new memories. Even with some of the older ones intact, he doesn't seem like himself. Maybe I'm just thinking a bit too much about it."

"Possibly," Presea replied in all honesty. Something about the quiet that ensued after her opinion made her want to ask Colette more. She burst forth with her questions after some consideration. "Colette, how did we meet?"

"Oh?" Colette blinked and tilted her head. "I think it was on the top of the Fooji Mountains. That's when we officially met anyway."

Presea felt disappointed. She had hoped to gain something from that- perhaps a confirmation that the memory she had of meeting with Lloyd and Genis in Meltokio for the first time was real.

"But-" Colette went on suddenly, "I also... kind of remember something else." She frowned hard. "Something about a wooden figurine."

"The Noishe figurine?!" Presea stood abruptly from the chair she had seated herself at upon hearing the news. Good news indeed. Her heart raced a little.

Colette looked momentarily surprised at such a reaction but eventually looked a bit excited herself. "That's right! I remember carving it, but a part of me knows I could never do that kind of thing. It's something Lloyd would do."

Clearly she still had some memories of being Colloyd. More than Presea herself could even clearly remember of him. The figurine though.. Just the thought of it made her heart feel lonely in a way. She didn't have it any more, and although it was one of the only things she still remembered from the time when she was sure she had been Gesea and Colloyd had been a person, she lacked any material proof that it even existed.

"Maybe Lloyd has it," Colette continued on. "When he gets back, I'll ask him. In the meantime, can I ask you something else, Presea?"

"It is only fair," she agreed.

"Why do you think Yuan would have power over Origin if Mithos is the one who used his power last?"

Presea blinked, not sure she understood at all the context of the question.

Colette looked perplexed and held her head. "Maybe it's just the condition I'm in talking. I was sure I saw Yuan in the Forest of Origin though. With a man that looked like the Pope of Tethe'alla." She stuttered a bit. "I think he was giving the Pope the power of Origin... somehow."

Presea remembered the situation still. It hadn't been that long ago that she had been spirited away while inside the exsphere on Genis' hand to Derris Kharlan. She hadn't seen what had taken place after that of course, but Colette had been left behind and was suddenly filling in the blanks for her.

"It sounds like an important clue," she concluded to Colette, suddenly aware of Tabatha's presence as the green haired girl soundlessly approached. "What else do you remember about it?" she urged.

" **It is time for you to rest now, Colette,"** Tabatha said in her robotic voice that made her feel uncomfortable. Once upon a time, she had been almost as robotic as her. No matter whether she had been herself or Gesea, _that_ was a part of her life that she was sure was fully truthful.

"O-oh," Colette stuttered, standing as well from the table. "I do feel very tired all of a sudden. I'll go and lie down in a minute, okay?" She turned to Presea to go on with her answer, but Tabatha gently reached a hand out to her. **"** **I must insist that you refrain from speaking about this subject."**

Now, that was odd. Presea watched Tabatha wearily and saw her give her a small side-glance.

" **Speaking of such things will only make Colette more confused and her condition is a serious one without added complications."**

She spoke as though she knew where the conversation had been going. Presea wanted to argue her point for the sake of knowledge, but let it go and gestured to a rather conflicted looking Colette that it was okay for her to leave her. Ignorance is knowledge could potentially come in useful here.

Once Colette had gone to lie down and had surprisingly fallen asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, Presea tried to put things into perspective. If Colette was _that_ tired, she might have been getting confused. If she _wasn't_ getting confused, it meant that Yuan had not been honest with them. He was an angel too, though he had said once that he was not one of Cruxis, at least not any more. If he'd had power over Origin however, it might have meant that he understood Origin's curse. Actually, it was pretty likely.

And she'd allowed Sheelos to go off alone with him.

Suddenly she was a bit afraid that she had made the wrong call. If Yuan had given the power of a summon spirit to someone else, that someone being the Pope, then that meant that he might not have been their ally after all. If that was the case, she had potentially put their entire mission in peril by leaving their summoner alone with him. Her legs- as though they had a mind of their own- wandered over to the front door of Altessa's home. As she left the warmth of the house, her mind was telling her that there was no way that she could follow them anyway. They had taken one of the rheairds.

Except they hadn't.

The rheaird they should have taken was parked off to the side of Altessa's house, Yuan and Sheelos nowhere to be found. Glancing into the bedroom as she passed the window, Presea saw Tabatha tucking Colette's bedsheets in. She felt like a hypocrite for leaving Colette alone, but really, she was just as much of a stranger to her as Altessa and Tabatha at this current point in time. Her priorities shifting, she decided that she needed to find Yuan and Sheelos and make sure nothing bad happened until she could decide whether Yuan was a trustworthy ally.

xxx

Knowing that Sheelos wanted to know more, it was abundantly clear that Yuan couldn't help but feel a small amount of ironic satisfaction from keeping quiet at the beginning of their journey toward the ice region of Flanoir. Having already run his mouth a little more than he should have and, to be fair, Sheelos _had_ kind of deserved to know, the thing that he now likely found funny was that although he'd told her quite plainly his reason for being the Cerberus, she still lacked understanding of the true meaning behind his words. As he smiled to himself, he seemed quite glad Sheelos couldn't see how he was grinning and thinking that truly the best things in life were free.

But because he couldn't see her, he hadn't been prepared for the attack of the banshee-pervert-Chosen on his back as she cursed his name. He flinched at the pain but bit his lip before he cried out.

"What are you doing that for?" he hissed through gritted teeth, wondering how in Aselia she could have known that the point in which the mana escaped the back of a seraph was an extremely sensitive spot. It was a secret all seraphs guarded carefully, only to accidentally reveal in combat, or purposefully to their lovers. Of course, nothing is a secret from the King of Summon Spirits.

"You _know_ why!" Sheelos exclaimed, getting a mouthful of gale-force winds and almost swallowing her words.

It was true, Yuan did know. The half-elf groaned and glanced back at the woman. Her bright hair was still pinned against her head from the previous night. She was a curious sight, that was for sure. He likely thought the same as I; that she didn't really look like either of the two that were the sum of her parts any more. She really was becoming her own person. For now, anyway.

She looked at him with furious brown eyes, outlined by recently plucked black eyebrows. "Now that we're riding on a Protozoan above the world where nobody else can hear us, are you planning on explaining _why that is_ to me? How does Noishe fit into all your little plans?"

"You make it sound conniving," Yuan replied, unable to hide his smirk. "I'm flattered." He glanced downward at Noishe, feeling the grumble build up from his core before a squawky whine escaped from his beak. "I'll let Noishe explain that one," he said eventually, petting the bird on the side of its fluffy head. Noishe didn't have to whine a second time for him to know that the idea displeased him. The evolution of a Protozoan was a sacred ritual and even Yuan didn't fully know how it all worked. It was curious to wonder if even Noishe did, or whether he just went about his business before his evolution like a caterpillar that would eventually self-evolve into a butterfly. It was truly a fascinating subject to think about, but unfortunately Yuan knew as well as I that now was not the time, especially as he was in danger of yet another poke from his Chosen companion.

"You're avoiding the question," Sheelos pointed out. "Noishe won't tell me what it has to do with you. I wondered why Eon was going around with Kratos. Now I can kinda see why. You've been meddling around with whatever he was doing there in Palmacosta, haven't you?"

Yuan stiffened up a bit. "You may find it difficult to believe, but I didn't tell Kratos to run everyone out of town. That is his own doing. As is what I assume he has decided to do with Mithos."

"Shut up, you didn't plan all that either?" the Chosen asked, sounding genuinely surprised. I had to admit, I too would have had trouble believing those words if I were in her shoes.

Yuan sighed and scrunched his fingers in-between Noishe's fur when they began to lose altitude to avoid a thick looking rain cloud. They were getting closer to Flanoir. The air was growing colder. "There were some unexpected developments," he replied to Sheelos.

The pensive expression that slowly grew into one that matched Sheelos' fiery temper was enough for me to realise that he was thinking of what Kraine-Kratos and the old Mithos had revealed that night in Palmacosta. Gabriel was Mithos' father. Martel had never told him that. Rather than feel bad for all he had done to Gabriel to position him as the Pope of Tethe'alla and as a seraphim of Cruxis, he'd only felt angrier. It had made his resolve to see his plan through to the end strengthen, ignoring the initial plans he had made with me, much to my disdain.

It was bad that a travelling companion of theirs had killed Martel, but it was unforgiveable that her own father had decided to kill her. Yuan had figured Kratos would not show Gabriel any mercy, unlike Kraine-Kratos, and had decided to swap them. Even if Kratos decided to out Gabriel to Mithos, it was obvious that things would not change too drastically. The trust formed between the father and son was far more established this time, thanks to him, and if he had guessed correctly, Kratos would have ended up joining their cause while secretly plotting against them. It was the perfect position- a front row seat- for betrayal to sting the most and for Gabriel to finally come undone. It was just like old times, albeit with a bit of a twist. All Yuan had to do was to wait for the inevitable. I could only hope that it played out the way he wished and that the unfortunate influence my power had on the world would not try too hard to correct things back to the true course.

In my minds eye, I could see how it could all go awry. Yuan would have been a fool to not see it too, and I really hope he did, but no mortal is perfect. The fact that my magic had not had an effect on _that_ Derris Kharlan was one thing, but that no longer applied since its orbit had come so close to Aselia that not being influenced was impossible. It was only because of my slight influence over space that I had been able to temporarily change the trajectory of _this worlds_ Derris Kharlan before it had come to the world.

The closer it came to Aselia however, the more the much more influential side of my power, time, had an effect on it. Yuan had not forgotten this fact, and he had sped the process of the second most influential change in the world up so that the inhabitants could be spared a bitter fate caused by a collision of the two Derris Kharlan's. That was why he was constantly charged with ensuring the bread-and-butter of the timeline continued as per normal, and that meant keeping Sheelos alive despite the amount of pitfalls she faced. The only way to stop her destiny from correcting itself toward its old course, as well as the destiny of many others involved, was to create small differences that would passively fight against it. Even then, it was never certain it would be enough. The Ozette flu had struck Annalicia down when she had been in Kraine's body too- a good indication to Yuan of the influence my power still had- showing that Raine could not escape her sickness even as her souls were intertwined with Regal and Kratos.

Sheelos had gone increasingly quiet as the white blanket of snow and ice that was Flanoir loomed underneath them. She had drawn herself a little closer to Yuan and started to shiver against his back. Sighing at his lack of good fortune when it came to women, Yuan unlatched the cape around his neck from its clasp. "Put this around you. It's kept me warm in the past."

The Chosen took it thankfully, without any of her usual sass. Her attitude change now that they were getting closer to Celcius' lair was understandable though.

"It has been a long time coming, our return to this place," Yuan said to try and shake her nerves from her.

Sheelos rose up a bit behind him as she settled into the warmth of his cape. "I still remember when we met. You knew I was going to end up in Flanoir, didn't you?"

She was going for the answers again. Yuan cleared his throat before adhering to her whim. "In a sense, I suppose."

"Did it happen before?" she asked quickly. "In your time?"

"In a sense," he said, repeating himself. "Though it wasn't me who saved you from Flanoir. You were supposed to end up in Meltokio after the death of your mother."

"Wait, you mean I wouldn't have died after all?" She put her hand to her chin and frowned in thought.

She wouldn't have, and Yuan knew it. The trouble was, there was no way he could explain that he had been tailing her and her mother to make sure that didn't happen _._ He had already taken some accusation from Lloyd when he had admitted that he had done nothing to stop his mother from being corrupted by her exsphere and killed by his father. It was unlikely he would put himself in the line of fire again, especially Sheelos' fire.

"No, not in Flanoir," the half-elf responded. "You would have been rescued by some Penguinists most likely. Things might have gotten a bit more.. complicated, if that had happened."

Sheelos gave a low laugh that could barely be heard over the wind that swept past them. "Me? A Penguinist? I wouldn't mind the warmth but how would anybody see my gorgeous face when I look like a penguin?"

"On second thoughts, maybe that would have been the best for your survival," he muttered back. Sheelos prodded him in the back again and laughed when he flinched. They started lowering down toward the ground, Celcius' signature cave in clear view now.

"Hey.. Yuan?" Sheelos queried again. She seemed hesitant to continue but eventually got on with it when she sensed his frustration probably. "Did we meet in your world as well?"

"What makes you ask that?" It was a difficult question to answer. I knew he would opt for the more comfortable approach.

"You were talking about someone earlier... a guy, that it sounded like you knew. Y'know, another version of me."

Yuan cursed under his breath. She wasn't going to make it easy and just forget he had said all that, was she? I patiently waited for a great game of questions to ensue.

"I know you know Yuan," the Chosen-Summoner added. "I also think _I_ know why. We knew each other because I was working for the Renegades."

Yuan's eyes widened, as did my metaphorical eyebrows. How could she have possibly known that? My immediate thoughts went to Gnome but I decided to give the summon spirit of the earth the benefit of the doubt.

After a brief pause, Yuan went on carefully. "The Renegades?"

"You were the leader, weren't you?" she asserted.

He went to ask another question, but she rudely interrupted. "Lloyd said it himself. There are two of you, just like there are two of Mithos. That is why you and Martuan are so similar. She's a part of _you."_

She'd broken the flow of the game, but she definitely still had him pinned. There was no point in denying it.

"Well, that is true," Yuan said with a defeated sigh. I only had to briefly wonder how far he might go into the conversation before he continued. "In a sense. I wasn't affected by Origin's curse, but there still was a need for a Yuan and Martel in this world as far as time and destiny were concerned."

He cringed as he said the word 'destiny'. He'd always hated that word. To him it meant that fighting the inevitable was pointless. Destiny was his enemy, and he had fought valiantly against it for quite a long time already. I knew this from our time linked together as summoner and summon spirit. Despite our now-separation as a part of the plan, I still found it easy to recall the way the half-elf's mind ticked along. Despite the ability to slow down the aging process his Cruxis crystal had given him, he was mortal. An exceptional one at that; as were all the heroes of the Kharlan war at one point or the next.

"Destiny," Sheelos said, looking hateful. "I hate that." It seemed she and her Cerberus felt the same on that matter. "But who's side are you on, Yuan?"

They finally made a landing after a couple of large swoops from Noishe and a bunch of loose snow from the ground flying up in a whirlwind around them. Yuan dismounted first and offered a hand to Sheelos. She looked at it for a moment but turning her head away stubbornly. "I'm not getting off until I get an answer."

Yuan rolled his eyes and looked at Noishe. He let out another squawky whine but did as the look he'd been given commanded, changing into his human form. Sheelos, with nothing underneath her, fell to her backside and onto the fluffy snow underneath where the Protozoan had been standing just moments before.

"I'm sorry," Noishe, who preferred to be called Eon in his current form said, scrambling to help her up and offering a shivering hand to her.

Sheelos examined him as she sat in the snow for a second before grinning like a cat. "How could I be cross at a cutie like _you!"_ Her grin faded to anger as she turned her head in the direction of Yuan. "The one we should be blaming is _him!"_

"T-that's r-right!" Eon agreed, bobbing his head in agreement even though the tail behind him fell between his legs in fear of the repercussions to his sudden change of sides.

Yuan scowled and turned away, trudging lightly in the snow toward the entrance of the cave. A couple of Penguinist children playing outside it watched him with the unchanging stitched eyes of their costumes. Sheelos stared at them as she quickly followed, the boy-Protozoan scrambling to catch up and walk by her side.

"I was a Renegade," Yuan admitted once the two of them joined him inside the cave. Sheelos stared around herself, not fully paying attention to his words. The shock of coming back to a place that held so many memories must have been a little too much. "Because I wanted to stop what Yggdrasil was doing to the world, all for a woman we both loved, albeit in different ways."

Sheelos finally snapped out of it at that seldom spoken word in this world. "Martel," she uttered.

Yuan slightly nodded and went on. "With the help of Lloyd and the others, peace was finally achieved for a time. It is now my responsibility to make sure peace returns permanently."

"But what happened to your world? Why did it end up that way?" She gingerly stepped over a puddle of ice water and followed Yuan when he continued onward through the narrow passage that surrounded them until he stopped abruptly and summoned his butterfly blade. Alerted, she also took out her paper and assumed a battle stance. Eon took a few steps back, his human hands turning into sharp pointed blades. A flying shark came rushing around the corner and right for them as though it were swimming. Without Eon even needing to help, Sheelos and Yuan took it out. It flashed away into nothing, allowing the group passage once again.

I wondered how Yuan would escape Sheelos' question briefly, and clearly Yuan was concerned about it as well, but luckily Eon seemed to sense it too and stepped in. "It doesn't really matter what happened back then, because we're going to change it," he explained, then waited for Sheelos to say that it wasn't good enough. Apparently though, when something like that didn't come from Yuan, she was more willing to patiently listen. All she offered was "So you are from his time, then?"

Eon nodded, a smile broadening across his childish face and his tail wagging. He was practically beaming. "I came to help Yuan. I would have died in that world. There aren't two of me though, since only one Protozoan is allowed to exist at a time."

"Like the unicorns?" Sheelos asked. "Why is that anyway?"

Eon shrugged. "Don't know. I don't make the rules. I doubt even Origin or Mana know."

The Protozoan was right. I didn't have any idea at the beginning of the first timeline, and I still don't know. The world truly is a mysterious work of art. Those that seek to unweave its mysteries are truly brave and ones to be envied.

"Mana..." Sheelos whispered, probably recognising the name from something other than the source of life in the world. She didn't interrupt again and instead let Eon continue. Yuan non-chalantly destroyed another monster with a flick of his blade in one direction as they went on.

"At the moment I'm kind of in limbo with my forms," Eon explained. "I evolved about two thousand years ago into my fourth form. Now I'm kind of just testing the forms out before I decide which of them is my favourite. I think when it is time to evolve, I'll stick with being a human though. I like being able to talk in your language."

The Protozoan spoke like he had a choice, and of course the limited history books detailing Protozoans included that opinion thanks to some influence from Yuan, but I wondered whether it really was a choice or whether humanity was a natural progression.

A curious thought.


	92. The trouble with furries

Time, the magic that was knitting the two versions of events- timelines- together as this one progressed toward its inevitable conclusion, was already taking its toll on this world in unforeseen ways. People were appearing that had not existed before, all to fit in with the version of events that pre-dated this one. Others, particularly the Heroes of Aselia, Lloyd Irving and his group, were remembering events that, for all intents and purposes, had not happened to them.

It had been important for the people to revert to their true natures, and that was why I imagined the laws of nature had created the possibility for the Angelus Project to do just that, but it certainly had not been foreseen by either my previous pact-maker, my Lady Mana, nor myself. The fact that Colloyd himself had been equipped with the very thing that would allow him to fulfil his destiny right down to the wire, given to him by Yuan no less, was an act of pure destiny. No matter how much Yuan hated to admit it, he knew it as well as I. Still, the half-elf preferred to fight against it.

It was that fateful night four millennia ago that I had first discovered Yuan's intent to _bend the rules_ when it came to our pact. Given his actions did not break oath however, I was not forced to make any rash decisions. I had, however, been rather perplexed to say the least, in that he would decide to take such an unnecessary risk in order to save Martuan. Still, that fateful night shaped the destiny of the group of heroes currently gallivanting around Sylvarant and Tethe'alla in a way not even I, much less Yuan, could have predicted. It had paved a way to what could ultimately be a new future in an old timeline, if things went well. If things did not go well however, it would be the end of Aselia and all living things. For good.

Up in the city of Welgaia, as Gabriel and Mithos silently stood together perusing notes on the Angelus project, the man took a cheeky side-glance at his son. It was clear which parent he took after in looks. As for the mind, I could not be entirely sure. I imagine Mithos' mother would have to be a wise person in order for a man clearly devoted to the W.S.P and their way of life to be 'seduced' by her. It saddened me to know that my questions would never likely be answered, as Mithos' mother was likely deceased, even with having the lifespan of a full-fledged elf.

Mithos stood in his normal form, noticing when Gabriel looked at him but not responding back. Instead, a day-dreamy smile spread across his lips. He was quite obviously overwhelmed with the new information he had only just recently received. It was probably better this way, anyway, considering a much more adverse reaction might have been incredibly bad for Kratos' standing within Cruxis. Yuan had entrusted him to throw a spanner in the works, and as the auburn haired swordsman wandered the halls of Welgaia outside of this room, I knew he would not stop until he delivered. Not for Yuan's sake at all however, but for the sake of Lloyd.

"Have you contacted Forcystus yet?" Mithos asked softly into the peaceful air. When Gabriel flinched at the words so suddenly coming between them after a while of silence, Mithos' features reddened. "T-the Iselia ranch is still fully functional, I-I think."

Gabriel grimaced and bobbed his head. "I will do so immediately. In actual fact.." He stopped and seemed to think over his next words carefully. He likely already knew that Rodyle had been working on something else other than the Angelus Project in his spare time. "We should also contact the Remote Island Ranch. They have the best shot of creating the exspheres we need without interruption. I will send Pronyma to scout out whether the Renegades have in fact infiltrated it. We may need to stain our hands with blood if they refuse to use the facilities of the ranch in the way they were designed."

At that, Mithos abruptly shook his head. "No. I will ask my sister to get the Renegades to stand down."

"That may be a little more difficult than it seems," Gabriel replied, likely thinking of the times he had come face to face with Botta. He was right to be worried. Martuan was the leader of the Renegades, but she had not yet sent word to Botta of her alliance with Mithos. Not only that, but Botta would not as easily be swayed by the twisted way of Yggdrasil's thinking. The half-elf was an exemplary one. He was about as incorruptible as they came. Without absolute proof that Mithos' way was the correct way, he would not budge, even under the order of Martuan. Not with something like this.

"If they will not stand down, we will be forced to take action.." Mithos seemed unsettled at his own words, despite the fact that he was basically repeating what Gabriel had pointed out only moments before. "But we should try our hardest to make a truce between our two factions now that my sister and I have allied."

Saying that clearly made him giddy. A delighted smile fell over his entire face. For that short time, it honestly did not seem as though he were a four thousand year old leader of Cruxis. Mithos tilted his head upward to the roof, thinking. "We should have a different name. One fitting of an alliance worthy of finally saving this twisted world." He mumbled a few names, then suddenly clicked his fingers.

"The Redesians," Gabriel said casually, interrupting him.

Mithos gaped. "H-how did you get that? I was just about to say that. It's perfect, isn't it? We're redesigning the world, after all."

"We are like-minded, kid," Gabriel replied. He waved a whimsical hand between the two of them. "This is not the first time we have been on the same wavelength. To be honest, I had expected my true identity to be discovered long ago!"

"You don't need to bring it up like _that_ again," Mithos pouted, crossing his arms and looking away. "Honestly! You call _me_ a child, but I think we know who is the _real_ child."

"Is that any way to speak to your elders?" Gabriel asked, grinning cheekily at him. When he noticed Mithos didn't look too happy, he sighed and crossed his arms. With an added pout from him moments later, the father and son practically mirrored one another. "In any case," he added, "we should begin operation Redesian immediately. I will send Pronyma to the Remote Ranch. We should ask Kratos to go to the Iselia Ranch."

"Do you think we can trust him?" Mithos asked. "He has turned traitor before."

"A fair point, young one," Gabriel replied, "but the same could be asked of Yuan."

"A fair point, old one," Mithos mimicked, letting out a childish snicker. "Yuan... I am never sure about. He was a victim of the Angelus experiment, just like us. I just don't understand how he knows so much. Has he seen the future? That _is_ what he seems to indicate."

"I believe he has," Gabriel answered. "When he came to me that night four thousand years ago and seemed to know so much, I had initially just assumed it was because he was communicating with someone in our group." He looked pointedly at Mithos and the boy scratched the back of his neck guiltily. "But then he appeared to know I would be able to become the Pope of Tethe'alla and assist you with Cruxis in order to get to a point where we can finally end the suffering of half-elves."

As Gabriel spoke about the night he had seen Yuan, I could not help but notice that he was leaving out the majority of the story. Of course, Mithos could never know the real truth- that he had been sent to be a subject of the Angelus Project by his very own father. That was a secret Gabriel knew he had to keep buried deep in his heart if he were to fully action the destiny Yuan had so expertly spelled out for him. The fact that Gabriel thought that Yuan had seen the future and had decided to trust in his words long ago must have frustrated him beyond a shadow of a doubt though. It was an amusing thought.

Being a scientist, Gabriel would have liked nothing better than to know the reason Yuan would want _him_ to rise to the top of Cruxis and the world and 'end the suffering of the half-elves.' He no doubt wondered why, if Yuan had seen the future, he would want to try and create more chaos for his very own race. It was likely that the best Gabriel could come up with was that Yuan was just as twisted as him. It must have been a confronting thought for him though, to have his match met by a blue-haired half-elf who only answered questions with other questions.

What was in it for Yuan? That had been a question Gabriel had asked _back then_ as well.

* * *

**One fateful night, four thousand years ago..**

* * *

"Hngk!" Gabriel cried out into the palm of his attacker as he was pushed against an old tree of white oak. At first he couldn't quite make out the features, but as he saw the blue hair, he automatically assumed the woman had discovered his true motive and intercepted him. He tried to rearrange his hands so that he might be able to hide the knife he had been planning on driving into her chest, but found there was no wiggle room. Quickly he tried to come up with a plausible excuse. His mind stopped ticking away when his eyes adjusted properly and he saw a blue haired _man_ glaring at him, his hand still cupped around his throat.

"Come with me," the bluenette said seriously, clenching even harder. "If you do not, I will kill you right where you stand. That would not be wise for either of us, considering the role you play in the destiny that is about to unfold, starting from this very moment."

Gabriel gagged and tried to wiggle out of his grip enough to breathe easier. It only made it worse. He wondered what he had done to deserve such vile treatment from a stranger. Nevertheless, he did as he was told and agreed to move from the spot which he had agreed to meet with Martuan at in less than five minutes time, somewhat curious about the other things the man had spoken about. The man released his grip a little and allowed him some breath before pushing him along into the depths of the forest their group had camped within for the night.

Finally, when his assailant approved of the distance they had made from the desired location, he freed him. Gabriel took a few quick breaths before whirling around to examine the man again. "You're a half-elf," he said after only a short examination and concluding that no human had hair of _that_ hue.

"So what if I am?" the half-elf spat in reply. "I crept up on you without even trying. You're just a weak human. You can't even sense mana."

Gabriel raised a couple of brows at him, not having expected such ferocity. "What business do you have with a mere traveller, caught up in the war?"

"My business is simple. You follow my instructions and you don't die tonight."

"Do you know who I am?" Gabriel gave up his innocence quickly and let his gold and silver wings loose. They involuntarily fluttered behind him. He hadn't told the rest of the group about _that_ development yet, preferring to study their own habits and reactions as they discovered the gradual evolution of their exspheres. "I am Gabriel Angelus, the creator of the Angelus Project," he said, raising himself up as high as he could without floating off of the ground. "Do you really think you can push around someone who has _ascended_? I should just kill _you_ where you stand, half-elf."

Yuan snorted at that, not intimidated in the least. "A convincing bluff, but a bluff nonetheless." With that said, he let his own pair of amethyst coloured wings sprout from his back and grinned wildly at the shocked look on Gabriel's face. "I am afraid, Gabriel Angelus, that you've shown your hand far too quickly. I am Yuan Ka-fai and I win this round. Why don't we stop this farce and get on with matters now that we have each threatened the other with a swift death?" As a response to Gabriel calling himself an 'ascended', Yuan had decided to joke back with a tongue far too formal for his character. It would have likely made Martel giggle like a school girl.

Interest piqued, and apparently not detecting Yuan's sarcastic reply, Gabriel grunted and edged Yuan to continue on with whatever he was saying. Yuan obliged. "You will continue down the path you follow currently, Mithos at your side. You will _not_ murder the woman. Am I clear?"

"And what makes you think I was going to murder one of my comrades?"

"Because I have seen her die before, at your hands... in one way or the other."

"Oookay then..." Gabriel tried not to grin too much and glanced back and forth. "I'll be going now. Don't worry, I won't kill her. You can sleep easy, half-elf."

He tried to walk past Yuan but, unsurprisingly, the half-elf wasn't done with him yet.

"My mana is their mana," Yuan muttered when Gabriel had his back to him, twisting the ring that also stood as a symbol of his pact with Lady Mana. He disappeared and reappeared in front of Gabriel mere moments later.

Startled, Gabriel reeled backward and almost tripped. He caught himself though and blinked at Yuan in disbelief. "What the-"

"Listen to me," Yuan hissed. "Or don't, if you have no want for incredible fortune and power at your disposal?"

"Now you're speaking my language!" Gabriel cheered. "Oh wise one, tell me my fortune."

Though Gabriel was clearly mocking him, Yuan paid no mind and continued on with his apparently well-rehearsed lines. "You will become the Pope of Tethe'alla and use the position to further the goals of Cruxis. You will be wealthy and in a position to command the world as you see fit. Mithos already suspects that exspheres are the key to unlocking the truth behind the world and its current problems."

At that time, Mithos had not indicated those thoughts to Yuan through their many night time conversations, even if he had been thinking about them. The idea of exspheres being related to Gabriel's success had purely been a way to keep the mans interest since he had revealed his relation to the Angelus Project. Yuan didn't usually outright lie (at least, he would have thought himself to be lying at the time), but Gabriel was the exception for obvious reasons.

Of course, telling a lie didn't guarantee its belief. Gabriel raised a doubtful brow at him, his mouth stuck in a cat-like curl. "Cruxis?"

"Cruxis is the organisation that Mithos will eventually create after he uses Origin's power to split Sylvarant and Tethe'alla," Yuan explained. "Eventually he will stop at nothing to save his sister. I want you to take your rightful place in history and stop him."

"Ever since he got Origin, Mithos has been trying to work out a ludicrous story as to why the woman is apparently his sister. But you seem like you're already aware of that," Gabriel replied with haste, rolling his eyes at the mention of sister.

"And why should a half-elf want a human to do this? Couldn't you just go to the boy and convince him to abandon his ideas?"

Yuan crossed his arms. "You are to take his place in history. I have seen the future. I am just helping you to fulfil it since.. circumstances.. could otherwise make it difficult. Curious yet?"

It was quiet between the two men as they no doubt were calculating each other and their next words. Yuan got tired of waiting first. "So, do we have an agreement?"

Gabriel cackled a laugh. "Are you drunk? What makes you think you can see the future?" His laughter faded and he sniffed before glaring at Yuan. "I don't trust your kind. You say you understand emotions that don't exist and now you think you know everything is going to happen? Hilarious."

"You're going to be shot in the heart with an arrow in three seconds."

"What do-"

There was a whistle through the air and a loud twang as the flying arrow hit the flat of Yuan's giant blade. It fell to the ground. Gabriel stared and Yuan raised a brow. "Still doubt me?"

Gabriel shrugged indifferently despite the shock at his brush with death written all over his pale face. "You could have sensed their mana or their energy."

"Yes, but not the trajectory of the arrow," Yuan rebutted. He was doing his best to remain neutral, but he could not hide the pain this discussion brought him from the King of Summon Spirits. He had not 'seen' the future, after all. That power was mine alone, despite my pact makers occasionally receiving visions to their subconscious. Yuan knew about the arrow to the heart because he had _saved_ Gabriel before.

He had been rushing to Martel's aid after her bloody scream had rung out into the night, catching Gabriel in the midst of his escape. Without much time to question him as to why he was wandering alone at night, he'd put his blade to him and threatened that their conversation was not over. It had been at _that_ precise moment that the arrow meant for Gabriel's heart had come flying into their location from behind. As luck would have it, Yuan had managed to accidentally deflect it with his sword. Without exchanging another word with him, Yuan had quickly taken off again to find Martel, expecting Gabriel would follow. The woods he'd found him in had been far too dark for him to see the blood of his beloved splattered all over Gabriel's green and brown tunic. Gabriel had made to get as far away as possible after that, and would come to meet a much more painful wound and his demise later that night at the hands of a stranger.

The 'brown haired' man rested a hand on his hip and gave Yuan's rebuttal a bit of thought. Eventually, he still didn't seem convinced. Yuan groaned in frustration. "In a few minutes, your group will be surrounded by soldiers. They will burn everything you own, and you, if you are caught camping still. I'd recommend you head back now."

Gabriel's eyes widened. Instead of saying anything to the contrary or suggesting he didn't believe him though, he turned tail. Yuan yanked him backward and handed him a folded piece of parchment. "I will be in touch," he said, letting him go.

xxx

Despicable.

That's what he was for not standing his ground against Gabriel and Mithos. Kratos paced through the halls of Welgaia, hands clenching and unclenching as he thought about the things that needed to be done and the things he knew Anna would kill him for. While he was trying to gather his thoughts, he made especially sure that he didn't touch his exsphere.

Things had gone way off course as far as he was concerned, and it was especially annoying that he had played right into Yuan's hands. Nevertheless, though he was despicable, he was also in relatively good standing with Mithos considering he had sought to turn his own father against him. The problem now was trying to get Gabriel to slip up and reveal his true motive- whatever that was. He didn't exactly know, but just judging by the victorious look Gabriel had given him upon realisation that he had won their battle of wits, it was nothing good. Time was running out. Palmacosta was going to be destroyed soon and the group would eventually come after the owner of Origin. From what he knew from his time spent close to Kraine-Kratos however, Mithos was not the one in control of Origin anymore. It was Gabriel.

He recalled how Mithos had mentioned that they would need more people for their plan to split the people of the world into the sum of their parts. The Angelus Project and the Mana Cannon were equally as important. Regrettably, it seemed the best way to ensure Mithos would understand Gabriel's betrayal to him was to let the unthinkable happen. He could practically hear Anna scolding him for that. Lloyd would have given him a piece of his mind as well. Kratos sighed. Fate did not like to let him rest for long without throwing life-altering decisions in his direction.

Before he knew it, he was standing at the foot of the Tower of Salvation in Tethe'alla, wondering what to do about the current state of affairs. Having just received the order to go to Sylvarant's Iselia ranch and command for new operations to take place, he was well on the way to helping Gabriel in whatever plan he was concocting under the guise of helping Mithos fulfil his wishes. It didn't seem that Mithos knew that the Iselia ranch housed the mana reactor however. It seemed that not even Gabriel had known.

A horrible thought came to his mind as he boarded his rheaird and it rumbled to life underneath him. The last time he had entered the Iselia ranch had been with Lloyd in tow. Together they had worked to shut down the mana reactor and stop the continuous flow of mana into the great seed from the mana cannon. It had worked just in the nick of time too. Only...

He recalled Mithos' words. _"There are still a couple of ranches in operation."_

The Asgard ranch had most certainly been destroyed. When he had visited, there still had been a cloud of ash in the air around it. The same could be said for the burned out Palmacosta ranch. The Iselia ranch was still operational, as was the Remote Island ranch- although he knew Mithos had not included the latter in his calculations. The Remote Island ranch ranch had never been used for harvesting exspheres due to its location. There didn't seem to be _another_ ranch as far as he knew. He went over the different ranches again in his head and came to the same conclusion. Something was off.

With that in mind, upon finally emerging through the barrier between the worlds and into the land of Sylvarant, he wondered whether Iselia actually should be his first stop. Without any direction on where to look, he knew he would be wandering aimlessly if he were to scout for another ranch. Pondering why had Mithos created another ranch, he came to the clear answer pretty quickly.

 _"_ Gabriel," he uttered.

Gabriel commanded the Grand Cardinals in this twisted world, so he had to wonder just what Pronyma did. Contrary to what had been said about her making coffee up in Welgaia recently, Kratos knew Pronyma would not have been happy to _not_ be a leader of _something_. The woman was far too proud for _that._ That had to be the difference. Kraine-Kratos or Martuan probably knew more about this mysterious place than him, but since asking them wasn't exactly an option, he knew he was on his own.

The Grand Cardinals in the world he knew had chosen their posts in the ranches based upon their preferences to the climate and surroundings. Kratos mulled that thought over until suddenly the answer slapped him in the face. Pronyma liked cute things despite her... interesting.. taste in clothing. Taking an abrupt turn to the northwest, he couldn't resist the urge to follow his hunch.

A short time later, he found himself hovering above the landmass that housed a Katz village and amusement park on the eastern end. If Pronyma had chosen a place to have her own ranch, it would have without a doubt been in a place close to a society of people who delighted in pretending to be cats. He'd heard that they even went so far as to eat fish without skinning them first, and to curl up into fetal positions on rugs while pretending to sleep for eighteen hours a day.

Moving and hovering his rheaird over to the west end of the island, he saw nothing obvious. There was no sign of a ranch. Despite the risk that Yggdrasil would learn that he was taking a detour, he decided to land and investigate anyway. If being alive for eight thousand years had taught him anything other than the fragility of human life, it was that things were never always as they seemed.

Accidentally rubbing his hand across the exsphere he had gotten from the other version of him, he suddenly heard laughing.

" _Despite all the risks, you still can't help the impulse you have to do something once it gets into that thick skull of yours, can you?"_

"It is important to the mission," he defended to Anna. "Some rather.. unwanted... things could happen if I were to allow another ranch to stay active in the next forty-eight hours."

" _Just admit that you are as plainly curious as Kraine,"_ the woman replied, laughing again. " _Not to mention as stubborn as baby spew on white sheets."_

Kratos couldn't deny that it was at least partially true, so stayed quiet. Anna wasn't finished.

" _And you have a good heart that always wants what is best despite the straight face you always try to pull. How could I not fall in love with you?"_

Despite the ache her words caused in his heart of hearts, Kratos let a smile slip at that. It was strange, but he could almost _feel_ her smiling back at him. The moment hung there before he realised he needed to get back to business.

"Do you know where this other ranch may be?" he asked her.

" _Unfortunately not,"_ Anna replied, dashing away his hopes. _"I don't think Kraine did either. He never mentioned one on Katz Island when we spoke about places to avoid. I'd remember. We did want to take our son there for his third birthday but... well.."_

The mood shifted. Kratos felt the need to apologise but the words didn't want to come out. Instead he gave his exsphere his most meaningful look, hoping this Anna would still understand him, even if he wasn't _her_ Kratos.

" _Stop being such a martyr,"_ she replied, true to form. Her voice sounded horse all of a sudden and Kratos was touched with a new pang of guilt that he'd made her cry. To make someone he loved cry and not be able to comfort or see her was a new kind of misery. He stood looking at his hand, wondering what to do. Anna sniffed a few times. _"I was already dead as soon as I turned into that monster. I went into that cursed Angelus Project as soon as it happened. I couldn't control myself because I_ _ **wasn't**_ _myself anymore. I was just a shell, acting on impulse! It had to happen, Kratos. You did the right thing."_

Kratos dropped his hand and continued to be tongue-tied. He had longed to talk to Anna again. To apologise for everything he had done that had caused those turns of events to happen, not just for what had happened on the cliff near Iselia to her and Lloyd.

" _I do have to wonder something though,"_ Anna continued. _"Why is Pronyma going to the Katz village?"_

Kratos squinted off into the distance. He could see a Pronyma-shaped blur lowering down at the front of the theme park village. He raised his exsphered hand to look at it again.

" _The village is the ranch_!" she exclaimed.

"The ranch _is_ the village!" he said at the same time, incredulous that he was even saying it. How it even worked, he didn't know, but this couldn't be mere coincidence. Now it was only a matter of getting close enough to observe the operations.


	93. Chilling subjects

"I'm s-s-sorry!" Sheelos exclaimed between laughs as Eon helped Yuan up. She held her stomach and doubled over. "It's just that you look so graceful when you fly around like that, but then you landed... and... and.." She snorted and fell into giggles again, trying to get the rest of her words out but failing miserably. She needed her breath for air instead.

"Quiet!" Yuan snapped, then groaned and straightened himself up. "Or don't you want to know the answer to the puzzle?" He pointed to the four enormous ice sculptures behind the Chosen. They were on spinning wheels, ready to be moved in a specific direction with a little bit of muscle. He wandered over to the north-most one and rested a hand on the small grip that jutted out of its side. Side-glancing at Sheelos, he saw her desperately trying to contain her laugh.

"You landed on the ice instead!" she burst out at him again when she saw his look, fresh tears from laughter falling down her cheeks.

"It _was_ pretty funny," Eon admitted quietly when Yuan took a look at him, wondering if he was going to side with Sheelos again after his earlier betrayal. The Protozoan stuttered after and prodded Sheelos. "B-but you shouldn't laugh. Yuan never likes flying around if he can help it. He did it to help us."

That calmed Sheelos down for all of about ten seconds before she started to laugh again. It became contagious and set Eon off as well. Realising that he wasn't going to get anything done by standing around and waiting for his two companions to calm themselves before the next battle, Yuan decided to take matters into his own hands. Pulling the grip of the sculpture toward him, he began to drag it clockwise. The moment the giant lug of carved ice locked into its first possible position, facing off to the right, the horrible truth hit. He'd memorised the way in which the stone statues sat in the ice in the room just behind them only moments earlier and flown back, but now...

He froze, and not because of the cold- even though the ungrateful banshee _did_ have his cloak. With unwelcome certainty, he realised he couldn't remember the directions the sculptures were supposed to face _at all_. Unwilling to admit it, and being careful not to show that sweat was building up behind his neck, he moved each of the sculptures into what he felt was the most likely position, starting from the top and moving each one into a different clockwise position.

When he was done with the fourth and left-most sculpture, he bit his lip and stood back, waiting for something to happen. There wasn't a single sound, other than the snorts of a still occasionally giggling Chosen, even if she had mostly settled down now, nor movement from the shut door just ahead of them.

"Is the mechanism broken?" Eon asked, looking worried. "What will happen if we can't get in?"

"I'm sure Yuan knows what to do," Sheelos said, grinning cattily.

Yuan sighed and glanced away from her expectant look. "I should probably tell you...I never travelled with Lloyd's group back _then._ " He knew he would've been forced to tell her at some point this fact, but he'd been hoping to slip it into more casual conversation rather than to point out the flaws in his endeavours so obviously. He could feel her stare on him and it annoyed him a bit. "I _did_ say that I didn't know everything. I already told you I was the leader of the Renegades!"

"But that means that Martuan wouldn't have joined our group. And if that hadn't happened..." She was slowly putting some of the pieces together in her head, he saw. He was thankful too. Telling everything and the differences between his timeline and their current timeline would have been troublesome and time consuming. Sheelos went on. "Mithos might have captured Colette back then. He might not have joined us and-"

"Things would have been very different," Yuan finished for her, even though 'different' was a gross understatement. He had never expected such a turn of events to take place. For Mithos Yggdrasil to reconcile with his sister, who was also the leader of the Renegades... It was quite a feat. He didn't exactly know under what premise they had decided to work together, but his bets were definitely placed on the Mana Cannon and the Angelus Project. He made a mental note to ask Sheelos to give him a bit more of an explanation once they left the freezing lair of Celsius. "In the meantime..."

"Why did it change?" Sheelos asked suddenly, saving him from admitting defeat and saying that he needed to go for a second glance over the room behind them. He almost wished she hadn't, with a question like that. "Or maybe I should be asking what _you_ did to change it."

"Currently irrelevant," he responded. The long story, that it all started four thousand years ago when he had decided to enable Martel's murderer to live until present time and it in fact had caused a much bigger ripple than he could have ever dreamed, was far too much to say. He was willing to trust Sheelos with his biggest secret, to an extent anyway, but the workings of his bigger plans were far too sensitive. He'd gotten lucky when it came to explaining things to Martuan. She had fortunately been far more curious to learn about his life with Martel and what she had meant to him, rather than anything remotely close to Gabriel. Had he not made an escape from the bedroom when he had upon hearing the conversation between Sheelos and Colette in the next room, he was willing to admit that she may have forced his hand. Despite being partly him, as was dictated in this twisted reality, she was also very much a part of Martel.

"You're thinking about her again," Sheelos said, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms. "Figures this has to be all to do with a woman somehow. That _Martel._ "

"Uhhh..." Eon interrupted, waving his hands in front of Sheelos' face. "I don't think this is the right place to talk about this kind of thing."

"Well, we're not exactly making much progress just standing here," she responded, keeping her eyes trained on Yuan. "I get that you loved her and everything but..." The Chosen's face turned rosy and she looked away. Yuan shifted uncomfortably at the sight. Her affection for him had been completely unforeseen. He'd done his best to play it off so far, but it was clear that the recent events in Mizuho had brought up some possibly buried feelings for her.

"I'm... gonna go look at the statues again," Eon said quickly, before changing into his avian form and flying off into the next room. Yuan considered him lucky, to be able to escape their awkward predicament. He watched Sheelos clench her fists and waited for the explosion. She didn't fail to deliver the fire.

"Mithos' sisters name is Martel. She's a part of Martuan. Was she once just Martel? Does she remember that you loved her or was it not this Martel you-"

"It's true that she _was_ once Martel, although everyone forgot that," Yuan replied, knowing fully well that he was interrupting her train of thought. "You've seen it happen yourself. The process of people splitting and forgetting their combined selves is similar to when they combine with a soul."

"Just how Mithos explained to Genis..." Sheelos clutched the cloak around her while looking in thought. "Kratos was the only one to remember when he had been someone else, as well as Mithos when he had Origin."

"That's right." Yuan wondered again just how much she knew. He watched her reach into her obi after that, but when she took her hand out, she still held nothing. "Does that mean you like older women?" she asked out of the blue. "Martel must have been older than you if she became one with that 'other' you. Just how old _are_ you anyway? Physically, I mean." She scratched her head. "I mean, I guess I wouldn't blame you if you can't remember after all this time. You're so _old._ "

"I'm younger than Kratos, I'll have you know," he snapped. "And yes I still remember, thank you very much." She was far too smart for her own good sometimes. He brooded for a moment before sighing when he realised she wasn't going to give in without an answer. Despite his reluctance, he figured this might be the distraction she needed from her pursuit of the more complicated matters of his presence in her world.

"I suppose there's no point in denying it since I practically gave you the answer already on a silver platter," he said, wondering briefly if this was actually a game she was playing with him this time. He continued nevertheless. "The Martel I know, and the Martel of this world, was older than she appeared to be." He knew he had a goofy smile on his face as he remembered the night she had confessed her true age to him, but he didn't really mind.

" _You're so smart, Yuan,"_ his grassy haired beloved had said, resting her head on his shoulder as they cuddled under a woollen blanket in their tent on an especially cold night. He remembered he'd been talking about the different variations of armour and what kinds worked best for different situations. She stroked his bare shoulder delicately. _"_ _How experienced you are for one so young!"_ She'd said the last bit with the coy, adorable and yet not-so-innocent smile that she reserved only for his eyes. It was the kind of smile that had landed them in their surprisingly uncontrollable predicament as they found themselves lying flesh to flesh with one another at a time when their comrades had finally left them in peace.

" _So young?"_ he'd asked right away, only to get another cute smile from her and no other explanation. He'd tried to not be curious about what she had meant at first, but as they made light conversation for a time after that, he'd found it impossible to completely disregard. Naturally he'd learned long ago that most half-elves reached a certain age and then physically aged slower. It was a side-effect of their long lives. For all he knew, Martel could have been in her seventies or eighties. It had been a slightly terrifying thought, despite the fact that his common sense told him that to have a younger brother around the age of fourteen, she couldn't have been too much further his senior- not if they'd had the same human parent anyway. He hadn't asked about their parentage either, which had only made him more nervous.

With those thoughts swimming about in his head as she spoke for a time about all kinds of things that had fascinated her about the world so far during their journey, he hadn't been able to resist giving into his curiosity and broaching the question that normally would have been rather impolite to ask his lady when finally she had asked him what he was pondering. _"_ _How old are you, Martel?"_

Of course, Martel had known he would eventually ask her properly. She'd designed it that way. _"_ _Less than fifty, but more than twenty five,"_ she'd responded cryptically, sitting up and grinning at him before laying her lips against his for a moment. Despite reciprocating the kiss, he hadn't been able to focus on anything except the riddle- something she would later tell him that she thought separated men from women. Aside from the obvious, anyway, which she had also been quite willing to point out like the alluring vixen she was when she wasn't mothering Mithos or the rest of their group.

" _Would you still love me if I told you my real age?"_ she'd asked, despite the fact that he was sure she already knew the answer. He'd answered her regardless and eagerly awaited her response. Of course he would love her. He'd spent their entire journey up until comparatively recently wishing for her to realise how just walking by her side had made him feel like a giddy teenager at times. She could have been a hundred and he probably would have still loved her. At least, he hoped so, and that his heart wasn't as fickle as the rest of his emotions. Love had been a rare thing indeed, especially during warring times. He'd expected to die long before finding his first real love, considering his knack for getting himself in hot water in enemy territory.

He hadn't been able to hide his mild surprise when she'd told him the truth, but he'd been able to make up for his initial response rather easily at least, well before their friends had returned to them with the game they'd hunted for dinner.

"So how old _is_ she?" Sheelos asked again.

"None of your business," Yuan replied, kind of disappointed she hadn't allowed him to daydream further. "But I'm twenty five," he added just for the sake of clarity of his own character to her. It was true, give or take about eight thousand years.

Expectedly, Sheelos growled and took a half-hearted swipe at his face. He jumped back just in time and watched Noishe return to them before changing back into his human 'Eon' form. With a happy smile on his face, the Protozoan proceeded to rearrange the ice blocks in the correct order. When the doors to the next room opened with a click, followed by the sound of scraping that sent shivers down his spine, Yuan looked at the arrangement of the sculptures. It made no logical sense. He was left to wonder just what Celsius had been thinking when she'd created the puzzles of her lair.

The air grew even crisper as the three of them walked through the doors and saw the dais that was traditional of summon spirit locations. As soon as Eon was through the doors after them, they scraped shut behind them.

"Not good!" Sheelos said, taking out her paper weapons. He wouldn't admit it, but Yuan found her fighting style fascinating. Despite living with the people of Mizuho for several centuries, he had never gotten the hang of the style. He knew Martel would have been just as fascinated and baffled at how one could use their own energy or 'chi' as a weapon. A part of him wondered whether Martuan had been intrigued too. He summoned his butterfly blade, 'Swallow', and waited for Celsius to appear before them. Icicles lined the walls from behind them and all the way up to the dais. Yuan felt the shift of mana go from the general area to a more focused point in front of them.

"Get ready," Eon said, changing his hands into weapons while simultaneously backing away despite his fighting words.

"You who possess the right of the pact," said a tired sounding voice all around them, "I am Celsius, one who is... sadly.. bound to Mithos the hero."

The figure of Celsius finally appeared in her preferred form before them. A flaxen-haired woman wearing what could only be described as an exotic dancers outfit that revealed her black-striped legs and arms. She did a little twirl and gave them all a childish smirk as she appeared.

Sheelos blinked in surprise for a second, before stuttering out that they had come to annul her pact with Mithos and forge a new pact. Celsius looked at her fingernails curiously and started to pick at one of them as though they were dirty as Sheelos explained further when no response was given.

Eventually, Sheelos got annoyed that she was so obviously being ignored by the Summon Spirit. "Hey! Are you even listening, Celsius?"

Celsius finally looked mildly interested. She danced all the way from her spot, over to just in front of Sheelos. Bending over slightly, she tilted her head in multiple directions as she examined the Chosen-Summoner.

"W-what are you looking at?" Sheelos asked, pushing the hand of the summon spirit back when she went to reach for her face randomly. She cried in pain and nursed her hand for slight frostburn shortly after.

Eventually, Celsius moved back and out of Sheelos' personal bubble. "Well, you're a bit more trendy than Sheena, I guess. Not quite as stiff as her either, even if your flirting tendencies are a little bit all over the place according to the others."

"According to—" Sheelos shook her head. "Wait a minute, you said that name again. Sheena."

Yuan cursed under his breath when he once again held the attention in the room.

"Is that the name of the other part of me, in your world?" Sheelos asked him.

Glaring at Celsius, Yuan nodded to her question. Celsius didn't look scared of him at all though. She _had_ always been the rebel of the spirits, according to Mithos. That much he remembered.

Celsius had her gaze on him as well. "Oh, don't give me that look, Yuie. I never agreed to being under Mithos again. The only reason I cooperate is because, like the others, I guess I love this world. Even with all its warts. You're just lucky you're kind of cute, for a low-rate summoner."

"Then you'll let me make a pact with you?" Sheelos asked, cutting to the chase again. "Since I'm actually a half-decent summoner, if I do say so myself?"

Celsius bellowed a laugh at her. "Well, you've got some guts at least. I like you even more than Sheena. You have good taste in clothes, too."

"Thanks, I think," Sheelos replied, sounding unsure whether she should be flattered or not.

There was a moment of silence between them. Celsius knitted her brows after a bit and gave an exasperated sigh. "Well, what are you waiting for? I'm waiting for the vow. Contrary to popular belief, I don't have all day to spend hanging around the human world."

"But-"

"Do you _want_ me to absorb what is left of the worlds mana by staying around all the time?" Celsius continued. "Or maybe you don't know that." She snickered a bit after that.

"O-of course not," Sheelos finally said over the top of the summon spirit of ice. "It's just that I thought we needed to fight you. For me to prove myself."

Celsius looked at her blankly for a second. "Oh yeah. I forgot about that." She got into a battle stance. "Okay, come at me sister!"

"You got it!" Sheelos exclaimed, more than ready. Despite the strange situation, Yuan prepared himself to back her up. Considering she hadn't particularly agreed to the terms of their new residence in this timeline, he thought she might also prove to be one of the more difficult spirits to defeat.

As Sheelos charged in and threw a seal straight onto Celsius, it exploded and sent the spirit flying much further than normal to the back wall behind the dais. "Ow! Okay, okay! I'm defeated! Ow!"

Her overdramatic 'defeat' raised every eyebrow in the room. Sheelos slumped her shoulders. "Wow, obvious much? You guys are all in on this two timelines deal, aren't ya."

"It took you this long to figure out?" Celsius asked after she disappeared from her 'downed' position at the back of their small circular enclosure and to a seated position at the foot of her dais. "I thought you knew all that by now considering Yuan screwed up and totally showed you something he _reeeeallly_ shouldn't have!" Her eyes sparkled with something more than her usual icy gaze. Yuan didn't need her to say what she was going to, but knew there was little point in trying to shut her up. "Looks like he might like you more than he admits, girly! He could have totally escaped without you from that huge mess before."

"You knew about that?" Sheelos asked, then held her head. "You summon spirits sure like to gossip. But anyway, shouldn't I be making a pact now?"

Yuan felt glad that Sheelos was still taking the situation seriously, even if Celsius was not. Besides, he was sure the Chosen knew he was at least a little fond of her. Her company throughout the most important years of his mission had been.. comforting.

"Go on then, make the pact," Celsius said. "And make it snappy since my awesome power is but a summers breeze to you, oh great summoner!"

"R-right." Sheelos cleared her throat and straightened her back, just like she had been taught to when addressing any summon spirit. "For the sake of creating a place in which the two worlds no longer need to sacrifice each other, I ask that thou grant me thy power!"

Celsius crinkled her nose at first, before smiling normally at Sheelos. "Fine fine, you'll do. Just make sure you don't forget about the rest of the problems in the world, okay?" Celsius began to fade away, her voice still sounding clear, until she faded back in suddenly. Sheelos let out a gasp when a red light shot out from the obi on her waist. Efreet appeared before Celsius soon after, eliciting a groan and a slap to the forehead from the summon spirit of ice. "You don't need to parent me. You guys should trust her more. She practically knows everything now anyway."

"W-what Celsius said!" Sheelos agreed, looking down at herself. Yuan decided she must have been talking with the other summon spirits contained within the gems that she had already gotten.

"That is no excuse," Efreet said.

"Wow, cold," Celsius replied with a groan as she disinterestedly glanced up at the muscular summon spirit of fire. "And yes, I realise the irony of that statement."

"I have not come for this senseless banter," Efreet said. "Besides, rather than argue our differences, we should rejoice in the fact that our mana link has been severed."

Celsius scratched her head and nodded eventually in agreement. "Perhaps. But we both know that this separation is going to affect the whole world. Once she gets Shadow—" She stuttered on her own words. Yuan breathed a silent sigh of relief that she'd caught herself. Despite knowing the truth about some things, any one of the people in Lloyd's group knowing the possible future was never a good thing for the plan.

Sheelos groaned. Naturally, she'd been hoping for all kinds of beans to be spilled even further. The doors behind them all opened again once the two spirits disappeared. Sheelos caught the floating sapphire with gusto and turned to Yuan with a successful grin.

"You don't need to look like you actually did something," he commented dryly. Her grin didn't fade though. She prodded him silently as she went past him and Eon. "Come on. Let's get out of here already. I've had enough of this trip down memory lane."

Yuan knew he was going to pay dearly for Celsius' big mouth later. There was little he could do about it, unfortunately. Exchanging worry with Eon, he followed the Chosen out to the next room, where she was waiting to get a lift across the slippery ice. As he materialised his wings to follow the two of them, Sheelos yelled at him to make sure to watch his landing next time. It took all his strength to not pull his cape off of her when he got in close proximity and let her freeze for a few minutes in their sub zero climate.

* * *

**A tad earlier..**

* * *

Kate heaved a sigh of relief and took a few more glances behind herself to ensure she was not being followed by _him_ all the way back to Sylvarant, before finally allowing herself to fall to her backside and take a breather. Things had not gone to plan, obviously. She hadn't expected Lloyd to be so.. different.. than he had been when she'd last seen him back in Sybak. Something was seriously off about him.

At first, she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was that made her so nervous to even think about it. Then, slowly as her mind drifted back to her father and to her apparent half-brother, her eyes widened in bewilderment.

"It can't be possible," she repeated over and over again to herself, sifting through her satchel of stolen goods from her fathers lab for nothing in particular. She pulled out a bunch of paperwork with strange codes and patterns that she hadn't yet been able to discern. She shook her head while she absently looked over a few of the other pages that actually did make some kind of coherent sense.

* * *

TEST SUBJECT M001- Report #1.

Business: SAMPLE TAKEN.

Subject age: 10 years old

Subject sex: Female

Notes: Test subject shows resilience to fatal effects of exsphere attachment not found in earlier subjects. Further testing as to why to be completed within 48 hours of this report.

* * *

TEST SUBJECT M001- Report #2.

Business: SUBJECT UNDER MAINTENENCE.

Notes: The test subject appears to show little fear despite the desperate situations presented. Stronger dosage of external effects on subject necessary for continued growth.

* * *

TEST SUBJECT M001- Report #10.

Business: SUBJECTS APTITUDE.

Notes: The test subject has shown remarkable abilities to adapt to a variety of situations. Subject appears reluctant to fight if another method is presented. Complicated mathematical equations appear to be a simple task for subject.

* * *

TEST SUBJECT M001- Report #22.

Business: POSSIBLE HAZARD PENDING.

Action suggested: FORCED MEMORY EVACUATION.

Notes: Despite previous willingness to cooperate with all tests, subject appears to have shed her childish ways and discovered the confines and limitations of the experiment. Subject unwilling to cooperate and a potential harm to staff.

* * *

Kate looked up from the test subject reports when the soft thud of feet on grass made itself known behind her. She had thought nobody would find her hiding place. She hadn't yet been discovered to be more than a passer-by to the place she had retreated to. Yet, when she slowly turned her head and looked upward, she saw a white, blue and gold outfit and a brown gaze set under auburn locks looking down at her.

"Kate," he murmured, sounding almost as surprised as she felt.

"Shhh!" she exclaimed, grabbing his arm without thinking and dragging him down to her level. "And hide your mana signature better than that, for Martel's sake!"

He did as she demanded and shifted his gaze from the 'Katz village' to her. "What are you doing here?" he queried. "I didn't know you were involved with the Renegades."

Kate almost laughed. "I'm not. And it's none of your business, unless you'd like to tell me what one of the Cruxis is doing acting like they're somewhere they shouldn't be as well."

Kratos was quiet. She couldn't tell if he'd dropped the subject or if he was thinking. Eventually he revealed that it was the latter when he bobbed his head once and uttered "very well," before falling quiet and watching the area around the two of them. It lasted that way for a time, until he grumbled a little and shifted to look at her again. "What exactly are we watching for?"

"Their body language," she whispered quickly. "They look like innocent Katz, but trust me, they're communicating things all the time." She paused and wondered whether she should explain further. Despite her better judgement, she went on. "The Katz have eyes everywhere. I need to know if they have any useful information for me."

She could tell the swordsman-angel wanted to ask her for more, but was glad she didn't have to repeat that she wasn't interested in becoming buddies. Sore from failing to take the Angelus Project from a sleeping child, she found herself hungry for answers of a different kind. It was a trait she'd undoubtedly acquired from her father and her own predicament through the years- an endless thirst for knowledge or victory of some kind. She felt as though she still understood him at some level and, despite what she had said to Forcystus, she couldn't bring herself to hate him completely due to that.


	94. Curious foreshadowing

Looking back on the journey to, and also part of the way through the Temple of Darkness so far, Genis felt he'd been given a reason to feel uncomfortable and/or stressed more than a handful of times.

Once they'd left Presea, Yuan and Sheelos on their own with Colette back at Altessa's place and started to make their way toward the Grand Tethe'alla bridge, they'd quickly run into a few day time monsters. He'd summoned his kendama, ready for battle, but soon discovered that a certain sister of his was trying to make up for lost time and had gone into overprotective mode. Standing in front of him but behind Martuan and Regal, she had insisted that he not move too far from their location as she summoned a protective barrier around the two of them. He might have found it endearing after not seeing her for so long, if she hadn't hindered him from seeing the monsters at all.

Martuan and Regal had the battle taken care of easily, but he'd still felt completely embarrassed and had, regretfully, complained about it once the battle was over. It hadn't gone well at all, and up until the point where they reached the bridge and had to be strategic on their reasons for passing through, his sister had completely changed tune and let him do whatever he wanted when they were faced with monsters. It frustrated him to no end that she was using passive-reverse-psychology and making him _want_ her to be overprotective of him again.

As expected, the Grand Tethe'alla bridge had still been guarded. Papal knights decorated the entrance and exit, but the ones guarding the eastern side didn't question them. Genis had decided that the bridge was likely a pretty popular tourist destination despite its gruesome mechanical structure that relied on exspheres. He wondered what kind of business must have taken place for Tethe'alla to get hold of so many exspheres. He didn't really have to guess _who_ was involved in it though. The Church of Martel and the Pope had been fishy from the start.

_The Pope._

Thinking about the figurehead of the Church of Martel and what he stood for had made Genis' head hurt. The memories that seemed to be drifting further and further from his grasp came flooding back. He couldn't believe he'd almost forgotten the concept of the Worldwide Survival Project and what it meant for his race. Because of the W.S.P, half-elves lived in solitude and away from the eyes of the general populace who did not understand the same emotions as them.

It was only when Raine had asked him if he was okay because he'd had such a cross look on his face, that Genis realised just why the Pope infuriated him so much. The Pope was Gabriel. Some more memories of his time spent in Derris Kharlan recently bubbled to the surface. It was a strange sensation, to have one kind of memory replace another. He hadn't realised it'd even happened to him, despite how Raine and Colette had described the same phenomena. So, while Martuan spoke calmly with the Papal Knights about their supposed journey to Meltokio to pay respects to the King and the Church of Martel, he took a couple of deep breaths and concentrated on recollection, looking over the side of the bridge and into the blue ocean below as he did.

The first of the memories was less of a vision and more like a feeling. A pin prick on the back of his neck. He remembered feeling sick as well, especially when he'd been powerless to protect Presea. Mouthing her name, he couldn't believe he'd almost completely forgotten their joined struggle above the world since visiting Exire. There was something more he thought he might have forgotten, dangling _just_ out of his minds reach, but before he could grasp at it, a different memory came to him. The chase from Gabriel and how he and Presea hadn't been able to fight him at all. The clearest part of it though was the way the 'Pope' had looked when he'd appeared to them once again at the end of the ambush. He'd looked strikingly similar to Mithos; so similar that they could've almost been twins.

Maybe even _too_ similar, even if Gabriel _was_ Mithos' father. Still, it was what it was. Anyone who ever saw them together or knew both of them would have guessed right away that they were related. Despite being a crazy psychopath who seemed to be forming some kind of grand scheme involving an army and an Age of Lifeless Beings, Genis saw the logic in why Gabriel would have hid his true self. The most perplexing part of it actually came from the simplest thing. His disguise was largely successful just with the help of a wig. _A wig._ Despite the seriously impressive amount of advanced technology available to him, especially up in Welgaia, Gabriel had decided to use a wig. The thought boggled Genis' mind.

He remembered the detail being revealed as... Kraine... had questioned Gabriel over the intercom with such clarity so suddenly that he almost felt like crying and laughing at the same time. When Raine asked him what he wanted from beside him, since she'd been content to stand by his side quietly and watch him mill through his memories, he looked at her and found his head hurting. He'd accidentally said the now strange sounding name aloud.

Before he could ask his sister any questions though, Martuan had impatiently called at them to hurry up, signalling that they had been given the green light to continue down the bridge and toward the exit. As they briefly watched a Katz play a game of red light- green light with a bunch of kids before crossing past them and continuing on, and as the Katz pulled out a small notebook to write something every time he turned back around for the children to start creeping up on him again, Genis was reminded of the strange phenomena that plagued their group.

In the grand scheme of things, he supposed the memories, the lack thereof of said memories, and the apparent splitting of souls in their group were far more troubling, but at the time when the next trouble hit, it had seemed far worse and like the most embarrassing thing ever. All for a glorified lamp that lit the way in the darkness. Genis rolled his eyes just thinking about it.

Sure. It _was_ kind of impressive. Despite how the blue candle had effortlessly lit the way for them into the temple, _this_ light shone even brighter. One seemingly involuntary twitch and a little excited squeal later, Raine had been all over it like white on rice. "The formation of magi-technology particles to create something that responds so perfectly to an environment such as this is simply magnificent! Highly regarded. Wonderful!" She rubbed the side of her face on it and hugged it like a child. As her brother, it was a truly disturbing sight to behold. Not that he hadn't, unfortunately, seen it all before.

Raine had used a lot of other adjectives as well, but he'd started to tune it out after a while, especially when he saw their Renegade companion walk up to a strange shadow creature that had probably appeared because of the racket Raine had been making. On first sight, he'd been about to tell his sister to prepare for battle, but then as Martuan reached over and touched it, making the red light that shone from the creatures core turn blue, he realised that something else was going on.

Upon asking the group what they thought it might be, he'd gotten Raine's attention enough for her to stop her abuse of the light and to look at the black blob. She turned her head back briefly, saw the creature and then turned back to the lamp for a moment, only to do a double take a second later and completely whirl around in order to study the 'new phenomena'.

"It is a fragment from Shadow," Martuan explained briefly, sighing after. "I'd hoped this wouldn't happen again, but it appears that Shadow just can't keep himself together." A brief silence had ensued after that before the bluenette gave a sigh as she slumped her shoulders. "It seems I'm surrounded by people with poor taste in jokes."

Genis hadn't picked her as someone who would enjoy jokes at all, let alone crave an audience's laughter. She was a seraph who'd existed at the same time as Mithos the hero. It hadn't seemed exactly likely that she'd do something so... human. Mithos, while he'd been travelling with them, had seemed different. Even before finding out his identity as Lord Yggdrasil, Genis had always gotten the sensation that he was somehow.. otherworldly.. or at least well beyond his years.

Martuan rolled her eyes and continued on before Genis could give her a pity laugh. "We have little choice but to gather them all up again. We need to change the sorcerers ring as well."

That was when Genis had noticed that the look of intense curiosity written all over Raine's face had changed its trajectory from the fragment of Shadow to the Lady Renegade. The words out of his sisters mouth next had been most awkward of all of the trip so far.

"Forgive me for prying," she'd started, and already Genis had felt the need to hide in a hole, "but I'll just need to be blunt to get my point across."

"Bluntness doesn't bother me," Martuan responded, straightening up. Despite her words, Genis had felt she was a little more nervous about it than she might have wanted to let on. "What bothers me is when people do not say what they are thinking." She'd looked pointedly at Regal, who smiled awkwardly and bowed his head. "My apologies. Given our situation, I hadn't wanted to cause unnecessary stress for anyone."

Martuan had responded back by telling Regal that he was too polite, before basically giving Raine a look that'd said "spit it out."

And spat it out, Raine had. "Are you really a part of Martel?" she asked. "If you are, how are you alive?"

Though she'd stated that she would be blunt, Genis hadn't expected Raine to just ask something like _that._ He understood her meaning perfectly however. In his mind, Mithos had wanted to do everything he could to bring his sister back from the dead. The difference between the memory and the reality of this world was simple. Martuan, who was a part of Martel, if he were to believe that somehow people in their world gradually garnered dual souls within their bodies over time, had not died.

"Excuse me?" Martuan asked, quite appropriately.

Raine paced away from her spot, past Genis and the shadow fragment that just stood in place doing nothing next to their party, then turned back to them. "You know by now that my memories are a little.. different than yours. Genis is in the same category to me, and yet Regal seems to remember much more of this world as opposed to the events that took place to my own knowledge. I was just hoping for a little clarification."

Martuan's eyebrows creased together and she crossed and uncrossed her arms while Raine was speaking. Genis remembered wondering whether she'd regretted being so open to being questioned.

"I seem to remember Mithos being somewhat... different," Raine went on. "His sisters name was Martel. Yet, you are his sister, Martuan?"

"It's.. complicated," Martuan responded, grimacing. "I guess you could say that, as far as I am concerned, we are not _officially_ siblings. Mithos has thought of me as his sister for a very long time, and it became somewhat natural to think of him as my brother as well. That's all there really is to it."

"I see." Raine held her chin in thought at that. As for Genis, he didn't believe Martuan at all that 'that was all there was to it.' Nothing was easy in this world, and Mithos certainly hadn't gone through so much effort to split the souls of his 'sister' just for a hunch. If one memory still had not escaped him, despite how disconnected it felt, it was the conversation he'd had with his friend about Origin's curse and the true reason for Cruxis' existence.

Regal had stepped in to continue the momentum of the conversation while Raine was lost in her own head-notes. "Having been Kraine, and still apparently possessing a grasp on the events of this world for whatever reason, I really cannot help but wonder when exactly you came to exist as Martuan. I also have to wonder who you possibly also are, if you are at least in part 'Martel', as Raine remembers. Mithos saw through your dual souls after all, and that is the reason he came to call you his sister."

Martuan gritted her teeth. "I forgot that you probably knew that. I suppose you already have your suspicions, considering the naming convention that seems to come with dual souls."

"Of course," he replied. "It is only normal to assume that. In theory it makes sense, as does it when we examine the similarities between yourself and Yuan. However..." He'd paused and looked upward at the roof. Genis remembered glancing up at it too and seeing some fancy intricate patterns that looked like another language. Regal continued. "I'm sure you understand why examining the similarities between yourself and Yuan brings up some rather.. confusing...questions as well. One in particular."

"Of course," she replied. "But I'm afraid I can't answer that question."

That had begged the question as to why not, and Raine certainly hadn't been shy in asking.

"It is not for me to tell, I'm afraid," was all Martuan had offered back, before starting ahead of them without explanation on the plan. At first Genis had expected her to go down the staircase that led deeper into the dungeon, but she'd instead walked to a wall and stood there for a second before turning around and quickly descending. Despite her tough exterior, the question had definitely frazzled her.

Genis had followed her; Raine and Regal walking at the same pace as him with similar but different thinking expressions. They'd only stopped when they got to a device that Genis had recognised immediately. It was without a doubt for the sorcerers ring.

"All I can really say is that we're here together, doing this, because we have a common goal," Martuan eventually said after changing the setting on a sorcerers ring that she produced from a pocket. After testing it and shooting out a black ball of something from the ring, she went on to scrutinise all of them one by one. "When we break the mana links, we will be one step closer to a unified world."

"And then?" Regal asked. "Do we wait to see what kind of disaster might befall us? We don't know how stable the Great Seed is. All we know for now is that breaking the mana links is causing these tremors to happen throughout Sylvarant and Tethe'alla."

"The Renegades have it under control," Martuan replied in a what Genis thought was a very Yuan-esque way. For a while, that was all she'd said. Despite Raine's curiosity, she had seemed fine to drop it for the time being since they had a job to do while the other half of their group braved the freezing temperatures of Flanoir.

Many frustrated groans and forehead-slapping situations involving getting the ethereal black blobs that apparently made up parts of Shadow to follow them later, their group had finally found themselves on the final stretch. After getting the 'pieces' of Shadow to follow them down a very steep, and kind of trivial, set of steps, they'd found themselves at the bottom and watching as the blobs all merged into one.

That was where Genis found himself presently, and was also why he'd found some solace in thinking about the events that had come to pass thus far. They were better than the unsettling realisation that he was stuck in the most uncomfortable situation of all. There was no way out, unless he wanted to try and get through the temple alone and move huge pieces of stone back and forth just to get back down to this area.

The pieces of Shadow had come together to produce the summon spirit of darkness, in all his strange purple-globby-darkness-thing glory, which would have been fine if, after some initial confusion that they didn't wish to make a pact with him yet, he had disappeared and left them in peace.

But _no!_ Shadow had decided to disappear and reappear around them in intervals as they all just sat around in an awkward semi-circle and waited for Sheelos, Yuan and Presea to come. At one point, he'd appeared on the roof above them and just hung there upside down like some kind of bat.

That wasn't even the worst of it. No. Genis found himself in a two-fold sandwich of uncomfortableness when Martuan decided to ignore Shadow's antics and bring up a question it seemed she may have been bottling up since her earlier dismissal of their own questions.

"Since you remember being Kraine enough to question the stability of the Great Seed in all this, would you kindly tell me just how you came to separate your souls?" She looked pointedly at Regal as she spoke, which was only normal since she expected that he was the only one who remembered Kraine properly out of the rest of them.

Regal didn't answer right away. Though Genis knew he shouldn't have exactly known him very well if he were to go by the old memories he had, he thought Regal was the type to think things through before opening his mouth. He decided it was likely because of his diplomatic status as a Duke. During the brief silence, Shadow deigned to appear a short distance behind Regal this time. He crossed his giant arms across his hourglass shaped body and tapped his two giant fingers against each of his arms as though he were patiently waiting too.

"I just wish I remembered Kraine as clearly as I do Kratos. It's a wonder I haven't forgotten he existed completely," Martuan, not seeming to really understand why Regal was quiet, went on to add. It seemed that not even she was immune to the strange happenings. Genis couldn't help but be a tiny bit surprised.

"I'm certain you already have an idea on who did this," Regal pointed out. "I am not certain, however, that I should discuss the specifics with you just yet." Regal locked onto her pressuring gaze with his usual calm demeanour.

So it _had_ been Gabriel. Genis was almost certain now. Martuan clenched her fist and Genis felt kind of worried that she was going to yell at Regal to not be so secretive. "So it _was_ him," she said instead, exhaling in almost.. relief? The lady Renegade rubbed the sides of her arms as they stayed crossed tightly together around her chest. Shadow disappeared and reappeared behind her this time. He floated on his back in midair, head turned curiously at her. Martuan continued on with her point as though it wasn't distracting at all. "If he has a way to cause a separation between souls, there's a good chance he has made some progress on his research involving the Angelus Project. That can't be good." She leaned closer to Regal. "You must tell me all that you know if you even remotely care for half-elves. I'm sure he has something planned."

"The Age of Lifeless Beings," Raine piped up suddenly, garnering surprise from Martuan. Raine opened her mouth to add more but looked disappointed and shook her head. "I'm sorry. I'm not really sure why I thought to say that."

Martuan didn't look altogether convinced, and neither was Genis for that matter. The Age of Lifeless beings was something he recalled as well, but not in the context of Gabriel. It was more to do with Mithos, even if that didn't exactly make sense either. Mithos had never mentioned an Age of Lifeless beings to him, at least not in the old, more distant memories he still clung to in order to not go totally insane in a world that dictated that all those memories _had_ happened.

"It is because that was how we managed to leave Derris Kharlan," Regal explained to Raine. "And.. I think it is that thing he has planned. What it entails is anyone's guess though, I'm afraid."

"The Age of Lifeless beings..." Martuan muttered the name again, shaking her head. "I _knew_ it was real. I just.. don't really know how." She looked down at her hands and continued to ramble. "Or maybe I do. Damn it Y-." She stopped on the name that Genis was sure they all knew she was going to say by now. "I've never trusted Gabriel," she added to cover it up. "Even looking at him gives me chills. I've never told Mithos about it though. He's always looked at him like a father, even if he's never admitted it to me."

Unfortunately, Genis flinched at Martuan's wording. Regal caught it and looked at him plainly. Genis remained still, hoping the event would pass and he and Martuan would go on talking. He didn't have high hopes though considering how uncomfortable their travel as a group had been so far.

"Genis," Regal said slowly. "Am I correct in assuming you know more about this?"

Genis found himself nodding and with everyone looking at him. Regal calmly exhaled and nodded. "It appears my worst nightmare as Kraine did in fact come true. You were the one captured in that room. I will need to have a discussion with Yuan about this later." His calm blue eyes went unusually steely at those words. Genis had an overwhelming fear for Yuan's life suddenly.

"Gabriel was trying to get the Angelus Project from me," he said in a low voice as he glanced at the exsphere on his hand. It felt so disconnected from him now despite the fact that he was quite sure it had been a part of him for quite a while. "A lot happened there, but I was there when Kraine was. I-I think."

"Would you mind enlightening the two of us who don't know what you are talking about, on what happened?" Raine asked, concern flashing across her features. "Did this Gabriel person hurt you, Genis?"

_Hurt_ was an understatement. He wasn't quite sure where to start, especially when he felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise all at once just after Shadow disappeared from behind Martuan. He was a hundred percent sure Shadow was now lurking behind him. Luckily for him, Regal answered. "Genis made it out intact, as did Presea. I'm sure there are some other elements that I'm not aware of, but that isn't really necessary to go into at present." He looked at Martuan. "Since you seem unaware, it seems to be up to myself to tell you the truth. I do have reservations on the matter though."

"If you are going to say that this is an inappropriate time, save your breath," Martuan said. "Gods, it's no wonder that you shared a soul with Kratos. The two of you are disturbingly alike."

"I can't say I've had the pleasure of his company for too long yet to find that out." Regal looked at Raine. "Nor do I have too many clear memories of him from seemingly another universe."

"Another universe..." Raine repeated. "A strange concept. That is how it seems though. Curious."

"It was mostly a figure of speech," Regal explained. "Though I must admit, it does seem that way at times."

"Anyway," Martuan interrupted, "please spare me your babble and tell me this truth that I ought to know."

Regal obeyed and explained the truth as briefly as possible. Not because he didn't want to explain it more, but because Martuan had quickly stood from her spot after the reveal and began to pace back and forth like a madwoman. Shadow followed her around like a... shadow, as she did, mimicking her various positions of frustration. Eventually, Martuan turned to them, her face white as a sheet. "Mithos is going to betray us for his father!" She stomped past them and to the stairs.

Regal got to his feet but she held up a hand in a stop signal before he started to follow her. "This is where I leave you all for the time being. There are things I need to see to immediately if we're to have a hope in the damned world of fixing this."

xxx

The moment she was out of sight of the group, Martuan spread her wings and made haste across the temple toward the exit. There were three things she needed to do. The most important one was to go to Derris Kharlan and find out just what Mithos, Gabriel and Kratos were doing. She had little doubt of Kratos' involvement now, considering he had just happened to leave with Mithos right after he might have discovered Gabriel's true identity. Of course, the only problem with getting to Derris Kharlan was that she _couldn't_ while she was still wearing Yuan's exsphere. The moment she took a breath of fresh air though, her breath caught in her throat when she saw the object of her thoughts, plus a red haired Chosen and a pink haired Presea dismounting a green and white Protozoan.

"Uh oh," Sheelos uttered. "Is this bad?" She seemed to think she couldn't be heard.

Martuan approached them all and frowned at Noishe. " _You_ have some explaining to do."

Noishe chirruped, but she could tell it was kind of a whine. "Maybe another time though," she whispered quickly, giving his neck feathers a quick stroke before grabbing Yuan by the wrist. "We have to talk. _Now."_

As she went to pull him away, Sheelos latched onto Yuan's other arm. "Not without me you're not."

"She's probably going to make it difficult," Yuan agreed with a sigh as he tried to shake the pervert banshee off while they walked further away from a confused Presea and Noishe. "You might as well just say it."

Considering Sheelos followed him around like a bad smell, Martuan decided to assume that she knew more than she let on about Yuan's situation as it was. "I'll make this brief. I need to go to Derris Kharlan."

Yuan didn't seem surprised at all. Martuan found herself gaping a bit at him. Sheelos smirked.

"No, you don't," Yuan replied. "It's all going to plan. Your job is down here with the Mana Cannon." He looked away from her and at Sheelos. "Once you have the Summon Spirits, it'll be time to use them. We'll destroy the tower finally and expose the Great Seed. Then there is only one thing left to do."

"What do you mean by that!?" Martuan snapped. "Did you know that Gabriel was-" She took a breath and recalled what he'd told her about _his_ world. "Just what is the plan, Yuan?"

"You know I can't tell you that," he muttered. "What's the point in doing all this if I go and ruin it by giving you ideas on what might happen and you all go and let them come true thanks to the way Origin's powers work?"

"Wow, you really did tell her a whole bunch," Sheelos said, looking impressed before pouting. "At least it looks like you didn't tell her anything I didn't already know _ages_ ago."

She sounded jealous. Martuan couldn't help but grin for a second. When she locked eyes with Yuan though, the fleeting moment passed and she was once again overcome by the sheer complications that involved the man standing beside her. "Yuan," she said seriously, "if you allow Gabriel to change the outcome of this war by corrupting Mithos with his lies, I will never forgive you."

The ground rumbled from beneath them before an ear-splitting quake sent them all falling and flailing about. Martuan winced and prepared to fall, but instead found Yuan grasping her by the shoulders and holding her steady while he stood in a well balanced pose that suggested he'd studied martial arts extensively. The quake subsided after a short time and the sounds of Noishe and Presea approaching from behind to see if they were alright, coupled with the noisy complaints of Sheelos, were the only other sounds around.

"Don't worry," Yuan muttered into her ear as he still held her close to him. "We have something on our side that Gabriel doesn't."

"We do?" She raised her brows and continued to listen to his voice. His face was so close to her ear that she could feel a few of his flyaway hairs brushing against her cheek. She remained as calm as she could- too curious to move away.

"Something that guarantees Mithos will come back to us when the time is right," Yuan went on.

"And that is?" she queried, getting impatient.

Yuan moved out of their close proximity and crossed his arms while he smirked in a way that made her feel like she was looking in a mirror. "You _._ "


	95. Trick or Treachery

 

"We should go inside," Kratos muttered to Kate after a short time. He'd been as patient as he could, but as much as he disliked the fact that he was now a pot calling very own son a kettle, he was getting bored of Gabriel's daughter's wait and see approach. After eight thousand years of being trapped in Derris Kharlan- though it'd hardly felt like that long once he'd lost his concept of time- he wanted action. He _needed_ to be useful. The thought of doing nothing so far to aid Yuan in whatever it was that was most certainly wrong with the world made his hand itch for his sword and to put a nice gash through Gabriel's smug neck. He grimaced unintentionally and received a raised brow from Kate.

"Fair point," she agreed, sounding a little bit confused. Without warning, she disappeared from his field of vision.

Making sure to not move despite the temptation to do so, Kratos kept watching the entrance to what he assumed was the rest of the ranch- a brightly coloured shack with large pawprints decorating it on every angle. Pronyma had slipped inside and not come out at all yet, and two Katz stood outside, curled up in a similar counterpart to what he had once heard Anna describe on Noishe as a 'dog loaf'. Another Katz, in blue approached the two guards and seemed to only say something with his paws to the yellow cat suit wearing Katz standing to the left of the door. Nodding back, the Katz left her post and started toward a rainbow coloured treehouse of sorts. Only, it didn't appear the Katz made it to her destination.

Before he knew what was happening, Kratos was watching the Katz being dragged by a seemingly invisible force right toward him. As she came to a halt right before him, he noticed that she was sleeping soundly. Kate reappeared in front of him, the foot of the lady Katz in one hand and what looked disturbingly like some kind of injection needle in the other.

"Don't ask," she replied, kneeling down back into cover. "Just put the suit on and we'll go."

Despite the fact that Kratos was a hundred percent certain he had not misheard her, he still couldn't help but ask her for re-clarification. Kate reacted accordingly, apparently also knowing he had definitely heard what she had said.

"Are you going to put it on or not?" She pulled the suit off of the girl to show that she looked like any other normal half-elf and that she was in fact wearing normal clothes underneath her suit, much to Kratos' relief. "It's one-size-fits all." She stretched it to show him just how flexible the fabric was. "Just be glad it wasn't the pink Katz who decided to go off duty."

"I'm afraid those sizes are a misconception," he found himself saying.

Kate puffed her cheeks at him and crossed her arms. "You're just afraid. I'm leaving you out here in thirty seconds if you don't."

Despite somewhat wondering whether it was all a pull of power over him on her part, Kratos inevitably found himself dressed as a Katz and with the fond and undying hope that nobody, especially Mithos or Yuan, would ever find out what he had done. He resisted all urges to touch his exsphere, sure that Anna was laughing hysterically at him.

"Don't look so seriously at me," Kate whispered.

Kratos couldn't see her now that she was invisible, but he had the sensation that she was facing him. He hadn't really meant to glare at her, especially since finding that the cat suit was extremely comfortable, even over the top of normal clothes. It had just sort of happened. "Apologies," he muttered. "Are you certain this will work?"

"Of course," Kate whispered back. "Do you see anyone but Katz here? They have no reason to suspect anything is amiss. Pronyma likely didn't give them any specific orders or instructions to watch out for anyone. Besides, even if you _are_ caught, I'm sure you'd get out of it without getting skinned."

He kept a straight face, realising only now that her jokes were as terrible as her fathers. Gabriel's had been even worse than Yuan's, from the snippets of things he could still remember about the man who had betrayed them and killed Martel so very long ago now. He hadn't expected the wound of her death and his betrayal to still feel so deep, but decided that was another thing for another time to think about. For now, he had to focus on the situation at hand. "Very well," he agreed to Kate, standing up and heading out into the open.

The eyes of the guard Katz immediately went to him. Treading as softly as he could while maintaining a stride in his best interpretation of cat-like behaviour, he approached. They both tilted their heads a little to gain eye contact, then looked at each other. One gestured to the other, and the other nodded. Kratos' hand moved to his side, but not only was he wearing a cat suit over where his sword would be, but he also didn't have his sword. He'd left that, along with the holster that held his sword, behind the bush with the unconscious Katz.

The blue Katz began to rummage into a satchel that sat on the ground behind him, fake tail wiggling in the air as he did. To try it, Kratos attempted to step forward to the door of the base but the Katz on the right dressed in pink stopped him by stepping in the way and gesturing toward his brethren. All he could do was wait, apparently. Eventually the blue Katz found whatever it was that he had been looking for in his satchel and turned around, something about the size of a dagger in his hand. It was only when he reached his own hand to the tip of it and pulled it off that Kratos realised what it was.

* * *

**A short time later..**

* * *

Kratos sighed and thanked the old gods silently that there didn't seem to be any mirrors lurking about the base. Thanks to his good hearing though, he could hear Kate stifling a laugh as they walked along the first long corridor. They'd stepped into the hut and immediately found a set of stairs leading underground, discovering upon their descent that it was indeed another Desian base. He glared purposefully in Kate's direction, irritation settling in now. Though the cat suit would have indeed made perfect pajamas, he was only bitterly reminded of his dislike for cats now that they had taken the liberty of drawing whiskers, as well as what he presumed was a black nose, on his face. Anna had preferred cats, saying that she liked them because she knew they thought independently, but Noishe had eventually won her over with his own extremely independent ways. Yuan had been a cat lover, but that had nothing to do with why Kratos didn't like the company cats.

They came to a fork in the hallway finally. As Kratos looked down, he tried to remember the general layout for Desian bases. Usually two areas of the first fork led to rooms and testing facilities for prisoners, while one area led to the offices of the Desians in charge.

"Which direction should we go?" Kate asked.

He wanted to ask her why she thought he would know, but decided to take charge of the situation. He'd been in too many conversations like this one before with Yuan. Saying his true thoughts would have led Kate to blather on about the fact that he had indeed been the hasty one who had wanted to get into the ranch. Not that she would have been incorrect- but that was actually the most frustrating part.

"North," he decided to say. If they were to want answers, going toward where Pronyma likely had disappeared to was the probable answer.

They ventured down the northern of the three paths that had been available to them, down a set of steps every so often. Various Desian Katz walked past them, barely batting eyelids at them aside from occasionally doing a few strange catlike motions or making meowing sounds. One or two stood waiting for a response back to their ludicrous actions, but they never received them. _That_ was crossing the line as far as things Kratos was willing to do for the sake of infiltration went. He thought Yuan would have done a much better job, but that was hardly surprising considering his personality and that his specialty was in lying in wait before pouncing out from the shadows.

"We need to hurry," he said quickly to Kate after that thought struck him, realising that spending so long around the Katz was already starting to make him think in strange ways. She didn't respond. He wondered if she had left him. Having the power to turn herself invisible, she could have been literally anywhere.

"Psst!"

He heard a noise from up ahead and followed it until he felt a hand on his wrist. Kate briefly made an appearance at long last and put a finger to her lips while tilting her head to point out that something appeared to be happening around the corner. Bobbing his head in acknowledgement, he watched her vanish again and scooted around where he thought she was probably standing to be able to see the thing she appeared to find curious. He saw Pronyma standing with her hand to a door knob, looking surprisingly... forlorn. Her feet touched the ground, despite the device that enabled her to float being secured to her waist.

The Grand Cardinal took her hand off of the knob and stepped back, mouthing something Kratos couldn't quite make out. A few moments later she was putting her hand to the knob again. She repeated the action about three or four times before crossing her arms across her chest and groaning in frustration. "Why would he-" She stopped and turned her head. When his eyes met hers, Kratos realised he had accidentally moved too far into view while he'd been watching her.

Her shoes clacking along the ground fast, Pronyma approached. "What are you doing down here?" Her eyes narrowed at him. "You should know better than that."

He noticed some definite tears in her eyes. It seemed she was taking whatever frustration she had out on him. "Is there something the matter?" he asked, thinking they would likely get nowhere in terms of information if he didn't at least ask something.

"Nothing that I wish to tell you," she said, choking on her words before covering her face.

As Pronyma wept, Kratos felt useless. He wasn't exactly up for comforting her, but leaving her to cry all on her own for whatever reason seemed impossible. So he stood there awkwardly, waiting for whatever would come next.

"Just what is in that room?" he asked, eventually deciding that reaching a hand to her sunken shoulders would be alright. He managed to do it gently, even though he felt awkward doing even that. He'd always been an awkward man though. It had been one of the reasons he had taken up training in the knighthood after leaving his official status behind. The stoic, disciplined way of the knight had always sat particularly well with his general nature.

"I don't know," Pronyma replied eventually through clearing sobs. Kratos took his hand away when she eventually looked back up at him. "I can't get in there anyway. Gabriel programmed it to only open to his D.N.A." She took a deep breath to collect herself further. "Why am I telling you this? Shoo." She quickly waved him away. He went to obey and turn away so that they didn't arouse her suspicion any further, when he felt a hand tightly clasp his forearm.

"Mother," Kate said.

"What?"

Kratos turned around to see Pronyma looking left to right, then scratching her head. Kratos, as well as Pronyma judging by her reaction as she walked sideways down the hallway toward the mysterious door, found himself being pulled there. When the pulling for him to follow stopped, Kate made herself visible.

Pronyma gasped and immediately threw her arms around Kate, almost knocking her glasses straight off of her face. "Darling," she said, her voice muffled by Kate's shoulder.

To his surprise, Kate grasped her back and smiled as she closed her eyes. "Mother, it has been a long time. Please don't cry any more."

Kratos stood silent and still, grasping the reality of the situation. Pronyma was Kate's mother. He hadn't known that at all. They looked alike enough though, he supposed. The true surprise was that Kate had thought it wise to reveal herself to the Grand Cardinal of the ranch. Mother or not, the two of them were clearly trespassing. He could only hope-

"Kratos is here too," Kate murmured to her mother as she stepped away and gestured toward him.

"Kratos?" Pronyma scanned him. "You're wearing a-"

"-Speak nothing of the way I look," he cut her off, then looked at Kate. "Would you care to explain this change in tactic?"

The scientist girl grimaced and coughed an apology, then awkwardly scratched the back of her neck. "Well.. what would you do if you found out your father had a secret room in a Katz ranch that he didn't even want to give your mother access to?"

Even though she had a fair point, Kratos failed to see why she had exposed them. If Pronyma could not get in, Kate surely would not have been able to. He watched Kate step away from her mother and over to the door. It looked relatively innocent as far as doors went. No tell-tale signs of magi-technology. With that said, Kratos knew from some rather painful experiences in the past that he didn't always have to see magi-technology for it to be present. The moment Kate's hand touched the doorknob, they all heard a distinct clicking sound.

"Would you look at that?" Kate grinned and said innocently as she pushed the door open and flicked on a light switch before moving inside.

The fact that she may have figured out that she would be able to open the door before revealing herself and him to Pronyma made Kratos feel a little better. He followed Pronyma into the room and shut the door behind himself.

The room that faced them was deceptively _huge._ On the outside, he hadn't expected it to be much bigger than a standard size office. Now that they were inside, he saw that it was the length of at least three offices, and the width of possibly three more.

"What is all of this?" Pronyma asked, pointing to a cabinet in front of her. Phials of liquid sat in racks with hundreds of tiny crevices carved into them. From the looks of it, as Kratos looked down toward the end of the room, there were at least twenty or thirty rows of the same kind of thing.

"It looks like blood," Kate said. "Lots and lots of different samples of blood." She pointed to a small number printed below one of the phials, then to a different number right next to it. "My best bet is that this has something to do with the W.S.P."

"Or.. or something else..." Pronyma looked away from her daughter as she said it, but she clearly wanted to explain further. Kate egged her on to do so. "What if your father was collecting samples to decide on something else?"

"What like?" Kate's voice had gone dry and serious. Kratos detected something a little more scrutinising in her at that. She seemed different to the meek girl he remembered. She had always been intelligent, but now she also seemed conniving. Something had changed dramatically with her.

Pronyma opened her mouth to start explaining what she had meant to her daughter, then shook her head. "Nevermind. It's useless to speculate anyway at the moment. We should look around a little more." She left them to clack her heels over to a pile of binders sitting on a shelf at the eastern wall. After briefly exchanging a look of confusion with Kate, Kratos made to follow the Desian. If she found more 'evidence' to whatever it was that she was thinking about, they needed to position themselves in the firing line for her to shoot her mouth off.

Pronyma was sifting through a bunch of papers of what looked to be a collection of handwritten and machine-typed research notes. She didn't stop particularly long on any of the pages, but one had caught all of their attention at once. At the corner of one of the dog-eared notes, there was a small handwritten sentence. It was crossed out now, but what was under it could still be read.

_Meeting with Martuan. 3 am. Sybak._

"Martuan?" Pronyma asked, frowning. "As in Lady Martuan?"

"Could be," Kate agreed. "Though we have no idea how many people in this world are named Martuan. She could just be someone named after the goddess."

Pronyma flipped through the next few pages. Most of them were filled with jargon that couldn't easily be read, but Kratos noticed a stark similarity between them all. Above almost every note was a subject name and code. When Pronyma finished with the first binder and randomly ran her hand across a bunch more, he noticed they were all labelled alphabetically. He took the K one before she could take anything else and opened it. She didn't seem to think much on it and appeared content to watch him do the handling this time. He slowed as he neared the K-O section, then completely at the first page of the K-R section.

* * *

TEST SUBJECT KR01- Report #1.

Business: SAMPLE TAKEN.

Subject age: 27 years old

Subject sex: Male

Notes: Subject unwilling to cooperate without injection. 50cc of Serenity01 administered. Further testing to commence after 24 hours.

* * *

TEST SUBJECT KR01- Report #2.

Business: COOPERATION SUCCESS.

Notes: Serenity01 administration successful without death. Subject appears well-trained in combat. Field training possibly recommended.

* * *

A cold chill spread up his spine. Somewhere in the deepest reaches of his mind, he recalled that name. Serenity01. He remembered the feeling of a pinprick in his neck before doing all sorts of arduous tasks. Not to mention the subject name. He'd recognised it immediately of course, since it had been his. It appeared Kraine-Kratos has gone through the exact same torment at the whim of researchers as he had. Having enough of recalling the terrible memories, Kratos closed the folder and set it aside before looking at the others on the shelf again. He picked the M folder out and opened it.

"Kratos?" Kate asked, sounding concerned.

"What is it?" He glanced at her for only a second before returning his gaze to the notes he had expected to see.

* * *

TEST SUBJECT M001- Report #28.

Business: SUBJECT RELEASE.

Subject sex: Female

Notes: Order confirmed and enacted by G.A. Further information on nature of release pending.

* * *

Strangely, the format changed from one note to the next.

* * *

TEST SUBJECT M001- Report #30.

Business: SUBJECT RE-INITIATION.

Subject age: 38 years old, approximately.

Subject sex: Female

Notes: Subject to commence further training alongside M.I.T.H.O.S at 06:00.

* * *

His eyebrows furrowed and he read the notes on report #30 again. There was no doubt that Mithos' name was written in there. It wouldn't have been surprising either, considering Mithos and Martel were siblings. They had been captured together after all, to his memory. What bothered him more was the way there was a period between each of the letters. He wondered if that had been Mithos' subject name.

"How odd," Kate surmised for him. "Why would Mithos be in a bunch of research from ranches and stuff?"

"This isn't the research from the ranches," Kratos decided to reply. "Not the ones you know of, anyway." He scanned the rest of the folders and went for the Y one next. Just as he was about to flip it open however, he heard a gasp from somewhere down the other end of the room. Pronyma had left them to do some of her own research it seemed. He made his way over to find her, Kate tagging along next to him. They found Pronyma with her hands to her mouth and her eyes wide as she stared at a bunch of papers she had dropped to the floor. Pronyma fell to her knees, still staring at one that had landed face up. As Kratos read the title of the paper, he instantly understood her reaction.

xxx

The battle with Shadow had gone about as expected. Sheelos was used to it by now, and with their group of seven, Noishe excluded since he had decided to wait outside, it would've been an unfair match even if Shadow had been fighting her properly.

"Vow..." Shadow said simply after their 'fight'.

Sheelos opened her mouth to make the vow but stopped, thinking of what was going to come next. Breaking the last of the seals was going to do _something._ They were going to free Sylvarant and Tethe'alla from their mana links. Tethe'alla would not take any more of Sylvarant's mana, and neither would Sylvarant take Tethe'alla's. Still, something about doing this final pact deeply unsettled her.

"Um.. Sheelos?" Genis questioned. "Aselia to Sheelos? Shadow is waiting for the pact."

"I-I know," she nervously replied, eyeing the summon spirit as he floated before her. Her vision felt blurry and she had to put some effort into standing straight.

"Something appears to be wrong," Presea pointed out to the rest of the group.

"Damn it," Yuan cursed. She heard footsteps from behind her until Yuan stood by her side. He rested a hand on her head for a second. "This has to be done." He leaned in a bit closer. "Please, for the sake of both of our times."

She smirked at him. "Fine _fine_. You play dirty, you know that?"

"It would be a gross misunderstanding of my entire character if I didn't know at least that by now."

Now would have been a great time to question him on his motives as stated in the letter to the Pope, if it hadn't been for the five other people watching them. Sheelos cursed her bad luck that she hadn't even had a chance to question him in Flanoir before Presea had showed up looking all worried about the two of them.

Her friends were all standing around waiting for her to make the pact. She had to do it. Taking a deep breath, she bowed her head to Shadow and started. "I, Sheelos, request a pact with you. I vow to germinate the Great Seed in order to realise the true regeneration of both worlds."

"Agreed."

He disappeared a moment later and a pink crystal floated in his stead. It reminded Sheelos of the colour of Yuan's wings.

"You did it!" Yuan exclaimed.

"Martuan?" Sheelos heard Regal ask from behind. She and Yuan whirled around to see her clutching her chest and kneeling down.

"What's going on?" Presea asked. "Do you need a doctor?"

"I—I don't know!" she squeaked, doubling over. "I feel like... my whole body is on fire."

Yuan cursed something in the other language he knew. "Let's get out of here before-"

The ground rumbled underneath them more violently than Sheelos thought she had ever felt before. A few pieces of rubble started to fall from the roof up ahead. "That... doesn't look good," Genis pointed out, seeing it at the same time as her.

"We have to get out of here now. I'll carry Martuan," Yuan said, picking her up without much resistance from her. Sheelos agreed, not feeling too good herself. The dizziness from earlier was back, coupled with an anxiousness she hadn't felt since she had been a child facing Volt. Breaking the mana links had definitely done something. The question as to what remained in her head all the way back through the dungeon until they reached the surface.

Everyone froze in their tracks upon observing the true destruction the quake they'd felt had caused. Large cracks in the earth had opened and dotted the grassy plains outside Meltokio. They weren't easy to miss. Sheelos could see them from a clear distance. Somehow, they'd escaped being entombed in Shadow's temple. The sound of gravel falling from behind her told her that it wouldn't be long until they couldn't get in there anymore though.

"Meltokio is-" Regal gasped.

"This isn't good at all," Raine agreed. "The mana links are causing this to happen. I am almost certain of it." She held her head. "I feel like.. somewhere, something even worse is happening."

"Like.. a giant out of control tree?" Genis asked her.

Yuan whipped his head around so fast at that statement that Sheelos grew even more worried. Genis gazed up at him.

"Damn it Yuan," Martuan growled while still being held bridal-style in his arms. "You... knew... about this. That's why you-" She fell limp all of a sudden.

Yuan immediately checked her pulse. "New plan. We're taking her to Altessa's place. Then we're all going to Sylvarant."

"Yuan?" Raine asked. "If I'm not mistaken, Martuan is right. You know what is happening?"

Yuan paused, then looked down at Martuan again while he managed a brief nod. "I'm afraid I do. This is no time for discussion on the matter. All you need to know is that we have to stop it."

"But how will we all fit?" Genis asked. "We had this problem this morning, remember?"

"Lloyd likely won't be back from trying to help Colette, either," Raine agreed.

Sheelos grimaced and looked at Noishe. The fluffball whined, knowing what she meant by it, then looked at Yuan for confirmation that it was okay.

"I suppose it will have to be," Yuan replied, as though Noishe had actually asked him. "You're going to do the explaining though, all things considered."

With that, Noishe glowed and changed his form into the bird one Sheelos had quite grown accustomed to flying on now. Flying on Noishe felt far better than flying on a rheaird. More natural, somehow.

**A little later...**

It had been a good thing for Genis' and Presea's size. Without them being kids, they all definitely wouldn't have made it to Altessa's house using one Noishe and one rheaird. As it was, when it came time for them to get off of their respective modes of flight, they all clambered off and nearly fell into one another when another earthquake struck. The front door to the hovel opened and Altessa poked his head out. Seeing Yuan carrying Martuan, he ushered them all inside hurriedly. Just as Sheelos was the last to step into Altessa's house, a boulder from somewhere above the side of the mountain the old dwarf had made his home fell in the spot their group had only been standing a few short seconds ago, then rolled a little way down the road before coming to a halt in a small rainwater ditch.

"That would have been painful," she said, then turned her head to look inside.

Colette was standing up, a worried look painted on her face. Next to her, a swordsman in red stood, arms crossed across his chest. "I'm certain it would have been," he said, having heard her.

"Lloyd!" Genis said incredulously as he grinned and walked over. "You got back early! How on earth did you find what we needed to heal Colette so easily?"

"W-well," 'Lloyd' stuttered. "I guess I had some terrific luck finding the ingredients. Well, except the Unicorn horn." He looked at Raine. "But I have a feeling someone already has it."

"The Unicorn horn?" Raine asked, checking her pockets when she caught his drift. Her face went from confused to surprised when she appeared to find something. "I wondered what had been scratching against my leg when we were flying around before. Curious." She went to hand it to Lloyd, but he shook his head. "You'll probably want to hold onto that. We'll need your help, after all."

"Oh?" Raine's bright blue eyes went wide and she nodded as though she understood perfectly all of a sudden. "Leave it to me."

"Speaking of healing," Yuan said, then shifted Martuan a bit. Altessa looked over the two of them while he stroked his beard for a second before pointing to the bedroom that had been utilised only last night by Yuan and Martuan. "Make sure you don't disturb Tabatha. She is unwell presently."

"Tabatha is.. unwell?" Presea looked worried. "What is wrong with her?"

Altessa closed his eyes and heaved a sigh. "She won't tell me. I have a feeling she is keeping something a secret though."

Sheelos nodded along in agreement. _That_ much was obvious. She had something to do with Yuan, so it was only normal that she was full of secrets. She went to follow Yuan into the next room, but he shut the door behind himself. She rolled her eyes and turned to the concerned faces of everyone in the room. "So.." she started. "Who is coming to Sylvarant?"

xxx

"Mana," Yuan whispered, touching Tabatha's forehead lightly.

Tabatha opened her eyes and smiled softly at him. "It looks like it's time."

"It does," Yuan said, laughing a little under his breath. "What a pain it has been to get to this point in time again."

Tabatha tilted her head to look at Martuan in the bed across from hers. "She must be feeling the effects as well. Martel is in pain."

Yuan swallowed a bit and bobbed his head. "I.. I know. I'll end this as soon as I can. I refuse to let Martel suffer any longer. Nor you, of course. You must be in pain too with the great tree in this state."

Tabatha reached up to him. "Oh Yuan, you have always been the hopeless romantic. To the bitter end. All across time."

xxx

"Oh my G..." Sheelos mouthed, staring at the same spot she was sure everyone else was staring. Their group stood in place and eyeballed the sight that befell them from where they had transferred over from Tethe'alla to Sylvarant- the Triet desert. Sheelos hadn't expected Noishe could transfer as well, but he had. The craters caused by the earthquakes near Meltokio were now nothing in comparison.

"It's just like what I saw... in my head.." Genis whispered The true tragedy was happening somewhere around the region of Palmacosta. "All of a sudden I'm really glad Raine stayed behind to help Colette."

"It's monstrous," Regal added.

"It is the Giant Kharlan Tree," Yuan said, walking to the head of the group but not turning around.

"I feared this would happen," came a voice from somewhere nearby.

A familiar auburn-haired man walked up to them from behind the Renegade base they were all standing next to.

"Kratos?" Genis asked, tilting his head. "Of all the places to see you."

"Indeed," Regal agreed, seeming to have his own thoughts on the matter but not caring to express them.

"Did you know this was going to happen as well?" Presea queried. "Like Yuan did?"

Kratos took a heavy breath. "Having lost the stability afforded by the protection of the Summon Spirits, the Great Seed has gone out of control."

Sheelos felt sick to her stomach. "You mean... I.. I did this?" She stared at the enormous tree taking up a large portion of the skyline around the Palmacosta and Luin areas. "No! It wasn't meant to turn out bad!" She clenched her fists and ran straight for Yuan. He dodged out of the way of a punch, and then a kick. "You knew this was going to happen! You let all those people's homes be destroyed!"

"Better their homes than them!" Yuan yelled back, dodging a weakly aimed pyre seal. Sheelos stopped moving on his words and recalled what Martuan had said. _This_ was why he'd had something to do with Kratos and Eon terrorising Palmacosta. "This was the only way!" the half-elf continued to snap. "Or did you think what I was doing was as easy as just changing everything however I see fit?!"

Sheelos stared at him and he stared back, realising what he'd just said in front of everyone. She glanced back and saw various confused expressions. Not that she could blame them. Even with a piece of information like that, they likely wouldn't come to the conclusion that the blue-haired Cerberus had come from another world completely different to their own.

"The two worlds were forced out of phase by Yggdrasil," Kratos went on when he thought the awkward silence between everyone had gone on for five seconds too long. They should have drifted apart from each other and have been consumed by the void. But this was prevented from happening because the Great Seed was placed in the center between the two worlds."

Yuan rolled his eyes. "Don't you think I know that?!"

"I am informing the others," Kratos explained. "Or would you prefer to fill the rest of Lloyd's group in since it is apparent that you know everything, Yuan?"

Yuan huffed and shook his head. Kratos paid no heed to his tantrum and went on as he looked at Lloyd. "The Great Seed is constantly being pulled upon from both worlds as they try to separate from one another. It's a miracle that this delicate balance held up for even this long."

"The mana links work like a cage," Presea simplified.

"Unfortunately," Regal agreed. "It is because we provided the Great Seed with mana. Once there was nothing keeping the mana flow in check, the seed germinated into this... undesirable twisted form." He studied the giant tree. Its roots seemed to be getting longer and longer even as they were standing there having a brief discussion.

"We need to stop it," Lloyd-Mithos said. "We have to hurry before it causes even more damage."

Sheelos realised Yuan wasn't the only one she should have been angry with for concealing information on what the result of breaking the mana links would be.

"I agree," Kratos said. "If we don't stop it, Sylvarant will be consumed and destroyed by the Great Seed. And if Sylvarant is destroyed, Tethe'alla will be destroyed as well, as it is linked by the Holy Ground of Kharlan and the Otherworldly Gate."

"Then…everyone will die," Presea pointed out bluntly.

Sheelos almost couldn't stomach the thought. She wished she had gone with her gut feeling on matters before releasing the last seal and getting Shadow. "But what can we do?!"

"That is a good question," Regal agreed, smiling sadly at her. "How do you plan to rectify this situation, Yuan?"

"We can cut off the mana flow and stop the seed from receiving any more mana." As though he hadn't even needed to think about it, Yuan came out with an answer right off the bat.

"I'm not certain that will subdue the Giant Tree," Kratos disagreed. "The process has already begun."

Sheelos held her head. "And Tethe'alla is already feeling some of the effects. It won't be long before we have zero chance of stopping this thing."

"The mana reactor at the Iselia ranch is still active. We will need to shut that off at once," Yuan explained further. "The Renegades were planning on using it in conjunction with the mana cannon. Forcystus' lackeys may still be planning to, despite the world falling to pieces. It is the perfect time."

"Mana cannon," Presea said. "I remember Rodyle saying something about that."

"But just stopping the mana flow will not solve the bigger threat," Regal pointed out. "We will need to somehow neutralise the tree."

"Right," Yuan agreed. Sheelos felt like she all of a sudden knew where he was about to go with this. She waited for the exciting conclusion. "We'll be using the mana cannon in conjunction with the Summon Spirits to blast the great tree with the power of Tethe'alla's summon spirits."

Yep. She was on the money.

"I can't say I'm surprised that you have yourself involved with the Renegades as well," Kratos pointed out to Yuan. "Hmm... I suppose there's no better option right now. I will head to the Iselia ranch immediately and stop whatever it is Forcystus is doing with the reactor."

Regal raised a brow and cleared his throat. "With respect, Kratos, since we share many of the same memories at present, but I would think the rest of our group may find it a little difficult to trust you."

"He has a point," Sheelos agreed.

"That is why Sheelos and I will handle the business with the mana cannon. You all go and infiltrate the ranch," Yuan spoke up. "I will give you a device you can use to signal us when the mana reactor is off."

The group seemed to like the idea. Despite a few grunts of disapproval from Kratos, he left with everyone, leaving Sheelos standing on her own with Yuan once again. They seemed to have an odd habit of being paired off with one another as of late. She looked at the enormous monster tree again and couldn't help but hazard a low laugh. "You saved the people. How noble of you. It almost makes up for how I know this is probably going to end."

"I don't have time for your games," Yuan called, getting on bird-Noishe. "Are you coming or not?"

Noishe flapped his wings. Sheelos climbed aboard, sticking her tongue out at Yuan as she did and poking him on the back. "Like you would have given me a choice in that matter. Isn't this part of the reason you got me to get the summon spirits?" Noishe lifted off. They immediately faced away from the giant tree and headed south. Sheelos went on. "I mean, aside from taking them from me for the rest of your plans?"

Yuan stiffened up in front of her. Pretty surprised he had reacted so obviously, Sheelos proceeded cautiously. It was now or never. "I.. I _know_ , Yuan. That you planned to use me from the start."

"Well, I would say that you are not the only one I planned to use," the bluenette answered, "but for some strange reason I doubt that would make you feel any better."

"Well you're right!" She was kind of glad that he was facing away from her. "I trusted you. After everything you told me, I thought there must be no way you would betray everyone." She watched as his face screwed up at the side.

He side-glanced back at her when he realised she was looking. "Betray everyone? Does it _look_ like I'm betraying everyone? Just who have you been talking to?"

"You're not taking me to do something with the mana cannon," she whispered. "You're taking me to Gabriel." She felt Noishe starting to lower and braced herself to see where things were about to get real.

"Gabriel?" Yuan twisted on the spot. "Why would I-"

"Oh spare me the crap," she said, reaching for the note. She didn't dare take it out until they landed. Gale force winds and all. She was just happy her hair was nicely pinned to her head now. "I know all about your little deal with the Pope. I even have the letter to prove it."

Noishe landed with a huff and a tweet and immediately lowered his wings for them to get off. Sheelos rushed off ahead of Yuan and immediately took out the letter Kuchinawa had given to her right before his death. She flapped it open and glared at the half-elf. "Recognise this?"

"Hmm." Yuan squinted and went to take a step closer. Apparently he thought better of it because he stopped. "I'm afraid not. We don't have time for this. Do you want the giant tree to go even further out of control? We need to get ready for the signal."

He _sounded_ honest. Sheelos blinked, kind of surprised, but held her ground. "You're working for the Pope! Why don't you just admit it? You're going to force me to give the summon spirits up somehow."

Yuan cracked a smile at that, then started to laugh. "And how do you suppose I would do that? Trust me. I couldn't take them from you if I _tried."_

Caught off guard, Sheelos didn't react in the way she might have if he had come closer to her right away. Before she knew it, he was standing opposite her and stealing the letter from her hands. He read the contents slowly, his seeming curiousness slowly changing into confusion. He handed it back to her without another word and turned away. "Sheelos, allow me to make my stance very clear. Gabriel murdered Martel. _My_ Martel. I don't know who wrote this letter, but it wasn't me."

"But it's your handwriting!" she exclaimed. "I've seen you write your name enough to know. And there's a Y. And who else would give details about seeming future events like that?"

"Someone is trying to cause trouble!" he rebutted with a slight whine to his voice as he turned back to face her. Resting one hand on his hip, he tisked and shook his head. "And of course, you are reverting back to your usual habit of jumping to conclusions."

Sheelos paused and watched her Cerberus for several moments. He seemed dangerously close to pleading with her. The look on his face was hilarious. He seemed genuinely confused- a look she didn't see him with very often. She accidentally snorted and started to laugh.

The look on Yuan's face vanished when he realised she was laughing at him. He trudged toward the steps that led up to the large circular building that they had just stood in front of arguing. "Hurry up. We need to go to the mana cannon. While you wait for the signal, I will be informing Botta of the current state of affairs."

Still confused and wishing he would give the letter back, she followed quickly behind. "So you really didn't-"

"-No, I assure you I did not."

"-but-"

Yuan groaned and slapped a hand to his forehead. "Sheelos, do I need to really need to say the horrible, melodramatic truth to you?"

She felt her face flush as he pierced her with his emerald green eyes. "Maybe?" she managed to say with a grin that she was sure he was seeing through easily.

"Well listen carefully," he said, leaning closer. She listened more eagerly than she probably should have considering she'd been ready to fight to the death with him for her freedom only a minute ago. Her body quivered without her permission. "You're my friend."

He moved back and poked her forehead for a second. "Just to be clear, I don't betray friends. Unless of course they decide to never rejoin a couple of worlds long after a war dies out." Sheelos wanted to speak, but she was sure her face was doing quite enough. Yuan snickered and turned away, his cape doing a circle in the breeze as he did. "We've wasted enough time already."

"Are you _sure_ you don't betray friends? Like, a hundred percent positive?" she asked casually after watching a couple of Renegades barely do a double take when he stepped past them. She wondered whether Martuan had given Yuan a free pass or something.

"Positive. I've never betrayed Kratos either, despite how it might look."

"Right..." Sheelos found a realisation coming over her and gaped. "Wait. You guys are friends?!"

xxx

It felt like waiting for the signal was taking forever. The last Sheelos saw of Yuan was right after they had entered the chamber. He'd told her he needed to make preparations to get the cannon into position and alert Botta of what had happened in Martuan's stead, but she kind of wished he had stayed. Without him around to distract her, she found herself with _way_ too much time to think.

If Yuan hadn't written that letter, then who had? Was the handwriting really just a clever trick?

That question went around and around in her head, over and over again. She had all but convinced herself that this had been all some kind of elaborate set up by Yuan. Everything else had seemed to be.

She smiled, thinking of what he had whispered to her, and at the touch of his finger on her forehead as he'd tried to play it off as no big deal. He'd never once called her his friend. Not directly. Whenever he might have said anything about her to others, he had usually referred to her as the Chosen or by name. Or whenever he did call her his friend, it had been in such a brief moment that she'd never felt it was a genuine thing. The Chosen was destined to be alone. She had always thought that.

"The ranch has been infiltrated," came Kratos' voice over the communication device so suddenly that she fumbled and almost dropped it. "Right." She nodded even though he couldn't see her. Now she just had to wait for the signal from Yuan to summon the spirits and fire their mana into the cannon.

"Are you ready guys?" she asked, touching their gems.

Strangely, none of them said a word.

"Guys?" she asked again. "Helloooo? I know you can hear me. Why are you ignoring me?"

There was still no reply.

"Gnome? C'mon, I know _you're_ dying to say something!" She took out his gem and looked at it closely. "What are you guys thinking? I'm nervous here. Gimme _something_ to do."

"You can start by looking behind you," came a muffled voice.

She turned around and didn't see who she expected. A Renegade, complete with the usual Renegade attire, but with a full helmet stood at the door to the cannon chamber.

"Oh, are you the one who's meant to give me the sign-" she stopped when she saw him procure a gem from his pocket. It looked like an exsphere.

"No," he said. "I'm here to give you what you've wanted this whole time."

"What I've wanted?" she asked, still curious as to who he was.

"The Angelus Project," the Renegade replied. "With it, you will split into the sum of your parts. It is fully powered and it will happen the instant it is pressed onto your skin."

Sheelos scoffed and raised a brow. "You expect me to believe that a random soldier has something _that_ important?" Even discounting the idea of the soldier having it, she was _quite_ sure a third Angelus Project wasn't floating around.

"Are you willing to risk not believing this 'random soldier'?" the Renegade asked back at breakneck speed.

Sheelos thought about it a bit more. "What's in it for you?"

The Renegade didn't respond right away. "More than you could _possibly_ imagine," he eventually replied, stepping forward, still offering the exsphere he held between two fingers to her.

She stepped back, kind of involuntarily. "Nah. I'm all good actually. I'm actually pretty happy with the way I am now. I don't think I need to split any more."

"Are you really?" The Renegade laughed. "Well, I suppose that is good. I'm happy for you. It still doesn't change the fact that you _have_ to change."

"I'd like to see you try to force me," she said, getting out her seals. "I don't know who sent you, but I think they forgot that I have _all_ the summon spirits now."

"Trust me," the Renegade said, charging in as a magic circle appeared at his feet. She just barely managed to dodge a bolt of lightning he had sent straight at her. "I know who I'm dealing with." He dodged her kicks and her pyre seal and laughed as he did so. "I suppose it's a bit unfair. I should probably finish this soon anyway since _he's_ on his way."

"Oh great, another guy with riddles to tell," she sneered. "Just what I needed in my life."

"I have one last one for you then," the Renegade said, stopping and reaching for his helmet. With a slight pull, he had it off.

Sheelos stared at him as he stepped toward her slowly. He put his hands on her shoulders and smiled down at her. "What can one half-elf do when the world he loves gets trapped in Origin's Paradox?"

"Y-Yuan?" she tried to pull away. "What are you doing? I thought you were-"

The Cerberus put a finger to her lips to hush her. "Wrong answer. The answer is simple, actually. Strange for me, I know."

He leaned in closer so that their foreheads were almost touching. She tried to pull away but he had a firm grip on her now. Somehow during the time he'd been leaning in, one of his arms had grasped her around the waist. "The answer is: _Change it."_

The hand he'd rested on her shoulder left it and touched her neck for a brief moment before moving away. Immediately, a heated sensation made its way to the right of her neck, then around her face, then down the left hand side of her body. The sensation disappeared for a brief moment, then came back full force. Her skin felt so hot that she was sure she was melting as Yuan continued to hold her in his arms.

"I hope you can forgive me," the half-elf said as he carried her over to a corner of the room. He rested her against the wall and though she opened her mouth, she was unable to speak. Yuan turned away from her and headed for the door. In a flash, he was gone. Sheelos closed her eyes, the numbing sensation on her body intensifying with every passing second. Strange thoughts and feelings washed over her. Then there was nothing.


	96. Me, myself and lies

"Sheelos? What's happening? _"_

She opened her eyes to hear the sound of Lloyd's voice. As she sleepily looked around herself, it took a moment to gather her surroundings. "The mana cannon! I have to-" She paused when she heard a low laugh from next to her. Some memories fading in and out from her past experiences, she slowly glanced over her left shoulder and saw _him._

She'd seen him before, in a dream, but seeing him in real life just made her gabble and blink in shock.

The red haired pretty-boy grimaced and held up a hand in a meek kind of wave. She slid around on the floor to face him while still having the wall behind them both to lean on. "It's y-you."

"Apparently so," he said, using the voice she also remembered from the dream.

"Y-yeah," she uttered, forcing herself to take her eyes off of him and reach up to her head. Her hair felt different. _Longer._ Her hand went from the flat of her head to what felt like the topknot she had lost to Kuchinawa's blade. Although she'd understood the moment she'd seen the guy next to her, it still came as a surprise when she pulled a string of her fringe down to the front of her eyes and saw raven black hair instead of vibrant red.

"I feel sorry for you," the guy said. "Seems like you went through more changes than I did. Aside from the whole girl to boy thing. Strange it feels so normal, but not surprising, I guess."

There was a definite pause, as though he was expecting her to reply. She accidentally left him hanging, still numb to the truth right in front of her eyes. The red-head went on after an almost embarrassed snicker. "I have to say though, I'm digging how sexy my face feels. Where's a mirror when you need one? I mean, would you just _look_ at this outfit? I lucked out."

Hearing that kind of attitude come out of a mouth that wasn't hers felt bizarre to say the least. Her head aching, she rested her face into the palms of her hands and shook her head. "This can't be real. It's got to be a dream."

"I... don't think so somehow," the man replied. "Or if it is, it's seriously the most whacked up bullshit dream I've ever dreamt."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him slap a hand to his neck like he was killing a mosquito. He took it away after a second and went on to stare at her. She looked anywhere but at him until she heard him sigh. "Sorry. I was just thinking. Where'd that exsphere go? You'd think one of us would have it on our neck."

He was right. The apparent Angelus Project wasn't anywhere she could feel on her body, although she _could_ feel the usual exsphere on her chest, under a slightly more... _ample..._ bosom than she recalled from her time as Sheelos. She shivered. She could feel the strange melting sensation from earlier as though it was still happening to her if she tried, not to mention the way Yuan had held her in his arms as it had overcome her.

"Yuan betrayed us after all.." she whispered, more for herself to try to believe than her 'other half'. Thinking back to the moment he'd taken that helmet off and come closer, what had bothered her more than the actual realisation of his sudden and yet apparently inevitable betrayal, was the strange, unfeeling look he'd had in his eyes. Yuan was a lot of things- _that_ she had known from a young age, and especially after he'd revealed his world-jumping secret to her- but he wasn't unfeeling. And that was exactly what she'd seen as he'd attached that stupid exsphere to her neck.

"How could we have been so stupid?" the guy cursed under his breath. For the moment, it seemed like they were pretty in sync with their thoughts.

"I-" She was interrupted by a beeping noise coming from the communicator.

" _Sheelos, you damn Chosen!"_ exclaimed a voice over it a moment later. _"_ What in all the old god's names are you doing? Didn't you hear me? _Use the summon spirits now!"_

The communicator broke out again, leaving the room in an even bigger state of confusion than it had been before. Speaking had been Yuan. It made her cringe. What made it worse was hearing _that_ name. Like he hadn't _just_ been _right there_.

"That's seriously fucked up, man!" the guy in red snapped, voicing her thoughts in a more prolific way that she would really have ever dared while glaring at the communicator. Of course, the communicator didn't respond back. The only way the other end could hear anything was if the little red button at the top was pressed. He rolled his eyes and stood. Without a word, he ventured past her to the device that sat on the ground and picked it up. With a single sneer at the communicator, he sauntered over to the giant hole the base of the mana cannon sat inside and dropped it into the abyss of black. A small plonk of it hitting water a few seconds later could be heard. He finished by dusting his hands off for no reason and joining her back on the floor. "So, you must be Sheena, right?"

" _Sheena."_

She recalled the name from several memories of her life thus far. Verius had mentioned the name, as had Celcius. It felt more normal to her ears than 'Sheelos' did, strangely. "Celcius!" she exclaimed suddenly, remembering her summon spirits. When the sassy summon didn't respond, she frantically reached for her obi. It was completely empty on the inside, save for her seals. "No! _He_ didn't take them, did he!?"

"The gems?" the guy asked. She looked at him and watched as he took something out of the pocket of his blindingly stark-white pants. He opened his palm to show her what is was. All of the gems she remembered getting over the course of her journey through Sylvarant and Tethe'alla were there.

"Somehow... I think _you_ might be the summoner out of the two of us," he said, grabbing her right hand with his and placing the gems inside before curling her fingers around them. She frowned down at her closed fist. If she was to believe what Verius and Celcius had said, then he was right. She looked the guy in pink and white over again carefully and wondered what _his_ name was. If Martuan was a combination of Martel and Yuan, she knew his name would have probably ended in 'los' if her name was indeed Sheena.

An almighty crack interrupted her stumped thoughts. The floor rumbled beneath her.

"Crap," the guy cursed. "It's still happening!" He stood and reached out a hand to help her up. She took it and stood, only to immediately notice that the world seemed somehow slightly... bigger, around her. 'Los' was a bit taller than her.

"Well, I guess I might as well give it a whirl," she said, clutching the gems in her hand. "I hope you guys are listening. I need you!"

First she held up Celcius' gem. "Disciple of Everlasting Ice!"

Celsius appeared above her with her arms crossed and her eyes shut. Sheena continued and tried to ignore how strange it looked. She held up the next gem she needed.

"Hammer of Godly Thunder!"

Volt appeared next. Instead of the usual red eyes he looked at her through, all she saw was black slits.

Her hand shaking a bit now, she held up the third gem. "Servant of Mother Earth!"

Gnome looked the strangest of all. Instead of his usual energetic mid-air marches and spins she was used to seeing, he sat with his legs crossed and a giant-looking pencil in his hands. In his lap was some kind of see-through booklet. With the giant pencil, he wrote something in the book.

"Is he really doing what I think he's doing?" Los asked, then waved. "Um, Gnome, buddy? I don't think this is the best time do be doing sudoku."

Gnome, seeming to actually hear him, glanced down at the two of them. "I really don't want to-"

"Shh!" hissed Celsius, opening one of her eyes and looking at him. "You know the rules!"

At that, Gnome covered his mouth, gave Sheena an apologetic look, and went back to his sudoku puzzle.

"That... can't be good," Los commented.

Sheena agreed, the sick feeling from earlier coming back to her gut. She almost saw no point in continuing. Too bad she felt stubborn enough to finish what she had started. "Envoy from the Dark Abyss!"

Lastly, Shadow appeared before them, hunched over a bit more than Sheena thought she remembered. She swallowed hard and mustered up the strongest voice she could for her next command. "I command thee! Gatherest before me and unleash thine power!"

Not one of the four spirits paid attention to her. She repeated her orders once more before feeling weak at the knees. "Why?" she whispered to Los when he knelt down to her. He shrugged his shoulders and petted her on hers for a second, then looked back up at the foursome of spirits. "You can at least tell us why you're not doing as commanded, can't you?"

"We are bound to Sheelos," all four spoke in unison.

Sheena blinked. "But Sheelos is.."

"Dead," Los finished. "For the purposes of the pact, Sheelos doesn't exist any more. That's gotta be why."

"Well then, can't I just make a new pact?" she asked them, finally feeling a little hopeful.

"Journey to the seals and find us," Celsius spoke coldly, "if you want to make a pact."

"But-" she showed the gems in her hands. "I have you all here, literally in the palm of my hand!"

"Those?" Celsius cracked up laughing. Despite it being at her expense, Sheena felt somewhat glad to have at least some inclination that one of the spirits she knew was still the same. "Think of them more as a gift to our summoners of the past," Celsius continued. "Although they do have some powers on their own, their true value is monetary. How do you think Mithos was able to build Welgaia?"

"I see, so Mithos got rich." Los rolled his eyes after making the deduction. "I thought you guys said that you loved this world! Don't you want to protect it?"

"Shows how little _you_ know then," Celsius said. "Did you think we didn't make the battles challenging because Sheena got us in the past? We did it because there was no point in fighting someone who would lose them as soon as Yuan got you here."

"What!" Los growled. "You _knew_ he was gonna do that to us?"

Sheena nodded along with his statement, an ache forming in her heart that even her summon spirits had betrayed her. "Why?" she eventually asked. "Why do you want him to give the Pope your power? He and Yuan are planning something called the Age of Lifeless Beings."

"We know," Gnome said softly, looking up from his sudoku again. "And that's exactly what we need. Aselia will crumble if the Age of Lifeless Beings does not come into fruition. Dunno if you guys know, but even a spirit like me can't live on a mana-less rock."

"A mana-less-"

"Rock..."

Sheena turned to Los at the same time he looked at her, and saw the realisation had hit him too.

"Is that the way Yuan's world died?" She looked back at Gnome as she asked the question, knowing he was most definitely the one with the loosest lips.

"That's gotta be it," Los agreed. "Just thinking about that place gives me worse chills than Flanoir."

The summons remained quiet, much to both of their frustration. Then, they completely vanished.

And _then._

The door to the room behind them opened quickly and loudly, startling them. "Sheelos! Why-"

They whirled around to face Yuan, staring at them with wide-eyed disbelief.

"You!" Los yelled. "Why don't you explain what just happened, then let me beat you senseless?"

The bluenette opened his mouth, but closed it again and appeared to settle on scanning over the both of them. The attention that had once given her heart palpitations now only made Sheena furious. "How could you?!" she cried, her voice squeaking more than she'd wanted it to. "I _believed_ you when you said you were my friend. I trusted you when you said you'd never seen the letter before!"

Yuan tilted his head. "Why don't you begin by explaining exactly what happened here to make you split?"

Sheena opened her mouth to explain, but found Los' hand covering it. He stopped after a second and took her hand. "Come on. We're getting out of here. We can't trust anyone."

"But-" she found herself being pulled along and out of the door. Just as she was unsurely bolting down the small hallway, hand in hand with her other half, the two of them stopped abruptly when Yuan appeared out of nowhere in front of them.

"Don't make this more difficult than it has to be!" he snapped. "The giant tree is still causing destruction. We need to neutralise it before there are casualties! Use the summon spirits!"

Sheena smiled at the irony. Los laughed, " _We're_ making it difficult?"

Much to Sheena's disbelief, Los drew a short sword from the scabbard at his side and pointed it at Yuan. "Move out of the way, or we'll make you move."

"I'd like to see you try," Yuan replied, grasping air for a second before his butterfly blade materialised into his palm. "I've had thousands of years worth of training. There's no conceivable way you can defeat me." A magic circle appeared at his feet. Electricity crackled from it, then shot up to Yuan's sword. When the circle vanished, Yuan's blade became encircled in an electrical current. Sheena found herself gulping and stepping backward as she reached for her seals, but Yuan didn't advance on them.

Instead he waited for either of them to try first. Los didn't waste the opportunity and ran into the fray, the curls at the end of his red locks bouncing as he did. Sheena found herself briefly mesmerised. Shaking her head and trying to extinguish the strangeness of Yuan's seemingly defensive pose rather than the aggressive one he had turned onto her only a little earlier, she readied her serpent seal and followed Los' initiative.

Yuan caught his sword easily, and instead of only hitting him away, the electrical current from his weapon transferred over to Los' and up it until it was on his hand and making his weapon fly from his grasp to a couple of yards behind him. He cursed and chased after it, leaving Sheena standing opposite Yuan, eye to eye.

"You're the sensible one," Yuan said to her, pointing his sword to the ground. "Surely you can see that there's something strange happening here, for the Old God's sake!"

"I..." She took an unsure step backward again, wondering about the strange way he was acting. He took a couple of steps toward her.

"The only thing strange is you!" Los cried, re-joining the fray and taking a quick swipe at Yuan. In a twisting flurry of blue and red, the two of them met in the heat of battle. It ended as quickly as it started, Los flying backward into the ground and sliding along the floor, his lip bleeding after Yuan had gone for a punch to the face rather than a slice with his enormous sword.

Biting her lip, Sheena avoided eye contact with Yuan as she ducked under a swipe of his blade after she made clear her intention to fight, and planted her serpent seal on his back while he spun. The seals magic took immediate effect and sent him startling backward a little in surprise. Strength came to her, but she didn't draw another seal to continue fighting.

Yuan stumbled backward and rested a hand out against the wall behind him to regain his composure. She stayed on guard, unable to believe _Yuan_ of all people could be weakened by just one attack. He'd been so self-confident in his abilities just before and earlier during his betrayal. She remembered how he had been after their problem with the ninja's of Mizuho. This felt similar.

She felt Los' hand around her arm then. "Looks like he's bitten off a bit more than he can chew," he said. "He still hadn't recovered from all that time-travel business from earlier." He yanked her to follow but she stood in place, conflicted as Yuan went from standing to a crouched position on the floor.

"Earlier..." Yuan repeated, then placed a couple of fingers to his chin. "I see." His eyes narrowed and he bobbed his head to himself before groaning and slapping a hand to his forehead. His usual calm and cocky demeanour now nowhere to be seen, Sheena couldn't help but watch in disbelief as he held his head and muttered to himself for a bit.

"We'll stop the tree, but we'll do it on our own terms. Let's go Sheena."

Once again, Los pulled on her to follow. She held him back and shook her head. "There's clearly something wrong with him. Surely you don't think we should just _leave_ him here like this?"

Los' mouth fell open. "Don't tell me you still-" He looked more hurt than she had expected somehow at that.

" _No!"_ she argued. "It's not like _that!_ But.." Her face heated even though she was trying her hardest to maintain her composure at his unsaid insinuation. "I-I-I just can't believe he could change so suddenly. There's gotta be another answer in all this!" She watched Yuan again, just as he seemed to reach a new level of exhaustion. Without thinking, she was supporting his full body weight while his knees gave out from under him.

As she helped him to the floor, she could practically feel Los' disbelieving stare boring a hole into her back. "Fine!" he snarled. She turned her head to watch him run to the door that led to the rest of the base. "Looks like I'm going alone. Figures it'd end up this way." He gave the two of them one last look before pulling the door open and running through. It slammed shut a moment later, leaving Sheena alone with Yuan and feeling a strange sense of dei-ja-vous.

She let go of the half-elf and sat on her knees as she looked him over. "Okay, why don't you explain yourself? I'll catch up with him, don't worry." She kind of had a feeling she knew where he would go anyway.

"There's no time," Yuan argued, shivering as he tried to stand again. "The tree needs to be stopped."

"I.. I can't," she whispered back. She clenched her fist. "Wasn't that the whole point of splitting me? So I could break the mana links but not stop the tree?" It was what made the most sense, in the most twisted way she could imagine.

There was a short silence in which Yuan did nothing but pinch and un-pinch his forehead. "I see," he eventually deemed necessary to respond. "It looks like my greatest enemy is myself in this. The question is why would _he_ do it? Damn this stupid way my memory is acting!" He fell into understandable, if only barely, mutters by the end of his sentence.

Sheena felt sure that the answer to her question was about to give her the biggest headache in history somehow. She pressed forward nevertheless. "What.. do you mean?"

Yuan groaned again and this time managed to stand on his own two feet. "I suppose it would have been impossible for you to realise, given the situation as it is, but I'm not who you think I am." A playful smirk dashed across his lips. "Sorry for not telling you sooner, but I kind of wanted to see if I could get some more information out of you. I don't need to tell you, of all people, that things didn't exactly go according to plan in that regard."

His tone was different. Almost like he didn't know something... vital.

Sheena stared. Yuan bobbed his head, apparently understanding well enough that she'd realised. "Don't ask me how or why, but Martel and I woke up at Altessa's a short time ago. Mana tried to stop us, but well.." He chuckled. "Martel isn't the type to sit idly by and let the suffering of others continue. Especially after she remembered what she'd seen before she... _we.._ fainted." He clutched his head and sighed. "Also, how is it that you aren't a confused mess right now?"

"I don't know," she said truthfully, shrugging. "I guess I just had enough information about it all by the time it happened that it kinda just felt natural." She shook her head. "That's not important right now! Now I understand, we should go find Los and-" She paused. "Where's Martel?" It sounded strange to use the name of the 'Goddess' so casually- almost like a dirty word.

"She was going to wait outside," Yuan replied. "She was a bit angry at me when I told her my plan. She agreed to it nevertheless though."

He had a strange smile twisted onto his face as he talked about her. A kind of lovesick smile. Sheena wasn't sure whether to tease him or be disgusted. She opted for neither and focused her energy on the next problem and/or goal. "The other Yuan is planning on letting Gabriel get the summon spirits. We have to beat him to them!" Despite the strange sentence, Sheena felt more numb than anything that somehow this was reality now. She was going to stop Yuan, with _Yuan_ and Martel.

Yuan was a bit slower than she remembered. Sheena found herself taking the lead ahead of him, despite the fact that he'd always been faster than her. She wondered whether his current weakened state had something to do with his split, or whether it had to do with something else. Just as she was opening the door to the back exit and debating whether to ask him, she ran straight into someone.

They caught her with familiar hands at her shoulders. She looked up into a surprised looking face.

"Lor chive'kisa!" A curse echoed from both in front of her and behind her at the same time.

"Sheena.." Yuan, the one who was holding her, uttered. "What in all the hells is-"

The chilling, pained scream of a woman filled the area, even over the panicked yells of the Sylvaranti that could be heard from all around. Abruptly turning her head in the direction of the sound, she realised it was coming from the giant out of control tree. Her eyes trailed up its giant gnarly roots and stopped the moment they hit something that was glowing bright green. A green haired maiden hovered in front of the tree as some tendrils slowly wrapped around her.


	97. Research, revelations and a ridiculous situation

The tremors were growing stronger and more constant. The giant tree had attacked once again, in almost the same fashion as it had all those millennia ago. Despite that information being made known to them all, and deciding that Yuan likely already had it all under control from having learned his lesson the last time this had happened, Kratos had remained in the research room of the Katz base with a shell-shocked Kate and a weak-at-the-knees Pronyma. He had little interest in seeing the destruction that was already being caused in Sylvarant from a different perspective, especially since it was far from the biggest concern on his mind.

His brain whirred with events, both those of the past and those that were happening presently, as he tried to put the truth that had presented itself to him together in a way that made sense. He wondered many things, including whether the information applied only to this world or to his world as well.

" _What are you going to do?"_

Kratos realised he had touched his exsphered hand amongst his scrambled thoughts. Anna's voice wasn't at all unwelcome, though it was an added confused feeling he might have been better off without. A voice of reason that might have prevented him from doing what he knew in his heart of hearts was the correct course of action, likely. He heard her sigh when he didn't respond promptly enough.

" _You're doing it again,"_ she said with a short groan. _"Shouldering your troubles on your own. You should talk to them a bit and see what they think."_

By 'them', Kratos was sure she was meaning his unlikely partners in the events to come. He absently looked over to them from his spot near the alphabetical research notes. Pronyma hadn't moved from her position on the floor- completely content to read every last detail of the collection of papers they had discovered.

" _You don't have to be alone,"_ Anna added.

At one stage, a part of him might have believed that to be completely wrong. He might have thought that solitude was the best way to atone for his crimes. That was at least part of the reason he had offered to be the one out of himself or Yuan to travel with Derris Kharlan aimlessly into space all those years ago, only to dispose the exspheres. Yuan had called him a coward for running, but he hadn't been willing to see that for himself. Until now. Now he had a purpose, and that gave him hope for redemption somehow, for the problems he'd had no small hand in helping to create. More than that though, with new information in tow, he had a way to fight Gabriel on a new level.

Folding the set of papers he had picked out of the alphabetical folders and setting them neatly into a small flap in his katz suit, he approached the mother and daughter, taking note once again at how strikingly similar they looked. If Anna had guessed what he was planning to suggest to them, she didn't try to ask he do something to the contrary. Perhaps, even if he wasn't the Kraine that she had fallen in love with, she still knew that saying anything would only make him more determined. Another trait he hadn't been able to help sharing with Lloyd, it seemed.

Pronyma was in the most pain at the information she had discovered. It was normal, he supposed, considering that Pronyma and Gabriel had obviously been lovers.

"It's time for us to go," he informed them. "I am beginning to sweat in this suit. More importantly, we must inform Mithos before he ends up a pawn at the whims of his father." _If he hasn't already,_ he mentally added.

"No."

Pronyma surprised him with her stalwart response as she looked at him with teary eyes. "Lord Kratos, I beg of you. We can't tell him. It would break his heart!"

"Unfortunately, that is the best way for us to protect him." He held his hand out to her. "He lied to you about his true intentions, did he not?"

Pronyma didn't dignify his question with an answer, but he understood well enough that he was right. Pronyma had always believed in Mithos' goal, to create a unified world where half-elves could be accepted. It was clear that Gabriel did not wish for that. He might have stated he wished for the suffering of half-elves to end, but now they knew the truth. By ending their suffering, he meant for their _extinction._

Leaving the base with them, Kratos wondered on the outcome of the coming events. The tree had not yet been subdued, and there were a great many questions he had about the current state of the world, but in the very least he now had a path to follow. Though he might never have guessed, discovering Mithos' true heritage, particularly that of his mother, had given him all the ammunition he needed to take Gabriel down once and for all and spare Mithos of a fate possibly even worse than death.

xxx

On top of having the man she had accidentally fallen in love with betray her so blatantly and split her into the two souls that had always seemingly been inside one body named 'Sheelos', Sheena had found herself needing to deal with fighting _another_ Yuan, 'Los' and his lone-ranger tactics, and the fact that she had no way to stop the giant, out of control tree since she had suddenly lost her summon spirits,. Now, after literally bumping into the Cerberus while at the same time seeing the woman she believed to be Martel being absorbed by the said giant tree, it was no surprise that it was all getting a bit much for one ninja from Mizuho to handle.

The corners of her vision grew dark. She felt quite heavy. Strangely, she felt like she was surrounded by people rather than just Yuan and Martuan-Yuan. An odd... misplaced... sensation encumbered her- almost like everything was happening in slow motion. Small actions like turning her head to look at the Cerberus, opening her mouth to speak, even _blinking-_ she was hyper aware of it all.

"Let go of her!" yelled Martuan-Yuan from behind her, though it felt like an eon passed before the whole sentence reached completion.

The Cerberus holding her did as was asked by his body double and all of a sudden the strange world melted away from her like a sugar cube left out in the rain. "Sheena," he murmured, glancing back and forth between her and the version of himself that had pointed his butterfly blade at him. "What exactly happened to you in the cannon chamber?"

He was acting like nothing had happened. Kind of typical of him, she thought. But then again.. he was kind of acting _too much_ like nothing had happened. Especially considering that he has basically prevented her from destroying the giant tree that might have, if her hunch was right and the woman with green hair _had_ beenMartel, she had just been absorbed by the it. Sheena couldn't resist turning her head to look at the tree that burst forth from the horizon and took up the vast majorty of the skyline to the north. It wasn't growing any larger, but she could see several fires in the distance already. The ground shook with a regular tremor beneath her feet now, giving her the same unsteady sensation she remembered from her travels via sea.

"D-don't lie to me," she said to the Cerberus, stepping back and trying to ignore the fact that something seemed off about all of this. She had to be cautious. There was a high chance this was all still wishful thinking. Even if she _wasn't_ Sheelos, she at least for now had the memories of _being_ her. It was kind of inconvenient, but the thought of losing her memories of ever being combined with Los scared her more.

Yuan tilted his head and remained cool and collected while the brain behind his pretty head of blue hair ticked away. For some reason it seemed that he hadn't expected her to be cautious of him. Another metaphorical red flag that Sheena still wasn't sure whether to pay attention to or ignore for the time being. "I don't suppose you'll believe me if I say that I haven't lied as far as I know, will you?" the Cerberus asked her, giving a ticked off whistle and rolling his eyes. He waited a couple of seconds but seemed to realise Sheena wasn't sure what to say. He went on. "Then let me ask something else. Where is Zelos?"

_Zelos._

So _that_ was his name. Strangely, it felt familiar. Like she'd heard it a thousand times. She went to respond that she expected he had probably gone to find where the Pope was but found herself interrupted when Martuan-Yuan made a ticked off sound this time. "I don't know what you're playing at, but if you could betray the girl who was clearly in love with you, then you're nothing like me! _"_

Sheena promptly added 'wanting to crawl into a hole and die' to the list of things she now had to deal with post-awakening of her 'true self.'

"Mind your own business!" the Cerberus snapped at his doppelganger. "Surely since you're apparently more a part of me than ever before, you should know something doesn't add up about what it seems you're insinuating. Either that or my younger self was a bit more dense than I realised at the time." He hastily muttered the last bit, but it was still loud enough for all ears to hear. His gaze fell from his double and to Sheena, but he crossed his arms and turned back to face the giant tree before he spoke. "I would never hurt Sheelos. I may not have exactly reciprocated her feelings but over the years we spent together, she grew..." he slightly smiled, "quite dear to me, actually."

"Dear to you? Is that all?" Martuan-Yuan's lips curled into a cat-like grimace. "I do hope you didn't say that to the poor girl after all of her constant fawning over you."

"H-hey!" Sheena exclaimed before anything else could be said. "I might not be Sheelos anymore, but can you guys quit talking about me like I'm not here at all?!" She felt her ears starting to burn and found it difficult to give her Cerberus eye contact after that. He was nothing like the Yuan she had faced earlier in the mana cannon chamber. Just standing by his side and seeing him act.. well.. _normal,_ placed more doubt in her heart than she was comfortable with. As was the norm with Yuan, and expected when there were _two_ of him involved, she struggled for a foothold on controlling the flow of conversation. "Besides, shouldn't we be worried about what just happened?!" She pointed to the giant tree without looking at it, then trained her eyes seriously on the original bluenette. "How could you have just let her go there?! Surely you saw her before she got that far!"

Yuan twitched slightly and looked back at her from the tree. "I'm afraid I don't follow."

"Rather ironically, that makes two of us," Martuan-Yuan agreed. "She did kind of look like she was in a trance before." He paced backward and forward a couple of steps while he thought. Sheena wondered what _her_ Yuan was thinking as he watched himself move. The other Yuan continued. "I can't say much for myself as I was asleep at the time of my own split, but do you think it is a side effect?" When the Cerberus raised a brow, Martuan-Yuan stuttered a bit. "Not that I think you'd know.. I just.." He groaned and rubbed his temples. "There are a lot of confusing things happening right now, and as usual, you are at the center of them. I now know the reason for your knowledge on things, but as for what that knowledge is, I am at least partially left in the dark still."

Sheena thought that _that was her line_ as far as Yuan went, but she kept it tucked away in the recesses of her brain. The last thing she needed was to add fire to the flame of the tangent Yuan and Yuan were going off on already from her original statement and attempt to control the conversation. She had to get it back on track, and fast, before it ended up being a Game of Questions. She edged toward Martuan-Yuan and resisted the urge to slap him. "You're supposed to protect the people you care about! How could you have just left Martel on her own out here?"

He flinched. "Well.. she _insisted_ to stay outside!" He whipped his head left to right suddenly. "Thanks for the reminder. We've got to find her before she ends up in some kind of trouble."

"Uh..." Confused at his point, Sheena pointed to the giant tree and wondered whether it was possible that Yuan had been so distracted by seeing the Cerberus when they'd left the base that he hadn't heard the ear-splitting scream. "Wasn't _that_ her just a few seconds ago?" She suddenly felt slightly hopeful that her hunch might have been incorrect. "She has grass coloured hair, right?" She remembered the way Martuan had looked when Yuan had been out for the count after the events that had taken place in Mizuho. "You saw the tree swallow her up, didn't you?"

"Hmm..." was the dual response she received from both Yuan's, along with dual raised eyebrows. Her confidence grew. Maybe it _had_ been a stretch after all, to imagine that the woman who had at least partially been Martuan had just up and been absorbed by the giant tree in the time she had been left alone. When she thought about it, it did seem like a kind of unlikely thing to happen outside of storybooks. She stuttered and wondered just what had happened to her. She'd seen it, and _heard_ it, but according to the Yuan on her left and right, it hadn't happened. Even if that seemed the case, she found it easy to blame the Cerberus for it.

Rushing footsteps from behind alerted her, as well as the other two. They whirled around at the same time to the side of the base that led out to the front steps she had entered from. A woman with a very familiar physique appeared from around the corner, startling all three of them for likely very different reasons.

"There you are!" she chimed with a broad, relieved smile as she faced Martuan-Yuan. Her gaze slipped past him and to Sheena for only a second before she stopped and regarded the Cerberus next to her, her smile growing a little more mischievous as she went along. A short, kind of awkward pause ensued.

"I suppose it was inevitable for us to meet," she said to him eventually. "Even if you did split and run." She laughed a bit at herself.

The Cerberus got a weird look on his face as he smiled at the joke that he didn't quite understand. Sheena supposed the woman might have blamed the Cerberus as well. His confusion seemed so genuine that she actually _almost_ felt sorry for him.

"And you.." the woman addressed her suddenly. Sheena whipped her head back from examining Yuan to look at her. "You must be a part of Sheelos. What's your name?"

"Sheena," she replied, trying not to stutter. The woman seemed authorative but kind- a personality she knew relatively well by now, even if it wasn't _quite_ the same. There was no doubt in her mind as to who this woman was now. Looking at her, she was the _splitting image_ of the woman who had only moments ago been at the mercy of the giant tree. She sighed to herself. As usual, the truth only gave her more questions to ask herself than she knew what to do with.

"Martel," Martuan-Yuan said, his relief obvious. He approached her and looked her over. "I'm glad you're safe." Anyone could have seen the bright red blush on his cheeks. He apparently knew it as well because he rolled his eyes at himself.

"Oh, were you worried?" Martel gave him a coy look, even though her own cheeks had grown increasingly rosy while he'd studied her up and down. "I-I just heard someone calling out for help and went to see what it was. Noishe was with me the whole time. He seemed to know me quite well." As she said that she looked behind herself. Sheena hadn't noticed before, but Noishe was standing near some bushes and one of the white walls of the base. He'd almost blended in entirely. He let out a short whine at being noticed, as though he'd been happy to remain undercover, and padded over to their strange little group. Martel petted him on the head and faced the Cerberus again. "My first thought is that Noishe has met _me_ before. Is that why he was so happy to see me?"

Yuan glanced up to the sky and whistled. "I suppose you could say that... in one way or the other. You _were_ Martel first in this world."

"I- I was?" Martel seemed surprised to hear that and looked at her counterpart Yuan. "I'm older than you?" She looked suddenly suspicious and turned back to the Cerberus. "How do you know that?" Before Yuan could answer, Martel stepped back and covered her face. "W-wait, maybe we should talk about something else before this gets even more confusing!"

Sheena examined her Yuan again carefully. His usual intensity was gone. Instead he was barely concealing his emotional state as he watched the woman he had loved be.. well, herself, right in front of him. Seeing him look like that, she found she _needed_ to ask.

"Did you split her as well, using that Angelus Project?" She was almost going to stop there but decided to continue further. "L-like you did with me and Zelos?"

Yuan gave her his full attention. "The Angelus Project? What in heaven's name are you talking about? Has something happened to Lloyd?" He looked at Noishe. "We have to go to-" He stopped before he finished barking the command to the fluffball and reconsidered everything again. "Wait. What do you mean _I_ did this to you? I thought _he_ was just filling your head with ideas." He nodded over to the other Yuan. "But it's more than that?"

"I saw you," she whispered through gritted teeth. "You betrayed me. This is all just a means to an end for you." As she glared up into his eyes, all she saw was confusion at her anger.

"H-hold on..." he stuttered. "Sheena, I _took_ Sheelos to the base and then I left to organise the situation with Botta in Martuan's stead! Someone is trying to cause trouble. Just like with-" The sound of rheairds flying overhead interrupted him.

"Heeeey!" called Lloyd-Mithos from above. The rheairds lowered down to ground level. As they did and as the occupants of said-rheairds stepped off to examine them all, a thick fog of confusion developed. Sheena rested her head in her hands and side-glanced at the Cerberus. "I hope you're ready to explain things, because I don't think we can escape this one."

Yuan smirked, despite looking a little pale. "You underestimate me."

Apparently it was game on for him. Sheena wondered just what he was going to do.

"What's going on?" Genis asked first as he regained his land legs.

"It appears something quite strange has happened," Presea agreed with his shocked sentiment-question.

Kratos sighed and crossed his arms. "I was wondering whether something like this might eventually happen, given the current state of affairs. It seems we may all now have the evidence we need to come to an agreement on the existence of the 'pattern separation phenomenon', as Raine called it."

"I was thinking the same thing," Regal agreed. "Although it does beg another question that I am unsure will be answered to a satisfactory level."

"If Yuan was a part of Martuan," Genis started, looking between the Martuan-Yuan, Martel and the Cerberus, "then why are there two Yuan's?"

"Which one is the real Yuan?" Presea asked. "There surely can only be one."

"Let's... not get into that," Martuan-Yuan said. "I have no intention on pleading my case on my own reality to you when all that should matter is that I exist."

After that, everyone looked at the Cerberus for answers. He stood with his eyes closed. Rigid. Still. Eventually he spoke. "I need your help, everyone. Without it, the world as we know it will fall into chaos and destruction, at the hands of a man who wishes to create an Age of Angels."

"That's... kind of why we came," Lloyd-Mithos said finally, not having disembarked his rheaird yet. His eyes were set squarely looking behind Sheena. She realised with a little deduction that it was because of Martel's presence. "The Iselia ranch appeared to operate under Cruxis and yet... the prisoners within the ranch were all but gone when we got there."

He was letting his Mithos show, Sheena thought, and wondered whether he had been found out by anyone else yet. Cerberus-Yuan looked at Kratos pointedly. "What do you know about this?"

Kratos shook his head and said nothing, eliciting a frustrated groan from the bluenette. "I suppose Cruxis is as blind to what Forcystus was planning as they always were to the Renegades."

Lloyd-Mithos finally turned his head away from Martel, just to glare at Yuan for that.

"That's not really the problem anyway," Genis pointed out. "Lloyd, what has gotten into you? You were the one who insisted that we should leave rather than try to stop what happened!"

"R-right," Lloyd-Mithos agreed. Sheena found his eyes on her suddenly. "Civilians of Iselia are now willingly entering the ranch, under instruction from the priests of the temple of Martel... and... someone we heard them call the Blue Angel."


	98. The manacles of choice

"Time itself is a mystery, and yet there are rules that must unequivocally be followed. Any poor soul who has had the misfortune to be trapped within a paradox knows this truth. The trouble, one might say, is the lack of understanding ahead of time as to what creates a paradox in the first place. The problem with Aselia is that the events that have taken place across multiple worlds and timelines have unintentionally created an inescapable loop, one that inevitably leads to the downfall of all life, we summon spirits included. Changing a paradox created not _by_ Origin, but certainly through the use of his power, comes with a set of unique drawbacks. Distortions in time are the most common, especially when two timelines are as heavily involved with each other as timeline AB and C, as well as C+, but that isn't the only concern.

Only Origin can see the 'lines' of time, but for Yuan's sake as well as my own since I am directly linked to the paradox itself, I have tried to make sense of it as best as I can. Perhaps that is why the oldest summon spirit became attracted to me, the youngest _by far._ As for my own affections, it is pretty safe to say that Sheelos and I would have had a lot to talk about if she existed in this timeline. The other me, in the eternally tied-to-the-paradox timeline C, would have become fast friends with her."

"I can imagine," my companion said, letting out a low laugh. "Sheelos and Mana, best friends in love and war." I grimaced and he went on. "Timelines are confusing. Whenever I put my mind to it, my desire for paper always becomes incredibly strong. I assume you are the same."

Unfortunately for me, he was right. There was never a great time to get out a pencil and paper at Altessa's home, especially now while I would have been under the scrutiny of Raine while she healed Colette. "Whenever the thoughts cross my mind, I usually I end up settling for mulling it over in my head and hoping it won't get muddled up like the last time," I added aloud.

He didn't say anything so I continued."If we are looking at the timeline of this world, it started life as timeline C. Timeline C was created as a result of the events which took place in timeline A and B when they were merged using the Eternal Sword. The results of the outcome of timeline C created a merge between A, B and C and created ABC. This is where it starts to get complicated and usually I choose to either distract myself with Yuan's activities or tend to Altessa. Alas, the last time the urge to think about it all in detail was when I had been waiting for Yuan to appear in Altessa's doorway sometime soon.. so I stayed dwelling in my own thoughts."

"And the Yuan you were expecting was...?"

I nodded. "Yes, _that_ one."

"..." He paused for a short time with his mouth slightly open as though he'd had something to say. He instead apparently thought better of it and silently waved a hand at me to continue my story. Though I did naturally feel strange talking about such things with him, it was important, everything considered. Without the paradox, there would be no solution.

"The results of timeline C merging with AB were...undesirable at best and were the main reason why myself, along with the other summon spirits, were allowed to transfer to this timeline under the watchful eye of Origin. Though the other summon spirits merged with their counterparts in _this_ world, I am the exception to the rule. To stay in timeline ABC meant my certain demise, and until Mana is born into this world, I have been allowed to stay."

He bobbed his head as though he knew all that already, as he had been the entire time I had been explaining things to him. He had come to me for information, unable to get it from any other source without blatantly interrupting the flow of the events to come, and yet.. what I said felt almost.. irrelevant. Strangely, I felt I'd had a similar experience with another, more powerful energy. It was unsettling, to get the same sense from two different beings. Perhaps Origin's influence had affected him? I realised I might never know and decided it was time to finish this pointless feeling situation.

"If I might be so blunt, I believe you might have somewhere else to be?"

He grimaced, gave a nod and stood from where he had been resting on his forearms as he gazed out from the bridge we stood on above the ravine in the Toize Valley Mine. Given that both of us could disappear at any moment if the situation became dire, it was difficult to feel threatened at all, despite the fact that the entrance to the mine had collapsed from the earthquakes created by the giant tree.

"Well, this has been an interesting experience," he said, whistling and scratching his head. "I suppose it's time to create my own destiny, as well as yours."

"And everyone else's," I added dryly.

He sensed my inner bitterness and reached a hand out to me. Without even thinking, I stepped back. It must have been particularly due to Martel's influence, I decided.

"Come now, don't be like that," he said, as though my actions genuinely hurt him. I knew better and kept my distance. When he knew his 'charms' had no effect, he crossed his arms and turned away. "It is just business, my dear Mana."

I looked over his figure and at the long blond hair that covered most of it. Being lost in the complexities of time had its benefits. Now the discussion had come to an end, I felt as though he would drive a knife into my abdomen at any moment, just like he had that night Martel had confronted him about the experiment. Without a proper goodbye, he was gone- to do the very thing I had just imagined so vividly, no doubt.

xxx

No matter how many years he had lived, the reaction from people who were not used to seeing him was always the same. It started with the passing of a glance, followed by the decision by the individual looking that he was definitely of elven heritage (if those examining him were human). Then, realising that he was likely blind in one eye upon seeing the patch, the individual would quickly hurry along as though they were almost afraid to catch his blindness. He didn't necessarily mind. It acted as the perfect cover for what the patch could _really_ do.

On its own without the exsphere on the top of his right hand, it was nothing. But with it, the patch responded to the increase in the mana flowing through his body like clockwork and powered to life. A relic left to him by his ancestors who had lived during the Kharlan War, it allowed him to understand when those he met were lying. He was able to see their nervous habits with pinpoint accuracy and decide on a course of action around that.

Funnily enough, it was _because_ he had lost his eyesight in the war that he was able to make use of it, since if he had been blessed with a working eye still, he would not have thought to use a seemingly useless eye patch. Nothing could grant him the vision back in his right eye, but his ability to 'see' had improved dramatically. In a way he still didn't quite understand despite the hundreds of years he had spent pondering about it and tinkering with the device, he was able to 'see' through his eye without actually 'seeing'. It was more like his brain was connecting with the lens- and that was as much as he had been able to discover about the device without utterly destroying it to find out its true machinations. Just like the mana cannon and the mana reactors in the ranches all over Sylvarant, the technology needed to be preserved and, more importantly, not be allowed to fall into the wrong hands.

It was really too bad that 'the wrong hands' were quite bountiful nowadays. Rodyle had been useful but he had never been a trustworthy ally. His allegiance swayed more than leaves on a tree atop a mountain. He had known nothing of loyalty and had always only been cooperative for as long as the outcome benefited him.

Forcystus stood in the town plaza of Exire, waiting for somebody, _anybody_ at this stage, to show the level of obedience he had seen upon his last visit. There was nothing. Despite knowing that Katherine had been hiding something, she had made sure to not talk to him about this- probably to make sure he wouldn't see _why_ she was nervous. She was quite the conniving one, he had to say.

Many of the inhabitants of Exire had taken to watching the rest of the world scramble under the earthquakes, but nobody seemed especially concerned that their world might come to an end thanks to the efforts of the Chosen's group, coupled with the intense desires of Yggdrasil and Gabriel. None of them even seemed to recognise him. He saw no evidence that this place had once been teeming with the untapped power of a few thousand broken and unappreciated half-elves.

However.. there was still a chance...

The world was changing, and unable to stop it, he was forced to either go along for the ride or take action now and head wherever fate would lead him. Heaving a sigh, he decided. It was time.

"Citizens of Exire!" he yelled as loud as he could, eliciting some reaction at least. "Which of you wish to end this horrid way half-elves are treated? To the vast majority, we do not exist. Those who do know of us treat us as slaves. I, Forcystus, am here to guide you all. We will make a new world for ourselves, on Derris Kharlan! With the Grand Cardinals busy and Yggdrasil scrambling, now is the perfect time for a decisive attack!"

An older half-elf woman shielded her grandchild from being able to see him. He had several gazes on him now and a gradual developing crowd. Somehow he had to make this work. Even if, for some strange reason, they has lost their memory of the rigorous training they had done, perhaps...

He'd seen it before on the battlefield, how it was possible for the body to remember when the mind could not. He'd witnessed soldiers in their dying moments, incapable of rational thought, still somehow able to wield a sword and cut down their killer before their lives ended. That wasn't the only example, either. One of his fallen comrades, after a particularly long string of skirmishes, had been clubbed from behind on the back of the head and fallen into an amnesiac state. He hadn't known who he was, nor his family or anything else about himself. For some reason though, when given his preferred weapon, he had taken to the training field and fought as though nothing had ever happened to him.

It was a long shot, Forcystus knew, but now was the perfect time to strike a decisive blow in Cruxis and make a place for themselves. Yggdrasil wished for the humans to accept them- a noble goal if it weren't through such twisted methods that would make the end result essentially the same. There was no place for half-elves in Aselia. Elves had come from Derris Kharlan and that was where they could finally belong. He raised his left arm and prepared to fire at the crowd.

xxx

_At the same time that Sheelos' group had just received the last blessing of the summon spirits and broken the mana links, only to discover the sprouting of the giant twisted Great Tree, another, far more sinister event took place on the outskirts of Iselia.._

"It is time, loyal followers of Martel," Gabriel bellowed, using his gold and silver wings to elegantly flutter down from the roof of the temple. The eight priests and priestesses who had been in the middle of prayer duty since the great tree had sprouted stared at him until he landed on the ground as softly as he could.

"Oh please!" one hooded priestess pleaded, her voice muffling as she rested her head on the ground. "If our Chosen has displeased you, please allow us to send another on the journey."

"It is our mistake for sending one so young," an old man said as he quivered but didn't dare to look at him.

Gabriel crossed his arms and almost laughed. He hadn't realised it, but it seemed the followers of Martel were far more dedicated to her in Sylvarant than they were in Tethe'alla. He wondered if that was perhaps thanks to the monarchy and the rumours about himself being involved in insider trading schemes and trying to take the throne from the King. The rumours were all true, but he had tried hard to make certain they gained as little ground as possible. After all, although Mithos knew of his position as the Pope and about the deals he had made with Vharley- where mined exspheres were exported to Sylvarant ranches and back to Tethe'alla after gaining their power- he knew nothing of his efforts to suppress half-elves in society. The W.S.P, as far as Mithos knew, had alone made the worlds lack of understanding of elven-kind far worse.

"We will atone," a middle-aged priest went on to beg him. "Please stop the apocalypse. Think of the children!"

"The children are the least important," he replied, stifling another laugh when the eight that surrounded him leaned their faces even closer to the ground at his feet. Any closer and they would be kissing the marble flooring. "At this time," he added, suppressing the laugh again when all those who lay around him flinched at his words and made their affair with the floor official. He shuffled past them all. "We require two things. One- everyone in Sylvarant is to be fitted with an exsphere. The Iselia ranch is operational. You are all to depart there immediately."

Every single priest and priestess bowing to him sat up at that. He walked back past them and to the altar where he had 'appeared' and let them gaze over his wings for a few moments before turning back to look at them. "Two- the Worldwide Survival Project is to yield two offspring per woman from now on. Those who have not had a second child yet must make haste."

"But that's..."

"Preposterous!"

Gabriel had been so busy playing the part of angel that he hadn't noticed the entry of another into the main atrium of the temple. The man who had announced himself strode up to the altar, a hard glare in his eyes. "Why _exactly_ do you wish for us to go to the ranches? There is something wrong with all this, if you ask me!"

"M-mayor," one of the acolytes posted at the entrance said, approaching. "Are you saying that you wish to forsake the Goddess?"

Iselia's mayor turned the venomous glare originally meant for Gabriel onto the poor unsuspecting acolyte. "Forsake the Goddess? Certainly not. Forsake the good people of Iselia to the ranch when we have already repented for Lloyd's mistake with the treaty, exiling him from the village? Not while a heart still beats in my chest!"

The acolyte shrunk back a bit, probably seeing the sense. Gabriel found himself coloured impressed. Not often would regular humans be willing to stand up to the angels. It was too bad that cooperation was non-negotiable in this. All the pieces were in place, now he just needed to put the final phase of his plan into action. With the increased intake of people in Sylvarant and his spy informing him that Forcystus had appeared in Exire, likely to enact a plan for an obvious attack on Welgaia, he had more than enough time to get the ball rolling before Mithos even suspected a thing. He reached into his pocket for the necessary tools to show the Mayor who called the shots.

"That will be enough," called another, far more familiar voice. Gabriel rolled his eyes involuntarily and watched as Yuan stepped through the doorway, pink wings glittering behind him. "As servants of the Goddess herself, we are obliged to allow the villagers to make their own decision."

Yuan joined his side a few strides later, earning the wide-eyed and open-mouthed gazes of everyone in the room as two seraphs stood together.

"What are you playing at!?" he hissed under his breath.

"Follow my lead, or I will kill you," Yuan muttered back.

He had no doubt Yuan wouldn't hesitate. The night four thousand years ago came to mind. Whoever Yuan was, he _wasn't_ from this world. He still hesitated slightly, just out of wonder at what the motive of the bluenette was _this time_. If any previous encounter was anything to go by, he was up to something. He never appeared for a casual chat over a coffee. There was a curious darkness to his soul that only came out when the two of them were alone, too, as though the half-elf had seen and done everything and hated _him_ for it. The Yuan who had been amongst the Chosen's group had almost seemed like a completely different person. At the end of the day however, Gabriel decided to go along with it. After all, everything that had happened so far had been as a direct result of the plans they had discussed four thousand years ago.

Yuan raised a shapely blue eyebrow at him as a cocky smirk played at the corners of his mouth. "Go, underling, before the Goddess smites you for your forceful hand."

Wondering what he might do, but deciding that it was for the best to listen at this stage, he nodded once and floated back up to the ceiling. There, he activated his exsphere and vanished. Yuan would not sense he was there, but he was too curious to know if the half-elf would still know he was there to _not_ do it. Yuan didn't give the spot he had vanished to a second glance however and instead trained his eyes on the furious mayor.

The mayor slightly stepped back. "What is all this about?" he questioned Yuan, then strained his eyes and tilted his head. "Strange. You seem familiar somehow."

"I suppose all angels look alike to someone like you," Yuan muttered, glancing away. "Though I suppose you actually have a legitimate excuse in this timeline." He stopped rambling like a madman and turned to address the rest of the room. "You will have to forgive my underlings lack of tact in this matter. However, his basic instructions are indeed necessary to be followed."

Gabriel clenched his invisible fist. If Yuan called him that _one more time.._

"What do you plan to do with us at the ranch?" the youngest woman in the room asked of him, with even more fear in her eyes as she looked at him then she'd shown when Gabriel had appeared before them. The invisible seraph-human wondered just how an angel with pink wings that were _half_ the size of his own could intimidate people more.

"Please do not be afraid," Yuan went on to say. "I gain no pleasure in scaring innocent bystanders into submission. The choice is yours alone to make, but know this- without you all, there will not be a world to live on in the not-too-distant future. If you're worried about the children's future, then you will likely find your answer to our proposal."

With that simple sentence, he turned his back to them, the blue and red cape he sported flapping as he did, and headed out of the temple.

xxx

Yuan breathed in the fresh air of the Iselian countryside. If he didn't look behind himself and just faced out to the ocean, he could almost find himself believing that the giant tree _wasn't_ ravaging half the continent.

"The Age of Lifeless Beings.." he mouthed to himself. "Has it really come to this?"

He wondered whether he should have stayed around to see whether the mayor needed to be convinced, but had decided to leave it to him for now. Although thousands of years had passed since he had spent time in Iselia teaching 'Colloyd', he could still recall the mayor and his hypocritical attitude. On one hand, he had come across as someone who cared for the citizens and sought to improve the way of living for Iselia's inhabitants, but on the other hand he had exiled a teenage boy from the village in one timeline, while sending a young girl off on her own in the current world. From the small points he knew of what had happened to Lloyd's party all that time ago, the Mayor had also attempted to turn the whole village against Raine and Genis. Their only saving grace _this_ time around was that half-elves were the well-guarded secret of those in power.

He gritted his teeth at the thought but stopped and glanced over his shoulder when he heard a trio of grassy footsteps.

"Where did you all go?" he asked, looking over at Mithos, then up to the heads of green and auburn that faced him. Only one held a genuine smile for him. "D-don't y-you know t-that you can't go around doing whatever here in this timeline? We are on a mission!" He only found himself able to dish out his annoyance properly when he faced the unblinking, unwavering and annoying face of Kratos.

Mithos kept up his usual smirk and glanced up at Martel just behind him. Her cheeks turned an adorable red as she looked away and gave a short, innocent whistle.

"While we could not enter the temple for obvious reasons, Martel thought it would be prudent to get the Iselian village on your side," Kratos explained.

Yuan's jaw had dropped at his beloved before the stoic mercenary had finished the tale though. "I thought you didn't agree," he said, wondering what had changed her mind. As far as he had ever experienced, _nothing_ short of an act of the Old Gods could change her mind for her.

Martel glanced down at the ground, kind of like she was ashamed of herself. "If this really is the only way, then... then we must do what we can." Her hand absently scratched Mithos' head and he squirmed under it for a second.

The boy crossed his arms and nodded in agreement with his family. "As much as I resent the fact that my idea of equality is being used by you, _Yuan,_ and _him_ _ **,**_ even I have to admit that this is one of your better ideas." He pouted when Yuan couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.

"The villagers recognised Martel from the picture books of the Goddess," Kratos went on. "Despite the way this worlds dual souls come into play, Mithos of this world still had some idea on what Martel looked like thanks to Origin."

"Yes, I'm well aware of that," Yuan muttered. He glanced back at the Temple of Martel. "We should take our leave. Gabriel will be interested in seeing where I left to soon. It's better if he doesn't catch sight of any of you." He reached a hand out to Martel without looking and felt her take it without a second thought. His heart leapt in his chest as they took to the air together. Behind them as they departed for their next destination, Altessa's house, Mithos groaned with dissatisfaction.


	99. A dance with death

Forcystus looked onward at the dead around him, unable to speak or move or do anything. The mother who had been shielding her child from him still clutched the little one in her arms as their remaining lives ebbed away. Those that hadn't been instantly killed by the explosion he had directed straight at them had fled to more than likely die from their wounds in private.

Why had it all gone so wrong? He had known it was risky, but he hadn't expected it to fail so miserably. Not one of the townsfolk had jumped aside from the blast or attempted to take him on. They had all cowered in fear up until the last minute. Eventually the screams of the injured faded and all that was left of his hope for the half-elf race had gone along with it. He didn't have an army. He didn't have the Angelus Project. All he had was a mana cannon and not enough mana to use it without the summoner or the Angelus Project. He didn't even have the ability to ask its primary engineers how to use it properly.

As though the weather had responded to the chaos ebbing away at his heart, a thundercloud cracked overhead and spilled its contents down on him. Quickly soaked to the bone, he stood and stepped up to the edge of the floating continent. The earthquakes had grown more powerful down in the land below- he only needed to cast a quick gaze over it to know that. The beaches that decorated the coast of southern Tethe'alla were now far longer. The water had receded back quite a distance. Evacuations were likely in order all around the continent. Soon enough only places surrounded by mountains would be safe.

"Glory to the Age of Half-elves..." he whispered to himself, before turning his back to the edge and facing Exire once more. "We will prevail. We _must!"_ With that, he spread his arms out by his sides and allowed himself to fall backward.

A hand grasped at his shoulder, right as he thought he should have felt an impact. Blinking, the sky he'd faced in those fleeting moments before death ebbed away to show him the villagers all staring at him, terror scrawled upon each of their faces. Yelping with surprise, he quickly lowered his cannon arm and stepped backward, almost into whoever had been the one to bring him out of.. whatever it had been he has just experienced. Had it been a dream? Had the stress of everything finally turned him insane? Possible.

But it had felt so... _real._

"Careful, my friend," said a woman softly from behind. "If you move so suddenly, you might wake Raine. Then you'll really have a problem on your hands!"

_That voice._

He whirled around and his jaw dropped. He hadn't seen her for some time, but it was her. And she _recognised_ him. A silver haired elven woman smiled at him while she cradled a doll in her arms gently.

xxx

Despite having shown a good deal of resolve, and indeed having felt that resolve himself at the time he had needed to show it to Pronyma and Kate, Kratos found himself decisively unsure of himself the closer the intended plan came to being acted upon. It annoyed him somewhat, to think that after everything Mithos had done, after all he had put the world through in order to save his sister, and after everything he had done to _him_ personally, including creating the Angelus Project which had taken Anna's life from her far too prematurely, he still _cared_ about Mithos.

Climbing the gaseous purple-sheened levels of Derris Kharlan that led to Welgaia, he wondered why that was. Why were the wounds of the past still fresh? Why he could still see the logic in Mithos' actions despite also having fought against them alongside his son? He sighed. The answer was obvious, and it all boiled down to the same reason any of them had agreed to create a twisted version of their original home in the first place. _Martel._

They'd all loved her in various different ways, just as she had wholly loved them. Yuan had been completely in love with her- practically falling over his feet for her from their very first meeting. Kratos, though he'd kept a respectful distance from Mithos and Martel at first as to not burden them with his own rather.. jaded.. past, had found himself opening up to the older of the siblings. She had coaxed something out of him that he had been careful to tell nobody- his past at Castle Tethe'allla.

_Coaxed_ was almost too strong of a word, he thought mentally as he recalled the night he had sat by the campfire when neither of them could sleep, regaling her as to the missing pieces of the puzzle that had led to his involvement in the Angelus Experiment.

He hadn't been thinking of it at all, nor had she pleaded answers of him. They had been speaking about nothing in particular, though he did remember a short discussion about the constellations being particularly beautiful that night. No, the truth had come flying from his mouth a short time after a melody had finished playing at the midnight festival in the capital's plaza.

It had carried over the plains quite a distance to grace their ears. He hadn't even realised his feet had been tapping along with the tune until Martel had pointed it out to him and asked whether he was secretly a musician or a dancer. Despite what the truth may or may not have been, he had provided an answer to the negative. She hadn't believed him and asked him to teach her.

His decline hadn't been accepted either. When he had asked her out of curiosity as to why she desired to learn, she had confessed to him her dilemma of having 'two left feet'. Then, without meaning to make her feel that his silence meant that he had wanted further explanation, she had gone on to say that she wished to someday dance with Yuan, but since the other half-elf was so obviously graceful on his feet, she had never gained the confidence to ask. She'd mentioned that she might have asked Mithos to help, had he not been so short, saying nothing of how jealous he would have gotten at the result his teachings would procure. She hadn't counted the possibility of Gabriel, and Kratos hadn't brought it up either. As far as he had seen over the time Gabriel had been with them, she and him hadn't exchanged more words than were necessary.

With some reluctance, he had accepted her request.

At first their movements had been stiff and awkward- partly due to Martel's inexperience but mostly due to the strange way they were holding one another close. Despite his best efforts, Kratos remembered how fast his heart had beat during the first few moments. He had offered to stop then and there at the realisation of his fickle heart, fearing suddenly that his resolve may fail him and that he would have to contend with the possibility of coming between Yuan and herself. Martel had smiled almost knowingly and told him to calm down, asking him at the same time how long it had been since he had danced with a woman. He had known the answer instantly, but had held his tongue and pretended to be swept up in the rhythm of their improving dance routine.

It was only when they took their seats on the log by the fire once more and Martel had rested her head against his shoulder and thanked him that he had answered her properly with the truth. The last woman he had danced with had been the one he had pledged his life to, if she would take his hand in union. Martel had been smart enough to not ask as to what had happened, though she had offered her thoughts on the matter, most probably worried for him.

" _I'd heard of the mad queen, but I had not realised just how mad she was."_

He'd been surprised, to say the least, at her deduction. Martel hadn't given away all that much as to how she had known, but she had offered one small sentence of information that had stuck with him even over the stretch of eight millennia.

" _Ignorance is knowledge, Kratos Aurion,"_ she had whispered with a mischievous Mithos-esque smile.

Suffice to say, he hadn't held back with his explanation after that. He had told her of his love for the woman who had been picked from a long line of proposals to be the next Queen of Tethe'alla. She had also loved him- of that he had been _quite_ sure, especially given a particular set of circumstances that had caused one thing to lead to another before either of them had known each other in the context of their royal settings. As fate would have it however, he was not the oldest of his two brothers and it hadn't been meant to be. She had not been willing to stand against either of their father's wishes out of fear the throne would be given to her twin sister instead.

He still didn't understand what had possessed him to say all that he had, but the boundaries of their friendship had become abundantly clear over time after that. With Martel, Kratos had learned he could be honest about his worries and concerns. They had spent many a night since their first dance discussing the plight of the half-elves and the war. She had always seemed to stop before too long whenever the conversations gravitated toward Mithos and Gabriel's relationship, however. He had noticed she seemed distressed by it and worked hard to keep clear of it until she would be ready to confide in him about that as well. He'd expected that she would eventually, but he had been wrong. The truth had died at the same time as Martel and Gabriel.

Only now did he have the full truth as to what ailed her about them, eight thousand years later in a different world. He eyeballed the city of Welgaia that spread out before him. Pronyma, having contentedly left him to his thoughts until now, gave him another worried look when she materialised through the teleporter. She wanted to know if he was sure about this. Kate had left them in the world below, not having a Cruxis Crystal herself but also stating that there may be trouble if Mithos were to find out about her existence. Although he hadn't been able to argue with her logic, a small part of Kratos suspected there was a little more to her plan. When first he had met her again, she had been travelling with Genis and Presea after all.

The answer he mentally had to Pronyma's questioning gaze was a firm no. He was not sure. Mithos had literally created a new world to save his sister, and now all of that was about to be torn out from under him. He glanced at the warp, wondering whether it would be better to tell Yuan of the plan first. A part of him reasoned that he owed the bluenette that much. The more logical side of him told him that Yuan was far too much of a risk in this matter and that he would have to do it alone.

Kratos took a step away from safety and into the direction of destiny, Pronyma doing the same thing by his side. "Lord Kratos," she started. He didn't reply but she continued anyway. "Why do you suppose we ended up seeing.. what we saw, back at the ranch?"

He flashed a glance at her, mildly curious. Pronyma tapped her chin in thought. "It all just seems a little perfect, doesn't it? That you would end up appearing at my ranch and that Kate would be with you."

Now he understood, and had to admit that it was a curious question. The chances of the specific set of circumstances coming about, particularly that he had been wearing a Katz suit during the entire ordeal, must have been quite slim. He himself had only gone to the Katz island because of a hunch based on his prior knowledge of the world.

They now stood in front of Mithos' throne room- the place of great brooding over the worlds issues for the half-elf. Kratos expected now to be no different, particularly since the giant tree had begun to cause havoc. It was too late to turn back now. Mithos would be expecting him- probably to tell him of what might have transpired at the Iselia ranch. Telling him that he hadn't done as was asked would come with consequences, but he decided he would deal with that later if he had to.

Swallowing what was left of his guilt and steeling himself, Kratos put a hand to the door button. As it scanned the Cruxis crystal he had swapped with Kraine-Kratos, the double doors opened to reveal a lavish red carpet with a throne at the end. Mithos sat on it, hunched to one side and with one leg crossed over the other while he looked down at a piece of paper. He only barely looked up to acknowledge his presence before looking down at it again. Whatever it was must have been rather important.

Right as he was about to step through the threshold and into the room, Kratos sensed another presence. His next step stalled for just long enough for Pronyma to end up entering first and falling into the awaiting trap with a shriek.

"That's far enough for the time being," said her fiery-haired captor as he held a short sword to her throat and grimaced down at her surprised face. Kratos stood in place and waited for the situation to be explained to him. It almost didn't surprise him. Actually, it was very nearly what he had expected to happen since his life had always seemed to become one drama after the next. Yggdrasil had joked about it to him once, saying that perhaps the way drama always seemed to find him had caused him to appear bothered so little. He had also said that it was perhaps why it bothered Yuan so much, since he was always the one who instigated the drama.

"Unhand me!" Pronyma demanded when the knife wavered from her throat. She gazed at Mithos. "Lord Mithos, please do something about this insolence at once!"

"Silence," Mithos muttered, looking over the letter again, blond brows twitching in confusion as he came to a particular part. When he seemed to reach the end again and finally raised his head to look at them, he gave Pronyma a hard glare. "Call me by that name again and I will have you killed. Only my former companions may call me that." With that, he waved a dismissive hand at her captor.

He let her go and crossed his arms. "You better listen to him. I think he's serious."

Kratos looked over Mithos' lackey and the way he stood with one hand on his hip. So.. _arrogant._ Everything about him was exactly the way he remembered, right down to the fact that he was working with Cruxis. At one time, his appearance in the room might have bothered him for another reason, but this time it was actually his entire existence that ate at him. There was no doubt that something had happened to Sheelos if _he_ was here. He wondered on what kinds of ramifications that might have had on the world while he silently watched him and received a raised-eyebrow look eventually from him. "What? Have something to say to me?"

"For the time being, I would prefer to speak with Mithos," he answered honestly. "Though I must admit that I fear for the safety of the world if you have indeed split from Sheelos."

"Wow, looks like we might actually see eye-to-eye," he said, then tilted his head toward Mithos. "He might still be on our side after all. We should at least hear him out."

"I don't need you to tell me that," Mithos snapped. "You would do well to remember your place. You are a guest here. Derris Kharlan is my home, and Kratos' as well."

It was somehow rather disturbing to think of Derris Kharlan as home, but in all honesty, Kratos couldn't deny that it was true. If home was the place you spent the most time, then the mana-filled comet was indeed the place he would call home by default.

"What news do you have as to what is happening in Sylvarant?" Mithos asked him. Kratos noticed he had mentioned _Sylvarant_ and not specifically Iselia.

"The delicate balance created by the mana links has caused the world to fall into chaos," he explained. "And the Great Seed to grow as it absorbs the mana that has been flowing back and forth between the worlds. Soon there will not be enough mana to sustain life. It needs to be stopped immediately, but there seems to be something unforeseen happening."

Unforeseen might have been a bit of a lie on his part. He'd expected things to go awry of course, especially since Gabriel was involved, but he hadn't expected it to somehow involve splitting Sheelos. That would have required an Angelus Project, as far as he understood.

Mithos groaned and shifted sides on his chair, folding the paper in his hands as he did. "I suppose you are going to blame my father for this as well?"

"I hadn't wanted to be so blunt, but yes," he answered, curiosity piquing even further at what could have possibly been written on the paper. Nevertheless, he was certain that the research notes he had given to Pronyma to carry would top everything else as far as proof went.

Mithos didn't look terribly surprised at that- not that Kratos had expected him to be. "What can you tell me about the Age of Lifeless Beings?" the half-elf asked him almost cautiously next.

"Nothing good," he answered truthfully, thinking again of the papers. He side-glanced at Pronyma and she nodded and reached for the satchel by her side that contained them. "Gabriel was planning to use an age of angels as a way to rid the world of half-elves," he went on. "If a world did not see a need to breed due to being immortal, then half-elves would eventually become extinct. The suffering of them would technically end. That is what Gabriel told you he wished for, correct?"

Mithos' eyebrows furrowed and he shook his head. He didn't want to believe it. "And Yuan?" he asked softly. "He was also working alongside him?" He stood from his spot and paced back and forth. "No. I won't believe that. Gabriel has no reason to betray me. Even now, he is working to create a way for the world to understand half-elves."

"You are as soft hearted as ever," Kratos replied, not knowing how Mithos had put together Yuan's involvement as a part of it but deducing the truth might have been in black and white and sitting in the palm of the leader of Cruxis' hand. "You trust far too easily, Mithos. It is one of your greatest flaws. Particularly when it comes to those whom you call family."

"Watch what you say," Mithos growled, stepping up close to him. For the next couple of seconds, they glared at one another. Kratos didn't back down. Neither did Mithos. Kratos _did_ have to wonder what was taking Pronyma so long in procuring the evidence they needed to seal the deal and make sure Mithos took their side in the coming battle for the power of Origin though.

"My family means everything," Mithos snarled softly to him, then retreated slightly. "Surely _you_ of all people would understand that."

He did. And that was precisely why he needed to tell Mithos the truth. Taking a breath, he decided it was time. "Gabriel isn't your father, Mithos. Not in the way you think."

Mithos stared at him for what felt like forever after that, before starting to laugh. "That's funny Kratos. What are you talking about? Weren't you the one who forced him to tell me the truth? Or are you going to go back on your word again?"

He couldn't deny that he definitely sounded like a hypocrite now that the real truth had come to light.

"It's true, Lord Yggdrasil," Pronyma defended into the void of rising fury that emanated through the room.

"Silence!" Mithos yelled, his blue eyes wild with anger. "Leave here at once, both of you!" It was the beginning of a tantrum, but Kratos knew better than to leave. He wasn't done yet. Not by a long shot.

"There is something else you should know," he added. This next bit was difficult for him to comprehend, even now. "Martel...she.." He felt like he was betraying his friend somehow as he began. He wondered whether she really _would_ have told him about it if her life had not been cut short.

"She isn't your sister, Mithos," Pronyma blurted out when he couldn't get the truth out quick enough. "She's actually-"

Mithos cut her off when his rising fury took an abrupt turn and evolved into insane laughter. Kratos waited for the inevitable conclusion the half-elf would come to. "And where's your proof of any of this?" he eventually said, calming down from how ludicrous it had seemed. "Surely you don't expect me to believe you so easily. I may soft-hearted at times, but I am not gullible."

Kratos expectedly looked at Pronyma, but she gave him nothing but a fearful look in return. "Lord Kratos... the papers.. they're _gone."_

"Papers?" Mithos' large seraphim wings unfurled from his back as he stepped closer to her.

"They were right _here!"_ Pronyma showed Kratos the empty satchel and he nodded, stunned just as much as her. He had seen her place them inside and had known that even _she_ couldn't have lost them considering their importance.

In the blink of an eye, Mithos vanished and reappeared behind the Grand Cardinal. Kratos could do nothing quick enough to stop it. As Pronyma had been distracted with her empty bag, Mithos had reached a hand out to her neck as he floated slightly off of the ground. "I told you that I would kill you if you called me that again."

And with a single, powerful burst of magic, Pronyma was no more. The only evidence that betrayed her ever being in their presence, ironically, was the satchel that had distracted her.


End file.
